County presses on as EMC resigns after Ike

BY ROSEMARY SMITH, Examiner editor

Grimes County Emergency Management Coordinator, Bill Mullener, resigned from his position Friday, Sept. 26. County Judge Betty Shiflett, who acts as the county’s director of emergency management operations, appointed Mullener to the position April 30, 2007.

Mullener was not available for comment at press time.

“Since both the City of Navasota and the Commissioners Court of Grimes County agreed to designate the Navasota Center as the Emergency Operations Center for the county, I feel that as director of emergency management operations, I will be able to coordinate emergency needs through my office,” said Judge Shiflett. “I don’t see the need for a separate emergency management coordinator for the county at this time.”

Judge Shiflett added that since the City of Navasota has its own emergency management coordinator, Fire Chief Jason Katkoski, the county needs to assess its individual needs to amend the current disaster plan. The judge will be meeting with the mayors of Anderson, Bedias, Iola and Todd Mission as well as representatives from law enforcement, the fire departments, first responders and elected officials for this purpose.

“We will then work with Navasota’s EMC to make sure that the county and the city can work together when there is another disaster. When we are at this level, I will look at hiring another EMC,” Shiflett said.

Bedias Mayor Mackie Bobo said she believes the communities came together and did a great job of helping each other during Ike with the help of many community volunteers, including firemen.

“I hope that the new EMC effectively communicates with each of the city governments in the county. There is always room for improvement, and together the county and cities can work together for even greater success should we face another challenge,” Bobo said.

Navasota created its own EMC position in May 2006.

“We, as a management staff, felt like it was in the best interest of the city and the best way to care for our citizens and businesses because of population growth and other key factors,” said Katkoski.

During Ike, EMC Katkoski was stationed at the local EOC round the clock for 6 days. Since Chief Katkoski is a salaried employee, he does not receive overtime pay for his after-hours efforts.

Since his appointment by Mayor Bert Miller, who is automatically the local director of emergency management operations, Katkoski has attended many trainings and meetings to prepare for catastrophes of various degrees. City Manager Brad Stafford attributed the success of the town, in regards to Ike preparation and recovery, to the leadership and training Katkoski has under his belt.

It’s not an easy task, as the EMC has to be prepared to coordinate responses locally for any major disaster, from chemical warfare to a large-scale train derailment. Katkoski said the most helpful and vigorous training he took part in was the 30-hour Texas Homeland Security Multi-Agency Coordination Training for the Brazos Valley Council of Governments and the north Texas region, which took place at Bratton Fire School in College Station, over a 3-day period last year. The purpose of the training, which was organized by the National Emergency Response Training Center, was to enable the different regions to deliver a cohesive regional response to a catastrophic event.

“It was real life-like. They gave you a scenario and as a team you worked together in a large emergency management center. Everyone was rotated to different areas, from resource management operations to documentation and communication, to different positions, from leadership to team member and even center manager,” explained Katkoski.

Other preparation trainings Katkoski said were helpful include a weeklong training session coordinated by the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management and countless online courses.

Each month, the EMC also takes part in Homeland Security Advisory Council meetings. Agenda topics range from coordination of trainings to grant funding distribution and recommendations to the BVCOG.

Besides training, Katkoski has to keep up with the latest emergency management tools in order to keep the local emergency management plan current, in regards to various aspects that range from communication and equipment to the legalities of declaring a disaster.

“I don’t think we’ll ever see the end of trying to improve communication. It’s an ongoing project. They’re working on tying the regional communication system to the statewide plan. Eventually we’ll tie the state to the national system,” said Katkoski, who attributes communication and teamwork between city staff and volunteers, the City of Brenham and the Community Emergency Operations Center in Bryan (comprised of staff from Brazos County, including the cities of Bryan and College Station and Texas A&M) as the two factors that played a key role in Navasota’s successful dealings with Ike.

“We try to work within our regional level before we depend on aid from the state or federal level. We get faster results, especially on a large scale event like Ike when the state and federal agencies were maxed out,” Katkoski said.

City staff effectively made preparations in collaboration with the CEOC within a few days of Ike. Besides constant communication with residents through the Connect-CTY phone system and local media that eased residents’ minds and helped them prepare, generators were put in place for the water and sewer systems, in order to ensure a safe water pressure level. According to Katkoski, the CEOC in Bryan quickly responded to his requests for assistance that included the need for additional generators for city operations and ice for residents.

“It was a team effort. The council was also very involved and gave their total support. We had expert advice from the police chief to the city manager and public works director,” said Katkoski.

“Jason Katkoski’s years of extensive training and positions in emergency services give me confidence in his abilities. His leadership, knowledge and quick thinking before, during and after Hurricane Ike proved that he is undoubtedly the right person serving in the capacity of emergency management coordinator for the citizens of the City of Navasota,” said Mayor Miller.

“I feel that what I learned from Hurricane Ike has given me the insight to know not only what has to be done, but also the people that are in place that can do the job,” said Judge Shiflett.

For more information about the EMC and system call udge Shiflett at 936-873-3135.