Washington County Welcomes New Emergency Management Supervisor

For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 17, 2015

With the recent retirement of Steve Muir, Washington County has hired John Wheeler to supervise the County's emergency management program. Wheeler previously served at the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) in Vancouver, Washington, for 20 years. His work there involved all aspects of emergency management, including planning, exercises and training. He led major projects to develop the Clark County/City of Vancouver Emergency Operations Center, improve disaster resource management capabilities, develop emergency plans, and update the county's hazard mitigation plan.  

Wheeler has also been very involved in enhancing emergency management capabilities across the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. He led efforts to develop a regional logistics support plan, create and maintain a regional logistics support team and develop and deliver a Logistics Section course for emergency operations center staff. He currently chairs the emergency management work group of the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO).

Wheeler's experience includes providing support for response and recovery for seven presidentially declared disasters in Clark County, including the February 1996 Flood. He also participated in disaster relief efforts in other parts of the country, including Hurricane Katrina, the 2007 Vernonia Flood, Oso Landslide in Washington and several wildfires.

Scott Porter, Director of Washington County's Emergency Management Cooperative, says, "We are very fortunate to have someone with John Wheeler's depth of knowledge and vast experience joining our emergency management team. He has an outstanding performance record and is a respected leader across the region. I look forward to working with him in his new role."

Wheeler was born and raised in Washington County and he graduated from the University of Oregon in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

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