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The Coastal Bend’s Regional Emergency Preparedness Program is maintained in support of and in alignment with state and federal preparedness strategies. It is an all-hazard program intended to prepare the Coastal Bend to cope more effectively with all types of disasters, both man-caused and natural events. Under this program plans are developed to affect a concerted regional response to large-scale disasters and initiatives are undertaken to strengthen and equip regional response capabilities. The objective of the program is to enhance the region’s ability to detect, deter and respond to disasters with the overall goal of protecting the lives and property of Coastal Bend residents.

Local Emergency Operations Assistance Planning

§ 418.102 of the Texas Government Code states, “Each county shall maintain an emergency management program or participate in a local or interjurisdictional emergency management program that, except as otherwise provided by this chapter, has jurisdiction over and serves the entire county or interjurisdictional area.” Those programs are carried out under the structure of a local emergency operations plan (EOP). Some counties in Texas receive funding directly from the State to assist them in maintaining their program and their EOP. The Coastal Bend Council of Governments provides assistance to jurisdictions that do not receive funding directly from the State in keeping their EOP updated and in compliance with current planning expectations.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is responsible for the oversight of the State’s emergency management programs and establishes the standards for EOPs in Texas.

  US Department of Homeland Security
  Federal Emergency Management Agency
  FEMA’s Public Preparedness website
  Texas Division of Emergency Management
  Office of the Governor’s Homeland Security site

Standardized Credential & Identification Program (SCIP)

As part of the ACS Unified Community Security program, all response and support agencies are invited to participate in the standardized credential & identification program. These IDs help verify responder qualifications and are built with an integrated notification capability to help improve coordination and can even grant responder access to key facilities before, during and after the incident. This identification program meets all required federal and state standards for local responder IDs, including NIMS Compliance for participation in a regional credentialing & badging program.   Those interested should CLICK HERE to request a registration link for your agency to begin the process or request additional information. Once you have registered your agency, each key contact can setup their username and password to gain access to the private pages within this CBCAN Dashboard. Further instructions are available upon login to this site, which will step you through the process of getting your responders registered, credentials verified and badges issued. Eligible agencies and groups include:

The SCIP initiative is part of the ACS Unified Community Security (UCS) Program. To learn more about UCS technologies and related solutions, go to www.UCSAlliance.org.

Hazard Mitigation

Hazard mitigation is sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from hazards. The Cross Timbers Alert & Coordination System (CTACS) Network provides tools that support to local jurisdictions in the development of local Hazard Mitigation Plans. These plans form the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. The planning process is as important as the plan itself. It creates a mechanism for local risk-based decision making to reduce damages to lives, property, and the economy from future disasters.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes funding available to carry out certain strategies outlined in the hazard mitigation plans. However, as a condition of eligibility for that funding, local governments are required have to a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan.

Preparedness Training

Training is one of the cornerstones of emergency preparedness. First responders, local officials, emergency managers and anyone else that plays a role in a jurisdiction’s response system must be adequately trained to carry out their assigned duties during a disaster. The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) has developed a system whereby preparedness training can be delivered throughout Texas in a consistent fashion and in accordance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS establishes standardized incident management processes, protocols, and procedures that all responders – those at the Federal, state, and local levels - use to coordinate and conduct response actions.

TDEM, working in association with the Texas Engineering Extension Service, has established a one-stop repository for preparedness course offerings in Texas. That information can be found on the Preparing Texas website.

Most NIMS and Incident Command System (ICS) training courses can be taken on-line. The more advanced courses have to be taken in a classroom setting. ICS 300 and ICS 400 are examples of two courses that cannot be taken on-line.

NIMS training compliance is one of the eligibility requirements for many federal preparedness grants programs. Local governments often question, who within their organization needs to receive NIMS/ICS training. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains the NIMS Integration Center (NIC) and was created by the US Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the implementation of NIMS nationwide. The NIC provides the following with regard to who should be trained in NIMS/ICS.

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