Caldwell is New Emergency Director

DAYTON - Lisa Caldwell's job is to expect the unexpected. What hap- pens when the next flood arrives? Or the next big wildfire? The next disaster might be something new and different, like a plane crash or an emergency at a local school.

Caldwell is the new Emergency Management Director for Columbia County. She replaces Bill Peters, who left that position at the end of Novem- ber.

"My job comes in four parts," she said. "Prepared- ness, mitigation, response and recovery."

Caldwell's department covers a lot of territory. She oversees homeland security and public safety communication. That means she's in charge of federal grants for upgrading communications and other emergency equipment. She also over- sees the Columbia County dispatch center.

The county's emer- gency management office works with many entities in the county that respond to emergencies. These in- clude:

The Columbia County

Sheriff's Office

Columbia County FireDistricts 1, 2 and 3 fireand ambulance services

Columbia County Commissioners Dayton City Council

Columbia County Public

Health

Columbia County Health

System

Dayton School District

Local public utilities

Columbia County Public

Transportation

Caldwell heads a group of representatives from these and some other enti- ties who meet regularly and often work on training and preparedness.

The purpose of the emer- gency management office is not only to prepare for the response to an emer- gency situation, but also to take actions to reduce the likelihood and severity of potential emergencies.

Calwell is a member of the Columbia County Levee Roundtable, a group of local leaders which is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to maintain and improve the condition of the Touchet River Dike in the Dayton area.

She is also a member of a statewide group of emergency managers. That group is working on chang- es to state law to clarify responsibilities of local emergency managers and to make distribution of fund- ing more equitable.

Calwell is a native of Prescott, Ariz., and began her career there as an advanced EMT. She moved to California in 1991 and worked as a dispatcher and supervisor in San Mateo County for several years.

She and her husband, Rich DiLorenzo, moved to Dayton in 2004 and she worked for Colum- bia County as a part-time assistant for emergency management for about two years. She returned as a part-time emergency man- agement assistant in 2009. In February 2011, she became dispatch supervisor and training coordinator.

Until 2007, emergency management was part of the sheriff's responsibilities. That year, the county com- missioners established the Columbia County Emer- gency Management Office as a stand-alone agency separate from the Sheriff's Office. At the beginning of 2011, the dispatch center was put under the direction of the Emergency Manage- ment Department, rather than the Sheriff's Office.

Earlier this month, after she became director, Caldwell hired Dian Mc- Clurg as her assistant. Mc- Clurg's title is Program Manager and E911 dispatcher. She handles book- keeping and technology services, and serves as dep- uty director when Caldwell is out of town.

She also serves as Public Information Officer for the Sheriff's Office. She is responsible for providing information to the media and the public.

McClurg began work- ing as a dispatcher for the county in 2011. She is a former editor of The Times.

McClurg and Caldwell are currently working on efforts to improve public education and outreach.