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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 03/12/2014 - Robin Read, Public Health Administrator, and Holly Myers, Environmental Health Supervisor, from the Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD), recently completed a national Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), in Anniston, Alabama. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The training was a four day course that focused on environmental issues communities may face during an emergency. The course trained Ms. Read and Ms. Myers how to identify environmental hazards and threats in Kittitas County as well as emergency preparedness and response activities that fall under the duties of environmental health at KCPHD. Ms. Myers hopes that she will never have to use the training. However, she states, “People look to the health department to ensure clean water, safe food, and sanitary conditions. Our responsibilities do not change in an emergency, they become more concentrated and urgent.” The training provided Ms. Read and Ms. Myers an opportunity to network with people from all over the United States who have responded to emergencies including Hurricane Katrina, 9-11 and the tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Ms. Myers adds, “With this training we will be better able to respond and act quickly in an emergency affecting Kittitas County.” Training at the CDP campus is federally funded at no cost to state, local, or emergency response professionals or their agencies. The participants in CDP training gain critical skills and confidence to respond effectively to local incidents. For more information, please contact the Kittitas County Public Health Department at 509-962-7515 or for more information about the Center for Domestic Preparedness, visit https://cdp.dhs.gov/.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515