In March of 2004, Wyoming House Bill 144 was passed by the Wyoming State Legislature and signed into law by the governor entitled the “Wyoming Emergency Response Act.”

This act allows the state homeland security director to create Regional Emergency Response Teams (RERT) within multiple county areas for the purpose of organizing, equipping, training and responding to hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction (terrorism) and/or any all-hazards incident impacting a community. Regional teams receive federal homeland security grant funds through the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security,

These regional teams are available to supplement local resources when an incident is beyond the first responders’ capabilities. Teams are responding in a state capacity. There are eight regional teams located around the state within the host communities of Cheyenne, Casper, Jackson, Laramie, Rock Springs, Riverton, Worland and Gillette.

The RERT, once deployed, will integrate within the local Incident Command System and will function as a component under the operations section of the local on-scene command structure when established.

The RERT sub-committee on the State Emergency Response Commission was formed in December of 2020 and serves as the lifeline between our responders and the Office of Homeland Security in maintaining a high-caliber ability to respond in a safe and highly effective manner. This group meets monthly to discuss training, review After Action Reports (AARs) and constantly refines their mission to ensure a common operating picture is shared amongst the special teams’ disciplines that participate. Currently there are hazmat, technical rescue, and bomb squad working groups that comprise this committee.

The State of Wyoming is served by seven nationally certified bomb squads hosted by local law enforcement agencies. Each bomb squad technician is nationally certified through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hazardous Device School (HDS) at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Each team member must recertify every three years.

There are four Explosive Detection Canine (EDC) teams located across the state. All law enforcement officers/handlers are nationally certified and attend refresher training with their canines every two years.