Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS NEWSLETTER

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1 Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS NEWSLETTER MARCH/APRIL 2018 Vol. 10 ISSUE 2 Cities of Simonton and Weston Lakes added 32 additional Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) me mbers to its Community Preparedness volunteers. As one of our most affected regions from the recent flooding s, the City of Simonton coordinated the spring 2018 CERT course to supplement its already impressive cadre of reserve personnel activated in emergencies. "CERT training and other trainings held in our area is beneficial on many levels. It allows for several local jurisdictions to connect and meet. With increasing flooding to our area in recent years it is even more critical that our residents are prepared to handle any all situations. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge we can offer our staff as well as residents the better prepared we are as a community at large." says Stacey Gootee City of Weston Lakes, Emergency Management Assistant. Would you like to bring CERT to your high school or college campus, faith based organization, corporation or community? Contact us at oem@fortbendcountytx.gov.

2 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 2 FORT BEND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMEN T COMMUNITY PREPARED NESS PAGE 2 Register Here Sunday April 22, PM-6 PM Immanuel Evangelical Church 9018 Church St

3 VOLU ME 10 ISSUE 2 FORT BEND C OU NTY EMERGENC Y MANAGEMEN T C OMMU NITY PREPARED NESS The Fort Bend region supported the nation-wide Stop the Bleed initiative and Awareness Day in March by hosting the Stop the Bleed course at Gus George Law Enforcement Academy in Richmond. Fort Bend employees and community residents learned actions they can take to protect themselves, their families and Faith Based Organizations in Active Shooter incidents as well bleeding control for the injured. Students learned tourniquet utilization as well as wound packing techniques. Interested in attending or hosting the Stop the Bleed program? Please contact us at oem@fortbendcountytx.gov

4 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 2 FORT BEND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMEN T COMMUNITY PREPARED NESS PAGE 4 OEM FLIGHT COORDINATION Mother Nature had some competition during March at Fort Bend County Office of Emergency (OEM) Management s Drone Operator Coordination and Flight Operations Meeting. Unmanned Arial System (UAS) pilots from CRASAR, FAA, City of Sugar Land, Fort Bend County Drainage, Fort Bend County OEM, and Fort Bend County Fire Marshal s Office were all represented in the test piloting of the DJI Matrice 210 drone, graciously on loan to our partner, the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR). The Drone Operator Coordination and Flight Operations program routinely meets to provide continuing education for regional licensed drone pilots and to assist in the development of safe drone practices in the public safety community. For more information on Drone Operator Coordination and Flight Operations Meeting, contact the Regional Public Information and Crisis System Administrator, Lach Mullen at lach.mullen@fortbendcountytx.gov or

5 VOLU ME 10 ISSUE 2 FORT BEND C OU NTY EMERGENC Y MANAGEMEN T C OMMU NITY PREPARED NESS PAGE 5 Despite inclement weather regional volunteers turned out in force to compete in the 2018 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Rodeo. Held annually, CERT teams from across the state s regions competed in new events to maintain competence in their search, rescue, medical and fire suppression skills. Fort Bend County Office of Emergency management (OEM) holds regular CERT programs throughout the year. If you wish to attend and or host a CERT program in Fort Bend County please contact oem@fortbendcountytx.gov

6 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 2 FORT BEND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMEN T COMMUNITY PREPARED NESS PAGE 6 In February Fort Bend, TEXSAR, and Fort Bend American Red Cross all attended the recently updated NIMS Refresh course. The updated version of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was released in late NIMS applies to all incidents regardless of origin, magnitude, locale or difficulty, and is based on the whole community concept, not just for public safety or government organizations. FEMA reviewed over 3,000 public comments when updating the NIMS guidance. The refreshed version: Retains key concepts from the 2004 and 2008 versions. Reflects and incorporates policy updates. Clarifies processes and terminology for qualifying, certifying and credentialing incident personnel. Clarifies that NIMS is more than just the Incident Command System (ICS), and that it applies to all incident personnel. Explains the relationship among the ICS, Emergency Operations Centers (EOC), and senior leaders/policy groups. Describes functions and terminology for staff in EOCs.

7 VOLU ME 10 ISSUE 2 FORT BEND C OU NTY EMERGENC Y MANAGEMEN T C OMMU NITY PREPARED NESS PAGE 7 Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management hosted U.S. Dept. Homeland Security s Intermediate and Advanced Incident Command Programs this past March. Municipal, public and, private entities as well as public safety and non-governmental personnel, worked together on a series of drills to enhance their agencies capabilities to prevent, protect, respond, recover, and mitigate regional, state and federal level emergencies and preplanned events. Interested in attending regional emergency management courses in Fort Bend please contact us

8 This newsletter is published by the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management for individuals and groups interested in community preparedness and response. For matters regarding the Fort Bend County Volunteer program, you may contact at us at : Forward comments, article ideas, upcoming events, or photos of Fort Bend residents performing volunteer activities, to : OEM@fortbendcountytx.gov Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management