Weston County commissioners debate emergency-management oversight after bomb response; staff offers training

Weston County commissioners spent much of a meeting discussing where emergency-management authority should sit and how commissioners should be kept informed of emergency plans and training.

The discussion began when the board took up new business about whether to administratively place “Gilbert,” the county employee who manages emergency planning, under the commissioners or to keep that post within law-enforcement or emergency-services structures. Commissioners said they were not always briefed on plans and asked for a higher-level summary and periodic refresher training so elected officials understand their responsibilities in a major event.

The sheriff and other staff recounted a recent response to a suspected explosive device brought to a Wyoming Department of Transportation facility. County responders contained the scene while state troopers initially handled the investigation; speakers said the episode exposed gaps in communication and differing expectations between local agencies and the state patrol. County speakers described regional arrangements for bomb and HazMat response and said proper protocol typically routes requests through emergency management and Homeland Security to obtain regional resources without direct local cost.

Staff noted multiple free training options. The transcript records an offer to arrange web-based or in-person instruction through the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and a separate workshop from a domestic preparedness consortium; staff said those trainings could be scheduled at the countys request and that incident-command and reunification planning roles could be explained in a workshop format.

No ordinance or formal reorganization was voted on during the meeting. Commissioners agreed to schedule a one-hour workshop with the emergency-management staff at a future meeting and to circulate a 3,000-foot summary of plans for commissioner review; staff also said they would continue to send plan updates to the Local Emergency Planning Committee and welcomed commissioner feedback.

Commissioners asked for clearer communications when plans are updated and for periodic evaluations and briefings so newly elected officials receive timely orientation on roles during emergencies. The board did not adopt a new reporting structure at the meeting.