Homeland Security

Homeland Security Task Force

Since its creation in December 2002, The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) has assisted CAPCOG staff in planning, coordinating, evaluating, and recommending projects for grants received from the State of Texas. In addition, they also assist with the development of the Region's Homeland Security Strategic Plan, Long Range Interoperability Plan, training of first responders, and coordination of regional projects.

Homeland Security Task Force
Homeland Security Task Force Bylaws

Regional Planning for Homeland Security

In June 2002, The Governor's Office requested that all Councils of Governments develop regional homeland security plans as part of a state planning initiative. Planning at the regional level was chosen due to the scale and scope of potential weapons of mass destruction incidents and the geographic size of Texas.

Regional Mutual Aid

CAPCOG has worked with stakeholders and elected official since 2003 on the issue of regional mutual aid. Stakeholders including jurisdictions and multiple response disciplines have provided input on mutual aid from legal consideration and reimbursement issues, to disaster operations realities that impact the provision of mutual aid. CAPCOG shared a tiered mutual aid template with jurisdictions at the beginning of 2004 which was favorably received across the region as indicated by the 90% adoption rate. The mutual aid agreements had a companion document called the CAPCOG Mutual Aid Plan which contained regional details about mutual aid provisions. In 2006, CAPCOG simplified and updated the tiered regional mutual aid agreement to a universal agreement for all political subdivisions. This agreement provides a framework for the sharing of critical resources among CAPCOG jurisdictions in responding to natural or man-made emergencies. The CAPCOG Mutual Aid Plan was transitioned into the Capital Area Regional Response Plan.

To view the Regional Mutual Aid Agreement: CAPCOG Mutual Aid Agreement
Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 for more information.

Regional Response Plan

In 2005, the Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) entered into an agreement with the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) to develop Regional Response Plans for the State of Texas. Regions are defined by utilizing the current 24 Council of Governments (COG) boundaries. The purpose of these plans is to ensure a Regional Unified Command and address specific, technical issues pertaining to equipment, responders, and communications. Once completed, these plans are scheduled to be exercised under the direction of GDEM and NERRTC .

The Capital Area Regional Response Plan (CARRP) describes a coordinated system for requesting, locating, and mobilizing local government resources with the 10-county CAPCOG region and the 11-county region served by the Capital Area Trauma Regional Advisory Committee (CATRAC) in response to an emergency situation affecting any county in the region. In the event of a catastrophic incident affecting much or all of the region, this plan addresses mobilization of all available local government resources in the region and coordinating deployment of those resources within the first few critical hours before substantial state, federal, or distant local resources can arrive. The plan was developed by the CAPCOG HSTF and the CATRAC in cooperation with the GDEM. The plan was adopted by the CAPCOG Executive Committee and the CATRAC in April 2006. Each County Judge and Mayor in CAPCOG received a copy of the plan in July 2006.

Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 for more information.

Communications Interoperability Planning in Texas and the CAPCOG Region

The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) created the Long-Term Interoperability Work Group (LTIWG) in late 2004. The work group was formed with members appointed by their respective county judges to give true region-wide representation. Its mandate was to develop workable solutions for achieving and maintaining regional Level 4 communication interoperability within the framework provided by the Governor's Office of Homeland Security; determine immediate, intermediate, and long term regional interoperability needs; create guidelines for implementation of new hardware and best practices; and provide assistance to CAPCOG agencies to implement the final plan and document compliance.

The CAPCOG Long-Term Interoperability Plan incorporates the Texas Interoperability Channel Plan (TICP) and SAFECOM guidelines (SAFECOM is managed by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate's Office for Interoperability and Compatibility). The Plan is compliant with SAFECOM and NIMS (the Department of Homeland Security's National Incident Management System) directives for regional shared systems' optimal interoperability. The State Technical Assistance Group (TAG) approved the CAPCOG Long-Term Interoperability Plan in January 2006.

Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 for more information.

Download four important documents about communications interoperability planning in Texas and the CAPCOG region.

Texas Radio Interoperability Plan
Texas Interoperability Channel Plan
Channel Plan MOU
CAPCOG Interoperability Plan

WebEOC

WebEOC is a web-based software product that allows for secure, real-time access to state and national weather trends, satellite images, mapping information, and details of incident operations within local and/or regional areas, all of which is geared toward efficient emergency management.

Williamson County and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) purchased WebEOC. Therefore, in order to link the remaining CAPCOG counties, one server was purchased for installation at the Combined Transportation & Emergency Communications Center (CTECC) for the Austin/Travis County EOC and a second server was purchased for installation at CAPCOG for the other eight remaining county EOCs. These two servers were installed in late March 2006. A regional workgroup made up of the respective WebEOC owners and stakeholders serve to develop the framework for regional information flow, policies and procedures, and implementation.

CAPCOG has created policies, procedures, and training for Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Lee, Llano, and Hays County who use the CAPCOG WebEOC server.

Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 or Robin Wiatrek at 512-916-6014 for more information.

