Emergency Management Program Description

The city of Port Arthur office of Emergency Management responsibilities are shared within both the Police and Fire Departments whereas the Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) is a Captain within the Fire Department (Deputy Chief Louie Havens) and the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator (DEMC) is the Deputy Chief in the Police Department’s Administration Division (Lt. Michael Fratus). The aforesaid designation capitalizes on the extensive, in-depth knowledge of all disaster preparedness and response capabilities in both the Police and Fire departments respectively.

The office of Emergency Management coordinates all city-wide planning, preparation, mitigation, and response for any major incidents, disasters, and Homeland Security issues. It also manages emergency planning documents and annexes for currency and National Incident Management System compliance. This office is also an active member of the Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), a Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) mandated hazard planning, community education, and information committee.

This office also coordinates all emergency preparedness and response training and continuing education for all natural (hurricane, weather related) and man-made (hazardous material, explosions) disasters. The described training and continuing education is for both city first responders and our citizenry.

This office maintains a prominent role within the following local, state and federal Homeland Security initiatives: U.S. Coast Guard Area Maritime Security Council, Southeast Texas Waterway Advisory Council, U.S. Attorney’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, the Sabine Neches Chiefs Association, and the Texas Emergency Management Executive Committee.

Major Goals and Objectives

• Maintain an “Advanced Preparedness” rating (the highest attainable rating) for all city Emergency Management Plans and Annexes with the Texas Division of Emergency Mgt. (TDEM)
• Maintain efficient Preparedness and Response capabilities for all city first responders
• Continue existing Hazard Awareness and Disaster Preparedness activities with local citizenry
• Continue extensive Hazardous Material (Haz-mat) training and education with our local industry partners.
• Maintain our Public Information outreach components, BlackBoard Connect, portarthur.com, portarthurpd.com, portarthur.net
• Maintain and continually update the Sabine Neches Chief Association database for Special Needs Evacuation Registry for our citizens.
• Maintains National Incident Management System (NIMS) Compliance and Performance Metrics for all First Responders.
• Maintain Incident Command System Organizational Structure for Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
• Maintain day-to-day liaison with the local, state and federal disaster response personnel.
• Continue coordination with private industry and volunteer agencies regarding emergency operations.