Welcome to the home of Washington County Emergency Management. Our mission is to save lives, prevent injury, and protect property, during disasters and potentially catastrophic events within Washington County. We accomplish this by establishing community readiness through public education, risk assessment, planning, exercise, and inter-agency cooperation.
Washington County is nestled in the Southwest corner of Utah. Home to Zion National Park, the county is known for its beauty and the diversity of its landscape. Its terrain varies from high mountain peaks to low desert valleys. Mild winter climate and an excellent quality of life, lure millions of visitors to our area each year. Our residents and visitors enjoy fresh open air vistas of red and white sandstone, red sand, and black lava framed by green mountain backdrops. Washington County is truly one of the most beautiful places in our country.
Underlying the beauty which surrounds us is the evidence of the forces which formed our rugged, breathtaking landscape. Deep desert arroyos, created by summer monsoons, carve their way through the lower desert floor, reminding us that flash flooding has and can occur with little or no notice. The visible evidence of the violent movement of the earth’s surface abounds in a collection of scarp lines, thrust faults, and surface ruptures which tell us of the need to be vigilant in preparing for the potential of earthquakes. The presence of cold, dark lava flows and dormant cinder cones reveal a distant history of geological instability which has rested quietly for millions of years. Other historically recorded challenges, and threats posed by modern technology and terrorism must also be anticipated as we work to maintain our great quality of life in the beautiful but ever changing landscape we call home.
As members of the emergency management community, it is our responsibility to prepare for, monitor, and respond to natural and man-made events which threaten the peace and safety of our community. As we work to fulfill our mission, we are keenly aware that the process cannot be successful unless you, our citizens and visitors, are a part of it. It is the level of a community’s preparedness and the efforts of the community’s citizens, partnered with its emergency responders, which limit the impact of a disaster. It is with that in mind that we serve to prepare for the future and encourage you to prepare, also. We are here to serve you. To provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to better survive some of life’s greatest challenges. We hope the information on this site is of value to your preparedness effort. We encourage you to use it to work to be ready, and hope your efforts bring you peace of mind in before the storm and confidence in its turmoil. Please feel free to contact us with your questions about emergency response and preparedness. We are here to support your efforts to prepare for emergencies which may lie just over the horizon.