DEL NORTE—Rio Grande Emergency Manager Chris Ortiz presented his first report to commissioners on May 17. Ortiz has been the county’s emergency manager for less than a month and has his plate full of trainings and things to do, but is well on his way to completing the first steps of his long task list. Commissioners welcomed Ortiz to the meeting and asked how things were going, to which Ortiz replied that though he has been busy, everything is going well.
Ortiz began by stating that he was able to meet with regional emergency managers during the annual Mutual Aid Coordination (MAC) meeting in Costilla County. While in the area, Ortiz took part in an active shooting training that took place at the beginning of the month which filled one of two training requirements for the year. “Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful and I really look forward to working with all of the Valley’s emergency managers in the future,” said Ortiz.
In addition to the trainings, Ortiz is in the process of applying for several grants to help with funding for projects in the county with the help of Homeland Security Regional Field Manager David Osborn. Osborn will be involved with helping Ortiz in the next several weeks to complete grant applications for the Emergency Management Program Grant and getting him started on continuing education classes. “Some of the classes will be refreshment courses from when I was with the forest service, but it will be good for me to be up to date on all of the current regulations and techniques,” said Ortiz.
At the beginning of his employment with the county, Ortiz highlighted that he would like to begin going over current emergency plans for Rio Grande County and that he wanted to focus on wildland fire preparedness. In his first interview, Ortiz stated, “I plan on going through our plans and adding to them, not changing them. I really want to form partnerships with area organizations, both the ones I have worked with in the past and new ones.”
Ortiz explained to commissioners that he has already begun to look at emergency plans and is making notes on the things that can be improved on while he continues his education. “I really hope to have the revision of the County Emergency Plan finished within a month, but it is going to take some time,” continued Ortiz.
At the end of the meeting, Ortiz spoke with commissioners about some of the details pertaining to his position and ironed out some issues with pay. Commissioners thanked him for his involvement and encouraged him to continue to apply for as many grants as possible to help bring Rio Grande County up to speed in emergency preparations.
Ortiz plans to continue educating and informing the public on the importance of being prepared for emergency situations and to have the emergency plan in place by the time summer hits the Valley.