A new early warning system has been purchased that has placed solar powered sirens in Worland and Ten Sleep.  This state of the art system will provide warning for flood, tornado, and inclement weather.  There is voice broadcast capability in this system as well.  This system is operational as of 4-20-05.  

New grants from the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security have provided new Mobil radios for all city and county vehicles - both responders and maintenance crews.  The radios are of the latest technology that will provide us with a complete communication capability to cover the entire county and also the ability to communicate with all other counties in the state.

A recent effort by the local CERT Team coordinator and Search and Rescue Captain has resulted in the first combined funding grant from the state.  This provides funding for joint use equipment for the CERT Team and Rescue Squad.

Washakie County was selected by Homeland Security to be a pilot community to implement this approach to combined training and deployment of personnel during emergency situations.  The latest endeavor by the local office is to do a regional purchase of a bomb robot.  The new robot will become part of the Region 6 response capability. 

Wyoming region 6 includes the four counties in the northwest corner of the state including Yellowstone Park.  Worland is now the Home Base for the Region 6 Hazmat Team led by Worland Fire Chief Don Huber.  No date has been set for the Ten Sleep disaster exercise.  Late spring will be a possibility.

The Emergency Management Department is currently in the process of forming a regional M.A.R.E.T. team.  (That stands for Mobile Animal Rescue Evacuation Team.)  Our goal is to join the existing team located in Cody, Wyoming.  Combining personnel from Washakie, Hot springs and Big Horn Counties, we will be creating a regional response team similar to the regional response state hazmat team.  The team is almost in place locally and hopes to be fully functional by the summer of 2005

Training continues for the Washakie County C.E.R.T. team.  It should be noted that Washakie County was instrumental in combining training with the local Search & Rescue squad and the CERT team.  This ongoing project covers tracking, M.A.R.T., G.I.S.-G.P.S. with more planned in the spring.  Any person interested in joining the CERT team or Search & Rescue, please contact the Washakie County Homeland Security Office at the above number..