Commissioners press for more briefings on emergency plans after county takes lead in local explosive-device response

Commissioners discussed the county’s emergency-management responsibilities and agreed to seek more frequent, high-level briefings after a recent incident involving an explosive device at a state facility.

Speaker 5 described the incident, saying a DOT employee allegedly brought a pipe bomb into a facility and that highway patrol initially handled the response before the county took control, citing limits on state trooper authority and established regional bomb/HAZMAT teams (six regions). "We wound up taking their ship for a little bit when we took over," Speaker 5 said, describing how the sheriff’s office and local police contained the scene.

Commissioners and staff flagged gaps in communication and familiarity with incident-command roles. Speaker 5 and others urged regular refresher training for commissioners and staff; Speaker 4 forwarded a free training offer from a preparedness consortium and the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security also offers web-based training for elected officials. Commissioners asked staff to circulate 3,000-foot summaries of plans so they could quickly review major elements before diving into details at follow-up workshops.

The board agreed to schedule a workshop or a half-hour briefing at the next meeting to walk through roles and plan overviews so commissioners are prepared to act if an incident occurs and to understand which agencies have statutory authority for particular responsibilities.