County has new Emergency Management Coordinator

Washington County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Sam Edwards has been hired as the new Emergency Management Coordinator for Washington County.

 He was named to the position after former coordinator Tony Buthman retired in July. Since that time, Edwards, 49, has been busy educating himself further on the details of the position, taking classes and speaking with coordinators in other counties.

 “I’ve got big shoes to fill,” he said, referring to both Buthman and Steve Domby who served as the county’s coordinator for many years before he retired. Domby passed away in April 2022.

 “Both of those guys did a great job,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be a lot of learning. I’ve been involved in emergency services since I was in my early 20s, but this is different. It’s planning and coordinating. There is a lot of class work that I need to complete. I just took over the first part of July, so I’m still in that learning curve.”

 Edwards joined the U.S. Army, attending tank training at Fort Knox, Ky. following graduation from Baker High School in 1992. 

 He transitioned into the Oregon National Guard as part of eastern Oregon’s Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion following active duty. In total, he spent over 18 years in the military.

 While serving with the National Guard, he joined the Weiser Police Department as a reserve officer and became a firefighter with Weiser Area Rural Fire District.

 He eventually applied for a jail position with the Washington County Sheriff’s office and has been with that agency for the last 25 years. He has risen to the rank of captain for what is now the Weiser Fire District, following consolidation of Weiser Rural Fire and Weiser City Fire and Rescue.

 Edwards says he has always had an eye on emergency management.

 “Steve and I talked about it years ago. It was always one of those things I was interested in,” he said. “Planning, mitigation, response – it’s another way to help. It’s something different and I get to be a part of it.”

 Edwards reports to Washington County commissioners and Sheriff Matt Thomas, and will act as a liaison between the county, state, and other agencies.

 Emergency management professionals work to prepare for, prevent, and mitigate disasters and emergencies for municipalities and government agencies. They typically create and prepare specific plans and procedures for responding to threats such as natural disasters and other community emergencies while working with public safety and elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Be Prepared

 A key part of emergency management is educating the public on how to prepare for disasters, including floods, earthquakes, and power outages, which seem to be occurring at an increased pace around the globe and at home in the U.S. 

 In recent weeks, at least three southern states have experienced severe flooding. Jackson, Miss. experienced record rainfall in late August – 10 inches of rain over four days – that compounded existing problems rooted in the city’s decaying infrastructure, leaving residents struggling to find clean drinking water. 

 Also in late August, north Texas was hit with what officials described as a once-in-a-thousand-year flood caused by torrential rains. 

 And, in Las Vegas, heavy rain shut down airports and filled casinos with water amid electrical surges and several intermittent power outages.

 Most people were caught by surprise, which is why Edwards said it is always good to be prepared.

 “There is nothing wrong with prepping,” he said. “Everyone should be ready. It doesn’t hurt to be ready, at least to the extent you can.”

 On Saturday, Sept. 17, an Introduction to Preparedness class was held at Sandy and Dennis Cooper’s Bee Tree Folk School in Weiser in observance of National Disaster Preparedness Month.

 “The government’s emergency agency FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and other agencies do all they can to help, but they cannot immediately be on the scene of a disaster,” Sandy Cooper wrote in a recent article. “It takes time to initiate a response. It is up to each of us to be as self-reliant as we can.”