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Jackson council adopts updated Teton County emergency operations plan with new neighborhood and private firefighting guidance
Summary
The Jackson Town Council unanimously approved the 2025 update to the Teton County Emergency Operations Plan, which adds neighborhood planning templates, special-events annexes and guidance for private firefighting resources while staff warned of federal grant uncertainty that could affect the local emergency management budget.
The Jackson Town Council on April 7 approved updates to the 2025 Teton County Emergency Operations Plan, endorsing a three-year revision that adds community emergency planning templates, guidance on special-event safety and procedures for coordinating private firefighting resources.
Emergency Management Coordinator Rich Oakes told the council the plan — revised after exercises and real incidents since 2022 — adds a community emergency planning annex with neighborhood templates, a special-events annex clarifying host responsibilities, updated damage-assessment procedures, and alignment with recent FEMA changes to core capabilities and community lifelines. Oakes said the town and county have also produced an elected-officials guide that distills the plan for decision-makers.
The update matters because it aims to broaden preparedness beyond government agencies to neighborhoods, nonprofits and event hosts, set clear roles for private firefighting contractors, and preserve eligibility for federal grants, Oakes said. He noted the plan is posted in full on the Emergency Management website and that the elected-officials guide will be distributed to local officials.
Councilmembers asked how much neighborhood planning is occurring; Oakes said roughly 10 neighborhood plans exist across the county and several more are pending review. He said many are driven by wildfire concerns or insurance motivations and are often organized by homeowner associations that retain consultants to prepare mitigation and evacuation plans.
On coordination with private firefighting contractors — crews sometimes hired directly by insurance companies or property owners — Oakes said the plan clarifies that private crews should be integrated with the incident command system and use shared radio channels, and that vehicles should be clearly labeled as non-emergency when not operating under government direction. Without coordination, he said, private resources can create confusion about who is being protected and may compete for limited resources.
Council members also pressed Oakes on federal grant uncertainty. Oakes said about half of his division's salaries rely on the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), a FEMA pass-through; reimbursements that had been promised were briefly put on hold and the town recently submitted claims while the state waits for notices of award from FEMA. He said his 2026 budget proposal assumes no grant revenue until the situation is resolved.
Councilman Schechter made the motion to approve the proposed updates "as presented, subject to minor changes by staff," seconded by Councilwoman Spiering. The motion passed unanimously.
The plan’s additions reflect lessons learned during recent disasters and exercises, Oakes said, including changes made after flooding events and the COVID-19 response. Oakes recommended elected officials download the unredacted plan and keep a copy offline in case of internet outages.
The council’s vote authorizes staff to finalize any minor edits and publish the adopted plan.
