Budget Cuts Mean Consolidation For Wyoming Homeland Security

Federal budget cuts to Homeland Security Agencies across the country means about 1.5 million less for Wyoming next year.

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Over their next budget cycle Wyoming Homeland Security will work with a $5.1 million dollar federal budget, that's down from last years $6.7 million.

State Director, Guy Cameron, says fewer federal dollars means they'll need to work more efficiently, "and so we have to obviously take a look at our operation. We've had one person in Natrona County. We're going to bring that position back to Cheyenne, but we will continue to support the state."

Cameron says the eight emergency response teams across the state including Natrona County's remain as the 'go-to' teams in the event of an incident.

Federal Homeland Security dollars have been invested over the last few years in equipment and training in Natrona County.

According to Natrona County Emergency Manager, Stu Anderson, most of the equipment will stay and he says investments in training have local response units better prepared to do what's required. He says the county's Haz Mat team and bomb squad remain intact.

"We continue to be more prepared with more training and as  more technologies that come out, ecetera."

Anderson points to investment of Federal Homeland Security dollars in a county-wide radio system, "the 800 megahertz radio system to make all responders interoperable. So basically every portable radio and every mobile radio in this county and emergency vehicle can talk to another radio no matter what discipline and no matter what agency."

That same enhancement went out to interconnect other county and state communication systems as well.

Anderson says all flood mitigation supplies will remain in Natrona County.

Meanwhile in Cheyenne the budget cuts mean consolidation of their operation into one building over the next several months.