Emergency Management was initially established in Storey County in the 1980s. Due to the county's size and functions, it first existed as a division of the Storey County Fire Department under former Fire Chief Mike Nevin and subsequently under Fire Chief Gary Hames.

FEMA

In 1992, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was established, which instituted the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) process, the Storey County Emergency Management team was formed.

Originally, the LEPC was tasked solely with Hazmat situations. With the further establishment of the Quad County Hazardous Materials Response Team (which includes Storey, Carson, Lyon, and Douglas counties), Emergency Management's duties were expanded.

Fire Department Expansion

As the Storey County Fire Department continued to evolve--adding personnel and equipment--some of the responsibilities of the County Fire Chief began to expand beyond his scope. In 1996, the Virginia City District Volunteer Fire Chief, Joe Curtis, became the county representative to the Quad County Hazmat Response Team administrative committee.

Terrorism

After the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, the LEPC was tasked (by the feds and the state) with many new functions, involving:

• Establishment of comprehensive emergency operations plans for the county
• Federal grant applications
• Grant administration for public safety
• Numerous other duties that were handled by the County Fire Chief

The events of 9/11 placed heavy demands on the County Fire Chief, so to gain assistance in dealing with various aspects of the emergency management function and the LEPC, the Virginia City District Volunteer Fire Chief was asked to chair the LEPC.

This marked the beginning of a separate division within the Fire Department, which became Emergency Management in 2006.

Emergency Operations Center

The Storey County Fire Department then established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) function, which has since been expanded upon to involve all of the various county functions that are necessary to a fully functional emergency operations center. Such a center provides coordination of county-wide emergency responses in major disaster-type events.

The EOC--which first began functioning in the Fire Department kitchen--evolved and expanded to operate out of the Department Training Facility next door to Fire Station 1 in Virginia City. Phone lines, computer lines, remote radio dispatching capabilities, and other aspects of a proper EOC were put into place and tested.

Storey County now has full-function capable locations designated across the County, capable of accommodating any necessary officials and dealing with major emergencies. This function continues to improve and adapt as necessary.

Grants

As FEMA expanded its operations and began offering grant monies to local agencies, Joe Curtis, the LEPC Chair/Volunteer Chief, took on the necessary grant writing and administration duties on a volunteer basis. By 2002, he was given a monthly stipend to assist with the costs of attending various county and state meetings on emergency management matters.

County Emergency Management responsibilities continued to expand as demands were placed on the county by the State Department of Emergency Management and FEMA, and as grant applications became more extensive and time-consuming. However, this was still being done primarily on a volunteer basis, even though nearly $1.5 million in federal grant dollars had been secured for public safety in Storey County.

Dedicated Emergency Management

During the winter storm season of 2004/2005, which led to the second time a federal disaster declaration had been declared for our region, the LEPC Chair/Volunteer Fire Chief was charged with overseeing all coordinating efforts relating to the command, operations, recovery, mitigation, and administrative activities.

Thus, in 2005, Emergency Management turned over its reins to the current LEPC Chair/Volunteer Fire Chief, Joe Curtis.

The Fire District continues to work very closely with Emergency Management to ensure the customers (citizens) receive the best possible emergency management services that can be provided.

Continued Flooding

At the end of December 2005 and in the first few days of 2006, Storey County, along with other areas in northern Nevada, suffered costly and damaging flooding along the Truckee River and its tributaries within Storey County. Again, (and for a third time) the region was declared a disaster area, and Emergency Management became heavily involved in the oversight of all aspects of the disaster mitigation and recovery effort.

This event was immediately followed by another similar flooding event just one month later, which threatened to further damage portions of the county. Emergency Management was asked to step in, even though it was still being handled largely on a volunteer basis.

Emergency Management Becomes Official

Shortly thereafter, on March 15, 2006, the County's Emergency Management division was officially created as a half-time position with Joe Curtis appointed as Director of Emergency Management for Storey County. 

With the growth of Storey County, the Emergency Management function has evolved into a full-time Department within county government. In July 2010, Cherie Nevin joined the Emergency Management team as the Assistant Director.

Current Response

In 2023, after the COVID-19 response experiences, Emergency Management was transitioned into a funded, professional, trained, and dedicated department, with the selection of the new Director, Adam Wilson, who brought nearly two decades of Emergency Management experience, certification, and accreditation. A year later, the department expanded to include an Analyst, Tristian Wadsworth, who assists in the planning and response of Emergency Management across the county.

Today, when emergencies arise, Emergency Management works jointly, closely, and effectively with all Storey County agencies, Regional partners, and State & Federal agencies, to Plan, Prepare, Mitigate, Respond, and Recover from the effects of all types of natural or man-made events or disasters.