Putting it in 'Layman' terms

The Carbon County Council of Governments (CCCOG) met in person at on March 31 at the C4 headquarters building in Rawlins.

The C4 (Carbon County Coordination Center) building was picked for the meeting to allow elected officials from the local municipalities to take in firsthand the Carbon County facility built to be the command center for emergencies.

Chairman Morgan Irene started the meeting by welcoming all attendees. All Carbon County municipalities were represented with the exception of Hanna, Medicine Bow and Riverside.

"One of the things I have to say, I was just telling Travis Moore (County Commissioner and Secretary/Treasurer of CCCOG) that I see the news flashes and I see what is going on around with other places and I am glad we work together and we are who we are," Irene said. "We are cut from the same cloth and I am so thankful for that and that we do work well together and I do appreciate you being here."

After Moore read off the financials, Rawlins Councilmember DeBari Martinez recalled when CCCOG first started and how little financial resources the council had. 

"I can remember when we first started at the first meeting we had, we tried to get the first 6th penny tax passed and we had to wrestle with ideas on how to get money for the campaign," Martinez said. "I see this kind of money is fantastic and to have all 10 communities working together for the good of the county is quite an accomplishment."

"What I remember, being a part of that, was we all chipped in and because of every town's efforts we were able to come up with that money," Irene said. "It says a lot about the towns and also if something comes up in the future, we will be set and won't have to go out to everybody for money, and right now that is a good thing."

"If you go to a WAM (Wyoming Association of Municipalities) conference and tell them that there are 10 communities that sit in the same room and visit about different projects and the different things that we are doing, they can't believe it," Martinez said. "It really shocks them."

Lenny Layman, Coordinator for Carbon County Office of Homeland Security/ Emergency Management, put forth a presentation on what his office was promoting. 

"I have been in Carbon County a little under a year and it has been an incredible ride. It has been absolutely awesome, even with the challenges that I have faced," Layman said. "The biggest thing that I have realized through this whole process is that when I look at doing something, I think about how it will help all of Carbon County."

Layman's first example was AlertSense.

"AlertSense is our new mass notification system," Layman said. "My goal is to get 85 to 90 percent of Carbon County residents opted in before fire season. We need to have the ability if something happens our dispatchers can get notifications to the communities."

He said there are different alerts to sign up for and it can be customized. Some places may not consider flooding serious in their community. Layman said he personally checked all. 

"The thing that I am dedicated to protecting about AlertSense is that it will only be used for life safety critical messaging," Layman said. "We are not going to be using it to inform a town that a water main has broken and to use an alternate route. That is not protection."

He said that AlertSense can be signed up at CarbonWY.MyFreeAlerts.com.

"The next thing I want to mention is Orion Mobile which is a program that I believe I will purchase," Layman said. "Orion Mobile is used for all types of emergency events. It can be used for pre-plans for disasters, capturing damage assessment data, auto completing FEMA forms and sharing data with communities."

He said for $1,500 it gives 1000 users, somebody with a cell phone, and the app can be distributed to public works departments, law enforcement, emergency responders and any user deemed important by C4.

Layman said the value is to have pictures in a data bank of structures and infrastructure of what they look like currently, so if a disaster occurs with damage to a municipality, there is a visual record in place. He said this is important for an organization like FEMA which will require this type of pictorial record before any reimbursement.

Another county wide adoption program Layman said he is looking into is Salamander system. It identifies individuals and what their job is in the county.

"The Salamander system is basically a badge, picture, credential based on what agency it is," Layman said. "We are starting small and just doing the sheriff's department and we have already saved them $5,000. They had this printed that made badges for about $5 a card and Salamander costs about four to six cents. These are federal credentials."

Layman's next topic was his vision for the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).

"I am reorganizing and revamping LEPC," Layman said. "The LEPC that was, is going to be no longer."

The Carbon County LEPC was a board with a rigid structure. Layman is working with the county attorney to get rid of the old structure and create a new structure that will be flexible.

"It will be a local emergency planning committee and won't be a steering committee," Layman said. "It should be able to adapt to each community's needs. What works today might not be applicable in six months. There won't be a need for a quorum. It will be a facilitator for emergency planning. I also envision liaisons between agencies and communities."

Layman said he spent four months in trying to acquire a Sandmaster sandbagger. 

"This machine can do with three people what it took 20 people and in less time," Layman said. "What I am most excited about with this piece of equipment is, it can be utilized by non-first responders. It can be done by public works for instance. First responders can do their job of rescuing people."

Layman said Rocky Mountain Power, Sinclair Oil Refinery and Saratoga Resort all contributed funds for the purchase of the sandbagger. It cost $15,000.

Irene thanked the companies for contributing funds for the purchase.

"We have to be grateful for their generous nature because the way things are going right now, this was probably the only way we were going to be able to get this machine," Irene said. "And this really is important to our county."

Layman concluded that the C4 building will be utilized during emergencies by experts that can help support the community that is experiencing the situation.

The next scheduled meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on June 16 in Baggs.