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Bannock County partners with Idaho State University on BRIC grant to strengthen emergency preparedness
Summary
Office of Emergency Management described a multi-part BRIC-funded effort with Idaho State University to improve resilience mapping, community outreach and capacity-building; staff to use ISU analysis to seek further grant funding.
Wes Jones, director of the Bannock County Office of Emergency Management, briefed commissioners on a multi-pronged resilience project coordinated with Idaho State University under a BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant.
Jones said ISU is conducting analysis and a capacity diagnosis that county staff will use to identify needs—such as GIS work for wildland‑urban interface mapping and rural addressing—so the county can pursue additional grant funding. “What that does is it's intended to help improve emergency management components … based upon the data and the analysis of what they compile,” Jones told the board.
The office is also distributing community preparedness materials and promoting the Ready, Set, Go framework used by the Southeast Idaho Fire Chiefs Association. Jones said the office initially purchased 1,000 Ready, Set, Go handouts and has distributed about 850, and that volunteers are working on a Map Your Neighborhood door‑to‑door outreach program in South County.
Jones summarized three primary BRIC tasks: improving alert/awareness networks and citizen engagement; updating building-code feasibility and cost‑benefit analyses in coordination with planning and zoning; and conducting a capacity diagnosis across emergency management core capabilities. He said the capacity diagnosis and related recommendations are expected to be completed in the fall.
Commissioners asked about grant size and timelines. A commissioner asked about the award amount; Jones said he would provide the exact grant figures later. Jones also warned of a temporary federal moratorium on some grant actions that could slow reimbursements even while spending is allowed.
No formal board action was required; commissioners asked staff to follow up with the grant numbers and to report back as analysis is completed.
