County Judge Bob Hebert in conjunction with the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management would like to recognize Municipal District Services, Severn Trent, SouthWest Water Company, Environmental Development Partners and Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No.25 for participating in a voluntary National Incident Management System (NIMS) Program that he initiated in 2009.  In 2011, each company completed the requirements of the program and are hereby recognized as "NIMS Competent First Responders."

Those recognized have earned the distinction by taking actions to become an integral part of the County's emergency management network. The program involves a series of actions to be taken to make these operating companies more prepared for Hurricane Season, improve communications with emergency management staff at the County level, and truly begin to make the County's water districts responsible for emergency management activities. County Judge Bob Hebert stated, "The program is based on assuring that participating operating companies are fully informed on the workings of the National Incident Management System and the role of the county in supporting all first responders during a declared emergency. The idea is to ensure improved communications between emergency management personnel and utility operators and to include utility district representation in the County EOC in all future activities."

The conditions of the program included having employees from each utility operating company complete four NIMS on-line training courses (100, 200, 700 and 800).  Additionally, multiple employees have attended training sessions at the Fort Bend County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). During these sessions, attendees learned key definitions, the difference between crisis management and consequence management, the emergency response realities for municipal utility districts, the purpose and objectives of the County EOC, and the framework for the State of Texas Emergency Management Plan. 

Jeff Braun, the County's Emergency Management Coordinator, notes that "OEM staff is committed to expanding the readiness program and he is hopeful that additional companies will take advantage of the training offered in the voluntary program."  Overall, the program is intended to ensure a more coordinated and effective response to water emergencies that may occur in the future in Fort Bend County.

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Fort Bend County is located in the Texas Southeast, immediately South and West of Harris County and the city of Houston. It is the home of over 500,000 people and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. For more information about Fort Bend County, visit the county homepage at http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was established to protect the residents and property of Fort Bend County from damage relating to disasters. The OEM accomplishes this through effective planning, preparation, response and recovery. For more information about the Fort Bend County OEM, visit the OEM homepage at http://www.fbcoem.org.

The Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management awarded certificates to seventeen (17) employees of Santrol, a local business with offices in Sugar Land and Fresno.  Santrol, a division of Fairmount Minerals, manufactures and sells specialized sand products for the oil and gas industries and takes corporate citizenship very seriously. Santrol encourages its employees to volunteer in their communities are provides paid time off for them to do so. “CERT training has provided these employees with additional skills to broaden their opportunities to serve in their respective communities” offers Shauna Evans, Volunteer Programs Manager with the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.

Employees were allowed to complete the CERT program required over a three week period, during a regular work day.  CERT training certification requires the completion of a 24-hour curriculum that focuses on the fundamentals of Emergency Preparedness and Disaster activities. Participants receive classroom training, with includes, demonstrations and exercises, such as fire suppression and search and rescue techniques and participate in a full-scale disaster simulation exercise.  Class instruction was provided by the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management and the Sugar Land Fire Department. 

Following the presentation of certificates by Alan Spears, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator for the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management, graduates put their skills to the test in a mock-disaster exercise.  The final exercise was conducted at Santrol’s Fresno plant, where graduates responded to a simulated disaster scene involving a tornado and partial building collapse.  “We wanted the exercise to test the skills of the new CERT graduates in an environment that was familiar to them and ‘real’. I was extremely pleased that the company allowed us to use their plant location and its employees as our exercise venue,” stated Evans. Team members practiced their skills in search and rescue, disaster medical and triage, and CERT organization as they worked the scene to locate, extricate, and treat victims.

“CERT training teaches preparedness skills that every citizen needs to have and promotesthe importance of neighbor helping neighbor, in times of emergency or following a disaster,” adds Evans. “These graduates now have the knowledge and skill to provide a greater level of assistance when our first response agencies are overwhelmed and professional response assistance is delayed.”

The Community Emergency Response Team program is sponsored by Fort Bend County and facilitated through the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.  For more information on the County’s volunteer programs, visit www.fbcoem.org.

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Fort Bend County is located in the Texas Southeast, immediately South and West of Harris County and the city of Houston. It is the home of over 500,000 people and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. For more information about Fort Bend County, visit the county homepage at http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was established to protect the residents and property of Fort Bend County from damage relating to disasters. The OEM accomplishes this through effective planning, preparation, response and recovery. For more information about the Fort Bend County OEM, visit the OEM homepage at http://www.fbcoem.org.

July / August 2010 Volunteer Newsletter

The Fort Bend County Emergency Services District #4 and the Fulshear - Simonton Fire Department hosted their second Community Emergency Response Team Training for the communities of Fulshear, Simonton and Weston Lakes.  17 local citizens completed the training conducted August 6^th through the 8th.  Cliff Aldrich and Lou Boudreaux, Emergency Management Coordinators for the cities of Weston Lakes and Simonton were present to kick-off the training. The compressed weekend class included topics such as; Disaster Preparedness, Fire Suppression, Disaster Medical Operations, Light Search and Rescue, and Team Organization and included simulations and exercises so students could get hands-on experience.  “CERT is a wonderful program for communities looking to work together to provide assistance to those in need in the aftermath of a disaster when trained personnel are needed to work alongside our professional responders” offers Shauna Evans, Volunteer Programs Manager for the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.    

The graduation ceremony and final exercise were held on Sunday, August 8^th.  The final exercise is designed to enhance the skills learned by each volunteer team member in a simulated disaster environment.  With the assistance of the Fulshear – Simonton Fire Department and Fort Bend County EMS, the newly graduated CERT team members responded to a simulated building collapse with victims trapped inside.  Team members practiced their skills in search and rescue, disaster medical and triage, and CERT organization as they worked the scene to located, extricate, and treat victims.

Certificates and volunteer badges were presented by Jeff Braun, Emergency Management Coordinator and Shauna Evans, Volunteer Programs Manager for the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management. “I was thrilled to be invited back to do a second training for these communities. They are working hard to develop their teams for use in both non-emergency and emergency situations. They are already asking for more training and will be a valuable asset to the County’s preparedness and response efforts, should disaster strike,” adds Evans.

The Community Emergency Response Team program is sponsored by Fort Bend County and facilitated through the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.  For more information on the County’s volunteer programs, visit www.fbcoem.org or contact the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management at 281-342-6185.

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Fort Bend County is located in the Texas Southeast, immediately South and West of Harris County and the city of Houston. It is the home of over 500,000 people and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. For more information about Fort Bend County, visit the county homepage at http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was established to protect the residents and property of Fort Bend County from damage relating to disasters. The OEM accomplishes this through effective planning, preparation, response and recovery. For more information about the Fort Bend County OEM, visit the OEM homepage at http://www.fbcoem.org.

Fort Bend County commissioners recently approved upgrading the position of Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Braun to an executive manager and increased the salary for that position and six employees in the Office of Emergency Management.

County Judge Bob Hebert said the upgrades are necessary because the emergency management office has experienced a big increase in duties as homeland security issues were added to weather and other emergencies that impact the area. The department has experienced an almost 100 percent turnover in the last year as employees are being offered higher wages by other counties, cities and private employers.