About Us
Division Description
Teton County Emergency Management (TCEM) is a division of Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. TCEM’s responsibilities encompass all phases of emergency management: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation for Teton County. TCEM also provides these services for the Town of Jackson through an Emergency Management resolution. TCEM coordinates with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as non-governmental entities, to develop, maintain, and implement various emergency plans. TCEM also provides training to and develops emergency exercises for citizens and first responders. The division is staffed with two full time employees: the Emergency Management Coordinator (who is nominated by the Board of County Commissioners and appointed by the Governor as per state statute) and an Emergency Management Program Specialist.
Our Mission
The mission of Teton County Emergency Management is to empower the whole community, including our visitors, to become more disaster-resilient through the coordination of disaster prevention, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation between a multitude of partners, both public and private.
Our Vision
An engaged emergency management community composed of all levels and disciplines of government, volunteer groups, non-governmental organizations, and private businesses that are united in building a disaster-resilient Teton County.
Our Staff
Emergency Management Coordinator - Rich Ochs, CEM®, MEP, WEM
Rich Ochs is the Emergency Management Coordinator for Teton County, WY and the Town of Jackson, WY. He began as the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator in 2007 and became the Emergency Management Coordinator in 2010, a role he has served in ever since. Rich previously worked for the Teton County Sheriff's Office as an emergency dispatcher and volunteered for Teton County EMS as an ambulance driver and later as an EMT basic. Rich has lived in Wyoming since 1999, when he moved for a job as a naturalist ranger in Grand Teton National Park.
Since 2010 Rich has served as the chairman of the Teton County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), and is also a Past President of the Wyoming All Hazards Association. Rich is an All Hazards Type III Planning Section Chief and an All Hazards Liaison Officer through the State of Wyoming. Rich has completed FEMA's Emergency Management Professional Program Advanced and Executive academies, and is also a FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner. Rich is a Certified Emergency Manager® through the International Association of Emergency Managers and a Wyoming Emergency Manager through the Wyoming All Hazards Association.
Emergency Management Program Specialist - Anna Day
Anna Day is the Emergency Management Program Specialist for Teton County, WY and the Town of Jackson, WY. She started in this role in 2021 and is responsible for a wide variety of tasks in support of the County’s Emergency Management Program. One of Anna’s favorite aspects of her job is coordinating and delivering emergency preparedness educational programs and plans.
Anna was born and raised in Jackson, and has been working and living full time in the valley since 2014. She had her first experiences in emergency preparedness and planning while working at the Teton County Health Department from 2017 – 2021. There she became a member of the Health Department’s Incident Management Team and learned more about the Incident Command System during the COVID-19 pandemic response. She is interested in continuity planning, adult education, and public information, and is working towards several certifications in those areas.