About Us

The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response is a part of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The department is the lead state agency responsible for coordinating public health and medical response activities for all types of emergencies or disaster events. The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response is responsible for:

• Developing and coordinating emergency response plans

• Supporting local public health departments and hospitals in enhancing their ability to prepare and respond for public health and medical emergencies

• Assessing natural and man-made disasters and enhancing public health response to those events

• Integrating public health and medical systems with other local and state partners such as law enforcement, emergency management and other state and local agencies

• Training public health, medical and emergency response partners on the latest and improved protocols related to health, medical and mortuary response

• Distributing health information as well as implementing systems for effective and redundant communication among all stakeholders involved in public health emergencies and response

• Assessing Colorado’s ability to respond to the medical care of victims during an emergency

• Identifying and sharing best practices for mass casualty response

• Receiving supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and distributing supplies statewide in an emergency

• Activating the Department Emergency Operations Center (DOC), and integrating and coordinating various internal divisions and programs with external agencies at the state, local and federal level

More Information About Us:

• Disaster Behavioral Health and Community Relations/Communications

• Health Alert Network

• Hospital Preparedness Program

• Overview: Department Emergency Response

• Regional Public Health Preparedness Staff

• Response Partners

• Training and Education

• Volunteering