Posted on: March 11, 2024

At this year's Colorado Emergency Management Association Annual Conference, Carbon Valley Emergency Management Agency's (CVEMA) Emergency Manager Merrie Garner was awarded Emergency Manager of the Year for the Northeast All-Hazard's Region.

The CVEMA was formed in late 2018 by an agreement between the public safety agencies and municipalities of the Carbon Valley: The towns of Firestone and Frederick, the City of Dacono, and the Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District.

In April 2019, the first CVEMA Manager was hired. Merrie Leach Garner has over 12 years of experience in emergency Management. Prior to joining CVEMA, Merrie was an emergency management coordinator for Weld County and Boulder County. She specializes in disaster preparedness, EOC operations, and “whole community”-based, inclusive emergency planning. She has worked as an emergency manager in blizzard, fire, and flood disasters, as well as numerous planned events and exercises.  Having worked previously as a dispatcher, special events planner and marketing director, Merrie loves connecting people with ideas, and is eager to establish a new agency.