County approves UCAR/NOAA-funded tabletop exercise on extreme heat and wildfire smoke

Ally, a county presenter, asked the board to approve a scope of work and proposed budget for a combined extreme heat and wildfire-smoke tabletop exercise funded by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "We will be receiving up to $35,000, in reimbursable funds for all exercise related costs," Ally said, listing stipends, travel, food for 60–100 participants, expert speakers, materials, staff time and an app for reports.

Ally said planners are targeting the week of Sept. 21 and that the exercise will include educational workshops, a multi-day simulated scenario and an after-action report outlining gaps and next steps. In response to a public question, she described a sample scenario: "we'll put together a situation manual, for, let's say, like, 3 days over 95 or over a 100 degrees, and then wildfire smoke comes in," and said the goal is to clarify triggers and thresholds for coordinated response across emergency management, public health and community partners. She added that "heat across the country and across the world is the number 1 weather related killer," and that local planning and building stock need strengthening to address projected warming.

The board voted by voice to approve the scope and budget after the presentation and public questions; the motion carried by affirmative voice vote and individual tallies were not recorded in the transcript. The county said planning partners include Climate Smart Missoula, CSKT disaster emergency services, Missoula Public Health and a NOAA master exercise planner. The after-action report is expected to capture recommended operational changes and assign responsibility for follow-up tasks.