Local Programs
Not even Pizza Hut can cover as much ground in the state as Colorado DEM’s Regional Managers. These folks, based in Centennial and in six field offices, give the agency the ability to maintain closer contact with communities in the farthest corners of the state.
Prior to 1993, all employees of Colorado DEM were based at Camp George West in Golden. Direct contact with communities was less frequent, presenting obvious challenges to the agency’s ability to develop and maintain strong local-state working relationships. During the mid-1990s, in an effort to improve customer service and place emergency management coordinators closer to the communities that they serve, four field staff positions were added to existing Department of Local Affairs field offices in Grand Junction, Pueblo, Loveland, and Durango. Since DEM's move to Centennial, two more have been added in Frisco and Golden.
The Field Services Section helps local governments to achieve their emergency management goals by providing technical assistance with respect to strategic planning, emergency plan development, community preparedness, disaster recovery, hazard mitigation, and training and exercise support. Click here for a map of the regions the coordinators cover.
Role of the Field Staff Position
The principle responsibility of our field staff is to support local emergency managers with development of comprehensive, sustainable emergency management programs. Emphasis is given to customer service, and to providing local officials with information regarding best practices in the emergency management field. We can assist local governments in the following ways:
- planning assistance – including analysis of local hazards, preparation of emergency operations plans, formation of incident management groups, and development of hazard education campaigns;
- training assistance – including development of new training curricula, providing briefings to local elected officials, and support of local training activities;
- exercise assistance – including assistance in the design and conduct of local emergency training exercises and maintenance of an exercise reference library; and
- grant administration – including assistance with administration of federal pass-through funds and the Search and Rescue Grant program, and assistance to local governments in identifying other grant sources for planning and hazard mitigation activities.
The establishment of planning regions and the move to out-station field staff has strengthened local-state partnerships and yielded a number of other benefits, including:
- greater familiarity, on the parts of state staff, with people, places and hazards in local communities, and a better appreciation of local challenges and issues;
- stronger liaison role and a direct link between local and state officials before, during and after the occurrence of a disaster;
- improved regional cooperation and inter-jurisdictional coordination on emergency management issues;
- better information-sharing, including the transfer of success stories and lessons learned from one jurisdiction to another; and
- improved efficiency, including offering better customer service and serving as a single source for information about resources and assistance available from other sources.
For further information and assistance, please contact a member of the Local Programs Section.
Central
Bob Wold
(720) 852-6600
Bob.Wold@state.co.us
South Central
Randy Kennedy
(720) 219-3402
Randy.Kennedy@state.co.us
San Luis Valley / Southwest
Patricia Gavelda
(970) 247-7674
Patricia.Gavelda@state.co.us
West
Steve Denney
(970) 248-7308
Steve.Denney@state.co.us
Northeast
Kevin Kuretich
(970) 867-4300
Kevin.Kuretich@state.co.us
Northwest
Chuck Vale
(970) 846-3912
Chuck.Vale@state.co.us
South / Southeast
Chad Ray
(719) 544-6563
Chad.Ray@state.co.us
Other Resources
Resources for Disaster Proofing Your Business