Pierce County Emergency Management Director Brad Jorgenson always seems to have a smile on his face and it’s apparent he loves his role and helping others.

Jorgenson was appointed the county’s emergency management director on Sept. 25 when Christine McPherson left the role. Prior to that, he worked as a field director in Pierce County’s emergency management department.

“My background/work experience is mainly in emergency services having worked as a 911 Dispatcher, 911 Supervisor, and in several EMS leadership roles,” Jorgenson said.

His job duties include planning, developing, implementing, coordinating and administering all phases of emergency management for Pierce County. He’s also responsible for the overall management and supervision of the 911 Dispatch Center and its infrastructure within the county.

“I really enjoy outreach and working with our municipal and county leadership as well as our fellow departments throughout the county to embrace preparedness and develop plans that best fit the needs of those potentially impacted,” Jorgenson said.

As a young child, Jorgenson watched his parents, Mel and Tod Jorgenson, serve in emergency services roles. They still do to this day. He wanted to follow in their footsteps and as an adult, he found a love for the communications field, which led to several leadership roles and allowed him to expand in those roles, leading him to this position as the ultimate goal. When asked what his favorite part of Pierce County is, the answer came easily.

“The people! From the citizens to our teammates, we have some incredibly talented folks who work and/or live in Pierce County,” Jorgenson said.

When he first started at Dunn County Emergency Communications & Emergency Management in 2012, he worked with Director Melissa Gilgenbach. He credits her as one of his mentors in the field.

“Melissa afforded me some incredible opportunities to learn, eventually taking me on as her Emergency Communications Supervisor,” Jorgenson said. “Throughout that position I truly learned the depths of Emergency Communications and the complexity of 911 and radio services. Without Melissa's steadfast leadership and willingness to teach me I would not be where I am today. Melissa without a doubt shaped my knowledge and encouraged embracing technology throughout the field whether it be in radio towers or CAD software.”

In 2023, Jorgenson returned to Pierce County as a field director under the leadership of McPherson. She introduced him to the emergency management side of the field.

“I instantly knew this was the direction where I wanted to continue my career towards,” Jorgenson said. “Having the ability to complete outreach throughout the county and share the importance of preparedness while still being tied to emergency communications was the best of both worlds as in Pierce County the dispatch center's oversight falls under Emergency Management. Christine taught me it's not about knowing how to do every role within your department, it's about ensuring you have a solid team that can provide balance and share the wealth of ownership.”

The department is currently working hard to complete its Next Generation 911 project in the 911 Dispatch Center, Jorgenson said. Thanks to a $1 million Public Safety Answering Point grant from the Department of Military Affairs, Office of Emergency Communications, the department will be able to upgrade its radio and phone systems in the dispatch center to better serve citizens. That project should wrap up in 2026.

Besides being heavily involved with Spring Valley Area Ambulance as the emergency director, Jorgenson also served on the Spring Valley Village Board until recently. He made the difficult decision to step down from his role as a trustee effective Nov. 15, 2025.

“With accepting the role as the Emergency Management Director and continuing my position as the EMS Director for Spring Valley Area Ambulance, my time had become very limited and ultimately I felt the community needed to have an elected official who was able to allot the time needed to do it justice and not in between other tasks,” Jorgenson said.

Outside of work, he enjoys traveling and spending as much time as possible with family and friends.