Texas Division of Emergency Management

Last updated
Texas Division of Emergency Management
TDEM Seal WEB.png
Agency overview
Formed2019
Preceding agencies
Jurisdiction Texas
Headquarters Austin, Texas
Employees200+
Annual budget$6.6 billion
Agency executives
  • Nim Kidd, Texas Emergency Management Chief & Vice Chancellor - Disaster & Emergency Services at The Texas A&M University System
  • Warren "Country" Weidler, Deputy Chief
  • Orlando Alanis, Assistant Agency Director & Chief of State Operations and Incident Support
  • Blair Walsh, Assistant Agency Director & Chief of External Affairs
  • Seth W. Christensen, Assistant Agency Director & Chief of Media, Communications, and Preparedness
Parent department Texas A&M University System
Key document
Websitetdem.texas.gov

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is a state agency that coordinates Texas's emergency management program.

Contents

TDEM implements programs to increase public awareness about threats and hazards, coordinates emergency planning, provides an extensive array of specialized training for emergency responders and local officials, and administers disaster recovery and hazard mitigation programs in the State of Texas.

TDEM had a total budget of $6.6 billion for 2022–2023. [1]

Organization

TDEM currently operates and manages eight statewide regions and 21 individual disaster districts across the State of Texas in support of disaster response. [2] These districts also align with councils of governments (COGs) that are composed of city, county and special district governments.

To support the regions, districts and jurisdictions, TDEM headquarters is organized into internal divisions, sections and units. The Preparedness, Recovery and Mitigation divisions and the State Operations Center staff support the corresponding field staff.

Regions

TDEM is broken up into eight main individual regions to support statewide disaster response. [3] Regional Assistant Chiefs (one per region) and Regional Section Chiefs (Response/Preparedness (one) or Recovery/Mitigation (one)) oversee regional staff. [4] They have multiple roles, as they carry out emergency preparedness activities, coordinate emergency response operations, support recovery efforts and aid in mitigation measures. In their preparedness role, they assist local officials in carrying out emergency planning, training, and exercises, and developing emergency teams and facilities.

Regional staff also teach a wide variety of emergency management training courses. In their response role, they deploy to incident sites to assess damages, identify urgent needs, advise local officials regarding state assistance, and coordinate deployment of state emergency resources to assist local emergency responders.

Disaster districts, EOCs and committees

Texas is broken up into 21 individual districts within the main eight regions, with each individual district having an assigned District Chief. [2] The District Chiefs oversee their districts' respective County Liaison Officers, who are assigned to specific county(s). Each district also has a Disaster District Committee (DDC) made up of the same members as the state Emergency Management Council. [5] The chair of each district committee is appointed by the Chief of TDEM. The district chair and committee members operate the Disaster District Emergency Operations Center (DDEOC).

Previously, the districts were aligned with the Texas Highway Patrol districts, with the district commanding officer serving as the chair of the disaster district. [6] Now, the districts are aligned with local council of governments. [7]

Texas Emergency Management Council

To organize the state response to emergencies and disasters, the TDEM Chief chairs the Texas Emergency Management Council. [8] The council is made up of state level agencies and organizations. I was established by the Texas Legislature to advise and assist the Governor in all matters relating to disaster mitigation, emergency preparedness, disaster response, and recovery. [9] [10] [11]

Member agencies and organizations:

Leadership

TDEM is led by a Chief who serves as the agency director. The Chief is assisted by a deputy Chief and three Assistant Agency Directors.

TDEM is currently led by the Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, Nim Kidd. [12] He has served as the Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management since 2010. Kidd is also the vice chancellor for Disaster and Emergency Services. Kidd is a Certified Emergency Manager, Texas Master Firefighter, and holds Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical Technician Certifications. [13]

Disasters and operations

TDEM has supported statewide emergency response for over 341 disasters. [14] As part of Operation Lone Star, TDEM has been used on immigrants [15] and during tropical storms. [16]

It also works on safety outreach. [17] [18]

The Jack Colley State Operations Center

The agency maintains the state's warning point at the State Operations Center (SOC), which operates 24/7/365. It is named after Jack Colley, who served as Chief of TDEM from 1993 to 2010. [19] [20] [21] Currently the SOC sits below DPS headquarters in a renovated underground former Civil Defense bunker. [22] The SOC houses a large operations floor for the Emergency Management Council, several meeting rooms, office space for the State Management Team, Technology Operations staff, division leadership and the state warning point known as the bubble.

