New Systems and Training Increase Emergency Preparedness in Mont Belvieu

As a rapidly growing city, Mont Belvieu was looking to create a thoughtful, planned approach to emergencies based on timely, accurate information.

The city had traditionally worked under the Chambers County emergency plan, but analysis revealed that the county plan no longer included the technology nor procedures necessary to meet overall operational needs. Meeting operational needs was crucial to ensure the safety of the overall community in the event of an emergency. They needed to create a more thorough plan to respond to any event, whether it be an environmental emergency, weather-related disaster, or an industrial incident.

The city was additionally looking to improve its preparedness, response, and fiscal responsibility to residents and partners through team-based, nationally recognized processes that met industry standards.

In order to increase community safety, Mont Belvieu developed a plan that addressed four areas: rapid notification, consistency of information, emergency protective measures, and response capabilities.

To monitor policy changes, the city added positions to the office of emergency management to cover all of the new roles necessary for program success.

The city created Mont Belvieu INFORCE for rapid notifications. The system allows the city to send out location-specific mass notifications to citizens about weather-related emergencies, special events, and other public safety notices. Another source of communication is completed through a new WeatherBug weather station which can trigger the city's siren system and push automatic notifications through INFORCE in the case of tornadoes.

To monitor notifications, the city hired a communications director trained in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). He works with the emergency management staff to maintain the system, and consistently deliver information. When an emergency strikes, he communicates from the emergency operations center (EOC) in conjunction with staff to ensure accurate, relevant information gets to citizens.

The city crafted an emergency operations plan and required all responsible staff to train on NIMS-level compliance. This means all staff is prepared to communicate effectively and efficiently in the face of an emergency, allowing them to properly protect residents.

Heavily populated with industrial complexes, Mont Belvieu needed to ensure they were ready in the case of an industrial emergency. To prepare for compliance, monitoring, and notifications, the city created a local emergency planning committee (LEPC), which is designated by law to organize the planning and development of industrial partners. LEPC committees meet monthly to talk through communications, public information, planning, emergency response, and resources. This results in location-specific procedures and plans for industrial complexes in Mont Belvieu.