Meet Dan Heering

We are pleased to introduce Dan Heerding who just came to Sandoval County to serve as Director of Emergency Management. He just finished eight years in a similar position in Clovis and Curry County.

He has long served as a First Responder. During his 20-year military career in the U.S. Air Force, he was a military cop, and while stationed at Kirtland AFB he was a volunteer firefighter and EMT. At Cannon Air Force Base, he was a public safety dispatcher. He received the ongoing training those positions require and qualified for the New Mexico Firefighter 1 certification. 

His current duties involve acting as the liaison between county, state, and federal governments during disaster times. He has the task to ensure that the necessary supplies get to emergency responders in the field. He is completing the documentation to close out the work on last year's forest fires and this year's flooding in the county.

He knows that government resources cannot cover all of the foreseeable emergencies and wants to educate us citizens on pre- and post-disaster preparedness. He had great experience when he took a CERT (citizen emergency response team) training program to Clovis High School, which earned a FEMA award for youth preparedness.

You may find the Sandoval County emergency plan on the County website.

Editor's Note: The Coronado Optimist Club would like to acquaint the community with the first responders who serve the residents in southern Sandoval County. The club submits features on first responders published by the Signpost as a public service.