EME-108 KNOW YOUR AGENCIES! KNOW YOUR PARTNERS!

EME-108
KNOW YOUR AGENCIES!
KNOW YOUR PARTNERS!

As ARES members, we support a number of agencies around us via radio communications when conditions warrant.  Similarly, there are a number of other organizations that also support the same or similar agencies with emergency communications.  When their comms systems fail, ours must work.  While communicators could be assigned all over the county or even in their homes, some will work at the Transtar building alongside first responders working for or with HCOEM.  To be fully effective, we should all be well informed about not only our role in the system but also how we interface with the other agencies and our partners.

HARRIS COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (HCOEM)

Here is a brief summary about HCOEM:

1. HCOEM has offices, an Emergency Operations Center and a comms room colocated in the Transtar building.  It is important not to mistake the building for the organization.
2. HCOEM is responsible for the well being of Harris County residents during emergencies.
3. Emergencies in the past have been mostly weather related, particularly flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes however their scope is not limited to these events and covers any emergency whether it is natural or man-made.
4. Harris County is the third largest county in the US and has 30+ municipalities and almost 4 million residents.  About 1.2 million people live in unincorporated areas and rely heavily on the County for services so emergency response is a complex issue requiring careful coordination.
5. Responsibilities:
   

   • At he lowest level, cities have prime responsibility for handling emergencies in their area and they coordinate fire, ems, police, hospitals, ngos, etc. to effect rapid and appropriate response to any emergency.
   
   • When their resources are exhausted or insufficient, they request assistance from the County via the District Disaster Committee (DDC) who will endeavor to provide additional help. This may be from County resources or with mutual aid from other locations or organizations in the area.
   
   • When the County’s resources are exhausted, the DDC then elevates needs to other regions and DDCs.  Thus the DDC is the first step in managing resources for the State of Texas via the Division of Emergency Management and is the level at which HCOEM gets involved.
   
   • From the district, assistance requests may escalate to other State assets/districts and on up to the Federal level, FEMA, when necessary.
   
   • The DDCs are divided into Regions with Harris, Galveston & Brazoria Counties grouped in Region 2.
   
   • The DDC is composed of representatives from many organizations and is chaired by the Highway Patrol Commanding Officer.

   
   

   Summary of DDC and Region Interaction:

   
   
   
   
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     DDCs are activated in response to large-scale emergencies that require coordination of resources across multiple counties and regions, generally managed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).

     
     
   
   
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     The regions provide a framework for regional-level planning and ensure that emergency management operations are carried out efficiently across the state.

     
     
   
   
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     Regions and DDCs work closely together: the regions handle day-to-day emergency management, while the DDCs are more operational centers for active disaster response.

     
     
   
   
   
   

   These systems ensure that Texas is prepared for and can effectively respond to natural and man-made disasters, leveraging local, regional, and state resources in a coordinated manner.

   
   
6. Why is this structure important to us?
   
   • We need to understand and respect the chain of command as we assist served agencies.  Know who your supervisor is and how to contact them.
   
   • If message handling does not follow proscribed procedures, they may be duplicated or lost.
   
   •  We are assigned to provide comms assistance to a given agency.  It is important that we understand our role in that organization, that we take the time to document our work and to not take ‘short cuts’ in the routing of messages or that skip steps in their chain of command.  While we are amateurs, we must act like professionals.
7. Harris County has a complex and extensive role during regional emergencies which involves comms with multiple counties and states.  While unlikely, a comms breakdown is the reason that ARES is considered very important to their emergency operations system.  In that situation, we become a critical cog that could bring the entire machine to a halt if we fail our mission.
   

   Further information can be obtained from http://www.hcoem.org

That concludes tonight’s training. Are there any questions, comments or suggested additions to this material?

Thanks, this is (callsign) clear to net control.

Send corrections, modifications, updates or suggestions to k5prs@aol.com