During COVID, TDEM temporarily moved the SOC to a nearby hotel. [23]

New HQ & SOC
General information
StatusUnder construction
Address4125 S. FM 973
Town or city Austin, TX
GroundbreakingTBD
Cost$423 million USD
Grounds48 acres

New Headquarters & SOC

With the transition from DPS to the Texas A&M University System, TDEM received money to build a new headquarters and state operations center. [24] [25] Being built just east of Austin–Bergstrom International Airport and the Travis County Jail, cost of the new facility is in the range of $300 to $423 million USD. [26] [27]

Texas Emergency Management Conference

Every year TDEM hosts the Texas Emergency Management Conference (TEMC). [28] The conference is 4–5 days long, includes an opening session, awards luncheon, trainings, lectures, exhibit hall an closing ceremony. [29] It is geared towards elected officials, first responders, emergency managers and decision makers. [30]

Texas Emergency Management Academy

In 2022, TDEM created "The Academy", in an effort to formalize and standardize emergency management education. [31] [32]

History

The TDEM was founded in August 1981 as a division under the Texas Department of Public Safety. [33]

In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature transferred TDEM from Texas Department of Public Safety to Texas A&M University System as a stand alone state agency. [34]

In April 2022, the TDEM was used to transport processed immigrants. It was used again in September 2023. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community emergency response team</span>

In the United States, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) can refer to

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Homeland Security</span> United States federal executive department

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Emergency Management Agency</span> United States disaster response agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the President that FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster. The only exception to the state's gubernatorial declaration requirement occurs when an emergency or disaster takes place on federal property or to a federal asset—for example, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, or the Space Shuttle Columbia in the 2003 return-flight disaster.

An office of emergency management (OEM) is a local, municipal, tribal, state, federal/national, or international organization responsible for: planning for, responding to, and dealing with recovery efforts related to natural, manmade, technological, or otherwise hazardous disasters by planning and implementing large scale emergency response plans/procedures, coordinating emergency assets during a disaster, and providing logistical, administrative and financial support to a disaster response effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency management</span> Dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies

Emergency management is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actually focus on the management of emergencies; emergency management or disaster management can be understood as minor events with limited impacts and are managed through the day-to-day functions of a community. Instead, emergency management focuses on the management of disasters, which are events that produce more impacts than a community can handle on its own. The management of disasters tends to require some combination of activity from individuals and households, organizations, local, and/or higher levels of government. Although many different terminologies exist globally, the activities of emergency management can be generally categorized into preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery, although other terms such as disaster risk reduction and prevention are also common. The outcome of emergency management is to prevent disasters and where this is not possible, to reduce their harmful impacts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act</span> US law designed to bring an orderly and systematic means of federal disaster assistance

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is a 1988 United States federal law designed to bring an orderly and systematic means of federal natural disaster assistance for state and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to aid citizens. Congress's intention was to encourage states and localities to develop comprehensive disaster preparedness plans, prepare for better intergovernmental coordination in the face of a disaster, encourage the use of insurance coverage, and provide federal assistance programs for losses due to a disaster.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that coordinates federal, state, local, and private resources throughout the Commonwealth during times of disasters and emergencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disaster informatics</span>

Disaster informatics or crisis informatics is the study of the use of information and technology in the preparation, mitigation, response and recovery phases of disasters and other emergencies. Disaster informatics or emergency involves increased use of technology to depict how people can react to emergencies and other disasters that require fast improvements on recovery and preparedness. It began to emerge as a field after the successful use of a variety of technologies in disasters including the Asian tsunami, September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is charged with maintaining a comprehensive statewide program of emergency management. The division ensures that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impacts. DEM is responsible for the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) which is composed of various intergovernmental entities, volunteers, and the private sector. The division coordinates the efforts of the Federal Government with other departments and agencies of state government, with county and municipal governments and school boards, and with private agencies that have a role in emergency management. The Director is appointed by the Governor of Florida, and serves as an agency head. Kevin Guthrie currently serves as the Director. He was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in May 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Emergency Management Agency</span> U.S. state government agency

Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) is an agency of the state of Illinois responsible for preparing for and coordinating responses to emergencies. It replaced the Illinois Civil Defense Agency in 1975 under House Bill 1109.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management</span>

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is a department of the government of Oklahoma responsible for coordinating the response to a natural disaster that has occurred in the State and that has overwhelmed the abilities of local authorities. This is achieved primarily through the development and maintenance of a comprehensive statewide emergency management plan. OEM is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the federal government with other state departments and agencies, county and municipal governments and school boards, and with private agencies that have a role in emergency management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council</span> Philippine government agency

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), formerly known as the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) until August 2011, is a working group of various government, non-government, civil sector and private sector organizations of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines established on June 11, 1978 by Presidential Decree 1566. It is administered by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) under the Department of National Defense (DND). The council is responsible for ensuring the protection and welfare of the people during disasters or emergencies. The NDRRMC plans and leads the guiding activities in the field of communication, warning signals, emergency, transportation, evacuation, rescue, engineering, health and rehabilitation, public education and auxiliary services such as fire fighting and the police in the country. The Council utilizes the UN Cluster Approach in disaster management. It is the country's focal for the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) and many other related international commitments.

The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services is a California cabinet-level office responsible for overseeing and coordinating emergency preparedness, response, recovery and homeland security activities within the state. The agency was created by AB 38 (2008), superseding both the Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Office of Homeland Security (OHS).

