An early start in service

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent
    
The Department of Homeland Security’s youngest intern in Wyoming happens to reside in Newcastle. Austen Kenney, a home-schooled junior, worked at Weston County Emergency Management, an organization that prepares for emergency situations in
Weston County, for one year and continues to volunteer whenever he can, even though his contract is done. 
While he doesn’t know for sure, Kenney said he’s pretty certain that he is the youngest intern there, and he thinks it’s due to a lack of knowledge about the agency. Kenney said he discovered it through the recommendation of a friend in 2017 and decided to try it out. Because he is on the fire department, Kenney said, he was able to attend a meeting before a job opened up. 
 “I knew this job was going to be very beneficial for me,” said Kenney.
Kenney’s job includes going through paperwork, which he said is a lot of hard work, and contacting the necessary people from each primary agency in the Weston County District to make sure everyone is on the right page, he said. Kenney makes sure the people in Weston County Homeland Security are up to date and have the same information, especially if new people join the management crew. If an emergency arises, management is then better prepared to help Weston County as “flawlessly and seamlessly” as possible. 
Part of the job, Kenney said, is evaluating the level of the emergency and how many people will be needed. 
Kenney said he hasn’t dealt with any big emergencies so far, but he has looked at the records and paperwork from previous emergencies to see what was done and learn from those situations, such as the Oil Creek Fire in 2012. He said it motivated him to understand what to do. 
 “I didn’t really understand or know what this job was about,” said Kenney.
While Kenney’s not sure if emergency preparedness is something he will continue as a career, he said the internship has opened up another career opportunity for him. 
 “Right now, it’s not on my top priority list, but it is something I have contemplated doing,” said Kenney. 
Kenney is also a volunteer with the Newcastle Fire Department, so his job with emergency management complements it quite a bit, he said. 
Kenney said he has learned how much emergency management does behind the scenes. Paperwork is part of the job of emergency preparedness,
he said. 
 “There’s a lot of work that has to be put in on a daily basis,” Kenney said. 
He also helps organize meetings and conferences and sorts the information that comes in and out. 
 “When I started out, I was terrible with time management,” Kenney said. Over the six months he’s been there, Kenney said, he’s finally learned how to better manage his time. 
Kenney said the job has taught him patience, noting that not everyone is willing to cooperate. 
Kenney, who said he has “lived in Weston County nearly all my life,” noted that working with emergency management allows him to give back to the community. 
Kenney said that anyone interested in working in emergency preparedness should contact Denise Bradshaw, the local agency’s coordinator. 
Kenney encourages people to volunteer by handing out flyers, greeting people and, in the case of an emergency, helping and comforting others.