Friday, September 5, 2025 |
The Office of Emergency Management is taking lessons learned from last month’s power outage to strengthen Carbon County’s crisis response policies.
Two weeks ago, a severe lightning storm knocked out electricity for approximately 5,000 Carbon County residents. Some Rocky Mountain Power customers, including many county buildings, were left without service for 16 hours.
In light of the power outage, Emergency Manager Lenny Layman asked the Board of Carbon County Commissioners to create a written critical resource management policy during their September 2nd meeting. Layman explained that during a crisis, his role is to coordinate all resource requests and ensure county agencies receive the supplies they need.
Layman encouraged county agencies to establish as many contracts for services, such as fuel, as possible. In the event of another widespread emergency, Layman said those agreements could be leveraged to help lessen the impact on other county agencies.
Layman said agencies are typically willing to share resources until a crisis hits. For that reason, Layman again urged the Board to create a written policy outlining how the Office of Emergency Management will allocate resources during emergency situations.
Layman explained that in an emergency, resources may be inadvertently mishandled. The Emergency Manager emphasized the need to involve county agencies in the crisis planning to ensure those resources are being used effectively.
Commission Chairman Travis Moore agreed on the need for a comprehensive resource management policy. With a plan in place, Chairman Moore said the county will be better equipped to coordinate and respond to future emergencies.
Commission Chairman Moore agreed to work with County Attorney Ashely Davis on drafting a comprehensive written policy for resource management in Carbon County.
