Emergency management collaboration is essential for some counties

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) - Last week, we talked to Bonneville and Bannock county's offices of emergency management to see exactly how they work.

Not every office though has the same resources as these more populated counties.

We decided to talk with Jefferson and Teton county's emergency management systems to see how they function.

Greg Adams in Teton County said, "I am the Teton County Emergency Management Coordinator and the Chief Information Officer or Director."

Rebecca Squires in Jefferson County said, "I am the emergency manager for Jefferson County, Idaho. I work for the commissioners. I handle human resources and public information and project management."

Idaho requires every county have its own office of emergency management, yet most counties don't have the funds to have a full-time emergency management director.

So, Adams and Squires wear many different hats for Jefferson and Teton counties.

This also means they sometimes don't have the resources to control every emergency within their own county.

Collaboration is an essential tool for many of these smaller offices.

"When Rigby Middle School experienced its school shooting, the first phone call I got was from another emergency manager saying, 'how can I help? What do you need?' The other emergency managers plugged in to help support the responders by bringing lunch in. And then we worked with these other counties to help the school with the reunification of parents and students," Squires said.

Another story Squires recalls is how emergency managers came together to help the Town of Dubois escape a wildfire.