Changing Of The Guard, Roehr New EM Director

After being on-call in some capacity since the 1980’s Todd Landmark is ready to hang up his many hats. He was formerly a Marshall County sheriff’s deputy, and until retiring from the department recently, a member of the North Marshall Fire Department for 34 years. At the end of January, Landmark also retired from his position as Marshall County Emergency Management (EM) Director following a 16 year stint.

Though many people might not realize that the county has an EM Director, it is a pivotal position. Landmark describes the job as functioning as the county’s liaison and representative during emergencies, both natural (often weather-related) and man-made. The one-man county department “helps prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate against major disasters,” said the outgoing director.

Some of the duties of the position include making sure the county’s Emergency Operations Plan is up to date and meets state and federal requirements. The director also helps educate the public on how to be prepared for a disaster, like by having a smoke alarm and a weather radio, a winter survival kit in your car, and applications on your smart phone that will alert you to threatening weather, etc.

In the case of natural disasters like floods, EM also conducts preliminary assessment of damage after a major disaster to determine if there is enough damage to initiate the process to request assistance from state or federal programs. This might require working with many officials including those from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In his over decade and a half of service, Landmark recalls working through 14 or 15 disaster declarations. He calls himself a “wheel greaser” and said he was “the guy that knows the guy to call.”

When he thinks back on his time as the director, a few big incidents stick out in his mind. He remembers the difficult time working through the deaths of two firefighters, William and Jacob Waldner, at the Sunset Colony in 2011. Another big one was the TransCanada pipeline break in 2017 to the southeast of Amherst. “In a matter of days, I talked to people from 30 different government agencies,” Landmark remembers.

Despite working through the toughest of times in the county, Landmark enjoyed the position and looking out for the county and its people. “Over the years, the best thing was working with great people and helping our local communities,” he emphasized.

Landmark officially retired from his position with the county at the end of January. He plans to spend more time with his family and hopes to travel. He will also continue working at NAPA in Britton.

The Emergency Management Director baton was handed off at the beginning of the month to Logan Roehr. Roehr, a 2016 Britton-Hecla grad, is by no means a stranger to emergencies. He is already a firefighter, certified paramedic and a Marshall County dispatcher. Picking up the position of EM Director clearly is a natural fit, though Roehr will be a busy fellow.

As Roehr is starting to navigate the position, he looks forward to learning the ins and outs of the director job. He will of course be on the scene in the case of fires and accidents but also hopes to interact with the public in other capacities.

“EM also works to build relationships across the county and between departments and agencies,” said Roehr. To do this, Emergency Management facilities the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), which meets on a quarterly basis to share information, review emergency plans and plan exercises with a representative from emergency medical services, fire services, government administration, hazardous materials, health care, law enforcement, public health, communications and public works. “This committee is key in reviewing and updating the Emergency Operations Plan for Marshall County,” emphasized Roehr. He added that these quarterly meetings are open to the public.

In addition to the LEPC meetings, Roehr said the public can look for important news and updates on the county Emergency Management Facebook page as well as for upcoming weather spotting classes.

He realizes the new position comes with a lot to learn, but Roehr said it is just a continuation of what he already enjoys doing: helping people. “I also like to learn new things, especially in the first responder and law enforcement realms,” he noted.

Whether Landmark or Roehr is in the Emergency Management driver’s seat, it is comforting to know the county was and still is in good hands.