No action or direction needed - Department of Emergency Services (DES) Coordinator KC Williams will provide the Council background and an update on the community's DES preparedness and services. 

KC Williams will provide the Council background and an update on the community's regional DES preparedness and services.  

Yellowstone County Disaster & Emergency Services (YC DES) is the lead agency for Billings, Laurel, Broadview, and Yellowstone County coordinating comprehensive emergency management.  In collaboration with local, tribal, state, and federal government we build, sustain, and improve our ability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate hazards.  YC DES is organizationally situated within the Montana DES which is within the Montana Department of Military Affairs.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides guidance and grant oversight.  We recognize that comprehensive emergency management requires strong partnerships with public, private, and non-profit partners, as well as with individual citizens.  Engaging the whole-community results in robust planning intended to minimize the impact to our populations affected by disasters.

The Billings City Council, Mayor, and the executive leadership play a vital role in Emergency Management. Collectively, you make up the Billings representative to the Multi-agency Coordination Group any time we have a planned or unplanned event that requires an Emergency Operations Center opening.

Emergency management, from mitigation through long-term recovery, should be recognized and supported by all elected officials as a critical government service. Elected officials need to understand their emergency authorities and responsibilities and practice them in conjunction with emergency management officials before a disaster occurs. They are required under Federal law to take training relevant to their position in their jurisdiction’s emergency management structure. They should meet with their emergency management officials and establish solid relationships, request a briefing on state and local preparedness efforts, learn about emergency plans and procedures, and visit the emergency operations center and other critical facilities.

Elected officials must have a clear understanding of how government responds to emergencies and disasters, what resources are available, what types of assistance can be provided to citizens, and how much time it may take to deliver that assistance. They must be able to instill a sense of calm in disaster victims and the public, and temper expectations of what government can do to aid in the recovery. A coordinated message between elected officials and emergency management is necessary so people do not receive conflicting information. Elected officials play a crucial role in public safety. Their understanding and support of emergency management is vital to the safety and well-being of the public and communities.

Follow up on the information I last presented as it relates to the recommendations from the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) study for the Billings Fire Department that directly tie to DES:

• Recommendation 14 - The Billings Fire Department should conduct a formal fire risk assessment that concentrates on the city's downtown, strip commercial establishments, big-box occupancies, high-rise structures, and industrial, processing, and institutional properties. (See discussion on pp. 29-32.)
  • The DES office already has a very robust Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan that identifies the key infrastructure assets
  • This Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan should be used by the Fire Department to enhance any Threat or Risk analysis specific to the department functions
  • The Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan also contains several mitigation project suggestions that even Public Works should investigate
  • We are currently working with State DES in developing our 2024 Multi-hazard Mitigation Plan.
• Recommendation 31 - The City of Billings should initiate an effort with the City of Laurel, the Town of Broadview, and Yellowstone County to establish an Emergency Management Leadership Team to support planning and operational assignments in the joint County-Municipal Emergency Management process. (See discussion on pp. 92-93.)
  • I have already begun this project. I formed the YC Emergency Management Advisory Group exactly for this purpose.
  • This program is going well, and we are engaged in making some much needed adjustments to our communications systems and response coordination.
• Recommendation 32 - The City of Billings should designate a city Emergency Manager from a key department (Police, Fire, or City Administrator's Office) who would be responsible for implementing the city's emergency management planning and operational efforts in cooperation with Yellowstone County. (See discussion on p. 93- 94.)
  • I am the person currently responsible for implementing the city's emergency management planning and operational efforts
  • I have been asking for an additional FTE for this office since I arrived
  • Chief Valdez and I have discussed this several times and both agree additional support is needed
  • Due to the way Federal and State organizational structures and funding incorporates DES into the government system, it would be best for this position to be a part of the County DES department and be dedicated to emergency management functions
    • I already have a job description created
    • If the City would fund all or part of this FTE
      • The FTE becomes eligible for EMPG reimbursement at 50%
      • It strengthens the DES relationship within the City's organization
      • It provides a significant step forward towards complete resolution of recommendation #32
    • Having an emergency management department exclusively for the city would require a duplication of documentation and work that could be avoided by positioning this FTE in our county DES
    • The current DES office (ME) has 100% the same responsibility to the City of Billings as it does for Laurel, Broadview, and Yellowstone County
• Recommendation 33 - The City of Billings should initiate an effort in which every city department develops and exercises a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). (See discussion on p. 94.)
  • This is a very true statement and a very important project
  • The additional FTE in DES would allow more time to be dedicated to assisting each department with this project
  • I have initiated conversations with State DES already to get State assistance for COOP projects for both Billings and the County
• Recommendation 34 - The City of Billings and Yellowstone County should conduct an operational and architectural review of the Emergency Operations Center facility and make immediate plans to either initiate a comprehensive renovation of the facility or begin an effort to relocate the Joint County-City EOC to a more functional facility. (See discussion on p. 94.)
  • This is currently under way

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