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, also known as PEMA, is an independent cabinet-level agency in Pennsylvania tasked with the response to, preparedness for, recovery from, and the mitigation or prevention of disasters and other emergencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency</span> Governmental emergency agency in Turkey

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, also known as the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, is a governmental disaster management agency operating under the Turkish Ministry of Interior. The organisation was established in 2009 to take necessary measures for effective emergency management and civil protection nationwide in Turkey. The presidency conducts pre-incident work, such as preparedness, mitigation and risk management, during-incident work such as response, and post-incident work such as recovery and reconstruction. AFAD reports to the Turkish Ministry of Interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Emergency Management Agency</span>

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is an agency of Tennessee government tasked with coordinating the state government's preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and man-made disasters across the state of Tennessee. The agency is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with four regional offices in Jackson, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. TEMA is a component of the Tennessee Military Department, along with the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee State Guard.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) is the body responsible for managing emergencies in the United States State of Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota Department of Public Safety</span>

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a state agency in South Dakota, United States. DPS is an enforcement, licensing and services agency that develops and operates programs in the areas of law enforcement, traffic safety, fire safety, driver's licenses, emergency management, and public safety information. The Secretary of Public Safety is appointed by the Governor of South Dakota.

Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is an emergency services system authorized by the U.S. state of Oregon legislature to coordinate efforts to "prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services</span>

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (PEMS) provides emergency medical services and medically directed rescue services for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a bureau of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), along with the Bureaus of Police, Administration, Fire, and Animal Care and Control. The department is responsible for 55.5 square miles (144 km2) with a population of 305,841 as of the 2013 Census estimation. The Bureau was founded in 1975 by the then current city administration, absorbing Freedom House Ambulance. In addition, the Bureau of EMS was one of the first EMS agencies in the world.

References

  1. ↑ Kidd, Nim; Floren, Casey (2023-01-24). "Texas Division of Emergency Management Summary of Budget Recommendations - Senate" (PDF). Legislative Budget Board. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  2. 1 2 "Regions". tdem.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  3. ↑ "Regions". tdem.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  4. ↑ Helker, Jacob (2021-07-13). "Amarillo Deputy City Manager Kevin Starbuck to accept new job with state". KVII. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  5. ↑ "Interface: State EOC To Texas DEM Disaster District Information System". www.jeng.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  6. ↑ "Emergency Management". gov.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  7. ↑ "List of councils of government", Wikipedia, 2024-04-08, retrieved 2024-11-15
  8. ↑ "Maintenance Management Manual: Disasters and National Emergencies". onlinemanuals.txdot.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  9. ↑ "Texas Emergency Management Council Agencies". www.tdem.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  10. ↑ "Emergency Management Council, State - Texas State Directory Online". www.txdirectory.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  11. ↑ "Executive Guide". tdem.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  12. ↑ "Leadership". tdem.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  13. ↑ "Texas Division of Emergency Management – The Texas A&M University System Network". www.tamus.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  14. ↑ "Disaster Declarations for States and Counties | FEMA.gov". www.fema.gov (in Tagalog). Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  15. 1 2 "Governor sends resources to border". The Bowie News. Austin, Texas. 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  16. ↑ "Gov. Greg Abbott deploys emergency resources during Tropical Storm Harold". Spectrum News 1. Austin, Texas. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  17. ↑ "Texas Department of Emergency Management - Texas Floodplain Management Association". Texas Floodplain Management Association. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  18. ↑ "Get Ready Central Texas Emergency Preparedness Fair This Friday | AustinTexas.gov". austintexas.gov. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  19. ↑ "Jack Colley, 1948 - 2010" (PDF). DPS Chaparral: 2. June 2010.
  20. ↑ "TDEM remembers former Chief Jack Colley, who died on this day in 2010". x.com/TDEM. May 16, 2022.
  21. ↑ Grissom, Brandi (2010-05-17). "TribBlog: DPS Emergency Chief Dies [Updated]". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  22. ↑ "Disaster response center gets major upgrade". kvue.com. 2013-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  23. ↑ "State of Texas Recovery Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds July 31, 2023, Report" (PDF).
  24. ↑ Baltic, Scott (2024-04-29). "Texas Agency Eyes $423M Austin Campus". Commercial Property Executive. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  25. ↑ "Texas A&M University System Board of Regents vote to begin construction on $370 million State Emergency Operations Center". kagstv.com. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  26. ↑ "New state emergency operations center to be built east of Austin-Bergstrom". FOX 7 Austin. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  27. ↑ Plohetski, Skye Seipp and Tony. "New $370M Texas emergency operations, headquarters facility to be built near Austin airport". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  28. ↑ "Texas Emergency Management Conference". tdem.texas.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  29. ↑ MyParisTexas (2023-03-17). "TDEM Seeks Nominations for First Responder Memorial at 2023 Texas Emergency Management Conference - MyParisTexas" . Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  30. ↑ "Texas Emergency Management Conference | TEEX.ORG". 2024-11-09. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  31. ↑ Valiente, Michael (2023-07-12). "Inside the "Boot Camp" for Emergency Managers". Domestic Preparedness. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  32. ↑ Riecker, Tim; Manager, The Contrarian Emergency (2023-07-12). "The Texas Emergency Management Academy". The Contrarian Emergency Manager. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  33. ↑ Marten, James A. "Emergency Management". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  34. ↑ "About". Texas Division of Emergency Management. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.