Galena Park/Jacinto City CIP displays Emergency equipment & planning

Apr 12, 2018 North Channel Star Community, Front Page 0

Pictured to the right, David Wade Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (Harris County), - Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council Philip Cutler, Chris Collier, Mayor Esmeralda Moya & Austen McMillian. Mayor Moya said, “I fully support the Galena Park-Jacinto City Community- Partnership (CIP) which if there’s a disaster it will protect and save citizens lives. It’s all about the citizens.” In the background is a portable emergency hospital and in a time of need it can be quickly erected in less than an hour with 16 hospital beds to treat victims and to provide doctors and medical personnel with everything needed to stabilize victims until they can be transferred to a hospital.
Pictured to the right, David Wade Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (Harris County), – Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council Philip Cutler, Chris Collier, Mayor Esmeralda Moya & Austen McMillian. Mayor Moya said, “I fully support the Galena Park-Jacinto City Community-Partnership (CIP) which if there’s a disaster it will protect and save citizens lives. It’s all about the citizens.” In the background is a portable emergency hospital and in a time of need it can be quickly erected in less than an hour with 16 hospital beds to treat victims and to provide doctors and medical personnel with everything needed to stabilize victims until they can be transferred to a hospital. (Photo by Allan Jamail.)

By Allan Jamail

GALENA PARK – Unbeknownst to most Harris County residents, representatives from cities and county governments meet monthly with industries to plan for an emergency disaster event on how to better protect the citizenry.

The Galena Park-Jacinto City Community-Industry Partnership (CIP) met with Diane Sheridan CIP facilitator and heard reports on local plant conditions and how the plants would collectively respond to an emergency. The attendees learned the industry and community capacity for managing major industrial fires, explosions and toxic releases, and then toured and learned how the emergency equipment can be used.

Allan Jamail, writer for the North Channel Star and former Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) of Jacinto City, said he’s proud of the improvements made to protect the communities since he served in the 1980’s. “Today with the advance technology of emergency equipment and the coordination of governments and industry planning it will mitigate or lessen the severity of the impact on communities should a disaster occur in Harris County,” Jamail said.

The East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) announced the release of a new CAER Online member alert notification system. This new system will provide a simpler, more intuitive website for EHCMA member companies to post informational and alert messages to the membership and general public. Community members can visit this website to view posted messages online from EHCMA member and nonmember facilities or local offices of emergency management.

This new system also supports iPhone and Android Smartphone devices with mobile applications available on the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Search for “EHCMA CAER Online” for the application and download it today to have access to alerts and other information about the CAER Online system on your Smartphone device.

Messages provide emergency and general information about facility, rail car, tanker truck or pipeline incidents or other information about flaring, smoke, noise, firefighter training or minor incidents not requiring public protective action.

Government Officials present: Esmeralda Moya, Mayor (Galena Park), Jorge Flores, EMC (Galena Park), Lon Squyres City Manager and EMC (Jacinto City), David Wade Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (Harris County), Linda Jamail Community Liaison (for State Representative Ana Hernandez).

Industry Representatives present: Chevron GP Terminal Ray Harshbarger, Gulf Coast Authority Phyllis Frank and Brad Peck, Houston Cement Kim Schuenemann, LyondellBasell Refinery Jason Chamberlain, Pasadena Refining Ron Sommers, PCI Nitrogen Scott Lange, Charles Hensley & Skip Fullbright, Shell Lubricants Josh Elkins, Targa David Clark & Joseph Cooper.

Emergency Equipment staff present: Chris Collier Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council ( SETRC), Philip Cutler SETRC, Austen McMillian SETRC, David Gray Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA), Gerald Sherman CIMA, Keith Purvis CIMA, Gilbert Pequeño CIMA, Rick Gonzales Galena Park Police Chief (GPPD), James Tidwell GPPD, Cynthia Jimenez – GPPD, Colin Rizzo Port of Houston Authority (PHA), R. Jefferson PHA, R. Crosby PHA. The attendance records were provided by Ania Borski, CIP Secretary.