It isn’t often that emergency management officials in any county or region get the recognition they deserve for their efforts in keeping an area prepared for a disaster. But in Clatsop County, Oregon, emergency manager Tiffany Brown has found that dedication and commitment to the task of keeping a community safe and disaster-ready can have its own rewards.
Brown was recently awarded the prestigious designation of Oregon Certified Emergency Management Specialist in recognition of her work as the county’s leader in crisis preparedness. The designation is presented by the Oregon Emergency Management Association and is presented to emergency management professionals in the state of Oregon who demonstrate excellence in disaster experience and exercise participation, training and education, and who make a substantial contribution to both the emergency management profession as well as to the community.
For her part, Brown has been with the Clatsop County Emergency Management Division (CCEMD) for nearly five years. She began her time with the CCEMD as a staff specialist before earning the position of Office Coordinator approximately one year after she started. She was named the county’s emergency manager in early 2013 and has been responsible for coordinating training exercises with cities and communities throughout the county as well as with hospitals, school districts, and other public and private organizations. She also leads the implementation of ongoing updates to the county’s emergency response strategies and works to ensure that state and federal funding for necessary resources for all emergency management services are secured.
Brown has also been integral in coordinating various county projects such as the Emergency Operations Center at Camp Riles as well as overseeing ongoing upgrades to the infrastructure of the local emergency communications system. Dean Perez, Clatsop County’s Administrative Services Director, describes Brown and her work as a tremendous enhancement to “Clatsop County Emergency Management’s mission to promote a culture of preparedness by providing dynamic leadership.”
