Gering conducts first Preparedness meeting

Cloud County's new Emergency Management Coordinator, Brent Gering, held his first Local Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 15 at the Cloud County Courthouse.
Gering, a former Concordian, officially assumed the full-time Coordinator position on October 1, 2019.
Gering was in law enforcement for 20 years, serving as a Patrolman, Field Training Officer and Master Patrolman with the Concordia Police Department, and then a Patrol Officer and K9 Handler with the Chapman Police Department. He had been a Dickinson County Deputy Sheriff since 2008.
"It's nice to be home," Gering said. "My family is all here, and I farm south of Concordia. I always had a desire to work with all areas of emergency responders, like EMT's and the fire departments. I'm really looking forward to my duties in this new position."
By statute, each county in Kansas is required to have an Emergency Preparedness Director.
Gering will work under the supervision of the Cloud County Commission, and is responsible for directing, coordinating, and carrying out emergency planning preparedness for Cloud County.
"We cover Concordia, Jamestown, Miltonvale, Glasco, and Clyde," Gering said. "I'm going to work with each community and make sure they know they're safe. If any disaster occurs, we'll be there to help."
Gering sees his biggest challenge in coordinating all the various agencies involved in Cloud County during an emergency.
"It could be a flood, a tornado, any type of disaster. There's a great system in place, and I want to make sure that we continue to maintain our compliance with all FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) regulations. We want to be able to take advantage of FEMA funds for any disaster that might occur in Cloud County."