Special Needs Program

The Baca County Commissioners and Emergency Management Office, in cooperation with local churches and first responders, is creating a database containing information about individuals within the area who have special needs and may require assistance in the event of a natural disaster. The information may also be used to assist emergency personnel and volunteers in providing assistance when needed. Participation and registration in this program is voluntary; however, should you experience a power outage during a blizzard, wildfire, tornado, or other disaster, this list will be our first and fastest way to identify those that may need immediate assistance.

Our mission is to plan for hazards and assess the needs of our residents during an emergency situation as was recently seen during this past blizzard, and to work with other public safety and municipal agencies to ensure public welfare. As a pre-planning tool, registration should be considered for all people who have special medical needs (i.e., oxygen or life support systems that are dependent upon electrical power), or for those who have physical disabilities that would have difficulty following public safety directions, such as evacuation, if the need arose.

Reasonable efforts will be used to protect personal information, including pursuing legal action to prevent disclosure when deemed necessary. However, this does not warrant that the information provided will be held confidential under the Colorado Open Record Act. Please do not provide information that you believe would compromise your security.

If you have any questions regarding this program, please feel free to contact the Baca County Commissioners’ office at the address and number at the top of this letter. If you would like to be included in the database, please complete the attached form and return to our office as soon as possible. Also, feel free to pass this information to others that you think could benefit from being included on the database. Together, we can keep everyone safe.