EPHRATA - The Grant County Board of Commissioners selected Dr. Robert Schneider as the new director of Grant County Emergency Management.

Schneider took over the job this week, a position left vacant last August when former director Sam Lorenz retired after 26 years in emergency management.

"He's a very qualified individual and we're expecting great things from him," said Grant County Commissioner Richard Stevens.

When asked why it took seven months to replace Lorenz, Stevens said Schneider was hired several months ago but needed to complete work on an emergency management project with the federal government before he could start.

The commission received more than 30 applications for the position and interviewed about seven candidates, Stevens added.

Grant County Emergency Management is charged with creating a system of coordinated planning to reduce vulnerability to hazards, respond to emergencies and cope with natural and man-made disasters. The department is overseen by the Board of County Commissioners and funded through a mix of county money and federal grants.

"Emergency management is everyone's responsibility, we all play a part," Schneider said. "It's all about relationships and knowing who to call."

Schneider, who comes into the job after serving 16 years as the emergency manager for the city of Redmond, Wash., said he's excited at the learning opportunity presented by transitioning from a high destiny urban area to a rural region like Grant County.

Prior to working for Redmond, Schneider spend more than two decades working with local governments, public school systems and non-governmental organizations in the State of California. He said his experience includes assisting the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services in providing recovery assistance for local governments during the Humboldt County and Northridge Earthquakes.

He earned his doctorate from Saint Mary's College of California, where he also received an M.A. in Educational Administration and a B.A. in Business Management, with a focus on emergency management planning. Schneider has also completed graduate courses in fire administration at Western Oregon State University and doctoral studies in China with Bakke Graduate University.