The Watauga County Emergency Services Department is located in the Watauga County Law Enforcement Center at 184 Hodges Gap Road. Normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday with the Communications Center staffed 24 hours a day and a representative from the Fire Marshal’s Office on-call for afterhours emergencies.
The Emergency Management Office coordinates resources for emergency services in Watauga County. This office also conducts searches for missing persons, handles hazardous materials incidents, conducts emergency preparedness programs/training, and acts as liaison for Watauga County to the State Division of Emergency Management during times of disaster. In addition to the response phase the Emergency Management Office is responsible for plans pertaining to disasters and emergency response. The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for all phases of an emergency: preparedness, mitigation response, and recovery
As part of preparing to respond to disasters, having as much information in advance is critical to an efficient and timely response. For example, knowing where our most vulnerable citizens live allows us to coordinate with utility providers, non-profits, or other organizations to make sure that citizens' needs are met.
As part of this endeavor, please take a moment to review the Vulnerable Population Registration Page. This form can be filled out by a patient, caregiver, family member, friend, or anyone else that has the permission of the patient to do so. Please share this form so that we can have an accurate snapshot of the needs in our County. All information gathered will be treated with discretion and accessed only by authorized Emergency Services staff.
