EPHRATA — Grant County will be better prepared for emergencies in the future, as the Grant County Sheriff’s Office is set to welcome a new member to the Emergency Management Division who has several years of experience in emergency management.

Matthew Klein will be sworn in this week by Sheriff Tom Jones into the position of emergency management specialist. Klein will be reporting to Chief Deputy of Emergency Management Darrik Gregg and working with Emergency Management Coordinator Sandi Duffey in the Emergency Management Division, located in Moses Lake.

Klein, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law and justice from Central Washington University, previously served in the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Emergency Management Division from 2014 to 2017 and as support staff for the Whatcom County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Bellingham. Some of his previous duties included overseeing the readiness of the EOC, working alongside Whatcom County’s incident management team and working with Whatcom County’s public information officers.

“I’m extremely happy with Matt’s credentials and experience, and I think he will make a great addition to our Emergency Management Division,” Jones said. “When my office assumed responsibility for emergency management, I pledged we would improve how emergency management was delivered in Grant County, not only during the planning and preparedness phases, but also when responding to major emergencies and disasters.”

Jones noted Grant County’s EOC was activated during this past winter’s severe storms and in the wake of an explosion at a Grant County PUD substation in Ephrata in February. The sheriff noted that wildfire season has just barely arrived and the addition of Klein will be a benefit when the season is in full swing.

“With wildfire season emerging, Matt will be joining our team at the beginning of what is always the busiest time of year for emergency responders in central Washington. Adding Matt to our team is another step to our commitment to continuing to make Grant County a safe place to work and raise our families, and I look forward to what Matt has to offer,” Jones stated.