Emergency Notification System (ENS)

The CAPCOG Homeland Security Program and the CAPCOG 9-1-1 Program are working together to implement the Emergency Notification System (ENS). ENS is a automated emergency notification tool that enables a emergency personnel to notify relatively small numbers of citizens (hundreds to low thousands) by using the 9-1-1 system in case of an emergency which directly affects the population. The system can also be used to notify emergency response groups, disaster recovery planners, and other contact groups in the event of an emergency. Messages are distributed to people via phone and email. ENS is PC-based and uses multiple phone lines to notify people.

Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 for more information.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

On March 1, 2004, after close collaboration with state and local government officials and representatives from a wide range of public safety organizations, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued the NIMS. It incorporates many existing best practices into a comprehensive national approach to domestic incident management, applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across all functional disciplines.

The NIMS represents a core set of doctrine, principles, terminology, and organizational processes to enable effective, efficient and collaborative incident management at all levels. To provide the framework for interoperability and compatibility, the NIMS is based on a balance between flexibility and standardization.

NIMS Components:

Command and Management includes the Incident Command System (ICS), Multi-Agency Coordination Systems (MACS) and Public Information Systems.
Preparedness Addresses Planning, Training, Exercises, Personnel Qualifications and Certifications, Equipment Acquisition and Certification, Mutual Aid, and Publications Management.
Resource Management establishes systems to describe, inventory, request and track resources, and the methods to activate these systems prior to and during an incident.
Communications and Information Management asserts the need for accessible and interoperable communications and information sharing.
Supporting Technologies On-going development of science and technology is integral to continued improvement of the NIMS, and cover such items as voice and data communications, information and display systems.

NIMS Compliance:

CAPCOG continues to assist with interpreting current NIMS guidance and provides tools for local jurisdictions to meet NIMS requirements. FY2005 was a start up year for NIMS implementation and full compliance with the NIMS was not required for jurisdictions to receive FY 2005 grant funds. However, in order to receive FY 2006 preparedness grant funding, the minimum FY 2005 compliance requirements must be met. Applicants will be required to certify as part of their FY 2006 grant applications that they have met compliance requirements.

To reference the NIMS compliance schedule: NIMS Implementation Activity Schedule

To view the preparedness grant programs that are impacted by compliance with NIMS standards:
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/nims/federal_prep_grant_prog.pdf

For more detailed information on the NIMS, visit FEMA's NIMS Integration Center at: http://www.fema.gov/nims/

NIMS Training:

As part of the NIMS compliance, state, territorial, tribal and local level jurisdictions should support NIMS implementation by completing various NIMS courses. Various courses are offered online via the FEMA Independent Study Program at http://training.fema.gov/IS/.

Two of the basic level courses, IS-700 National Incident Management System, An Introduction and the IS-100, An Introduction of the Incident Command System, can be taken on-line at the FEMA Independent Study Program or can also be presented to a jurisdiction by CAPCOG.
Advanced NIMS training is intended for persons who will serve as command or general staff in an ICS organization, select department heads with multi-agency coordination system responsibilities, area commanders, emergency managers, and multi-agency coordination system/emergency operations center managers.

For more information about Advanced NIMS training for ICS-300 and ICS-400, visit the FEMA Fact Sheet at:
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/ics_300_fs.pdf
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/ics_400_fs.pdf

To view additional information about NIMS training, refer to the FEMA website at: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims_training.shtm#1
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To view CAPCOG Homeland Security training opportunities, refer to the training page at:
http://www.capcog.org/Training/viewCat.asp/catid/2

Contact Bruce Harlan at 512-916-6162 for more information.

Texas Regional Response Network (TRRN):

A key component of NIMS is resource management. In November 2004, the TRRN was adopted as the Statewide Mutual Aid Database. The TRRN allows jurisdictions to list all equipment that is available for mutual aid response to other jurisdictions. Equipment purchased through the State Homeland Security Grant Program is subject to special conditions per the subrecipient agreement with the State Administrative Agency. As such, jurisdictions wishing to be eligible for preparedness grants are mandated to identify all equipment in TRRN.
To view information about accessing TRRN, link to the following document entitled Getting Started: TRRN

Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 for more information.

Regional Assets

Strike Teams

There are currently 4 Strike Teams within the CAPCOG region, whose primary purpose is to provide highly technical response to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) events within the CAPCOG region. The teams are comprised of personnel from hazardous material, law enforcement and medical disciplines, and are located in: Hays County, Travis County, Williamson County, and the City of Austin. In addition to these four teams, the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad provides a response with all team deployment as does the Regional Mobile Communication Vehicle.

The Strike Teams will only respond to incidents that are categorized as catastrophic weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or terrorist attacks. A detailed screening and dispatching procedure has been developed in an effort to ensure these resources are utilized to their fullest capabilities. For more information, please visit the website for the Regional Strike Team Equipping and Training at www.r-e-s-e-t.org.

Regional Mobile Command Vehicle

The Regional Mobile Command Vehicle (RMC-1) is a regional asset for immediate on scene support of a catastrophic incident in a CAPCOG county. The capabilities of RMC-1 include both communications and mission capabilities. RMC-1 can be used for patching interoperability frequencies/talk groups, data support using broadband capability, video support, and limited command post capacity. Emergency Management Coordinators are able to request this asset based on regional protocols.

Contact Ed Schaefer at 512-916-6026 for more information.

Bioterrorism Planning and Preparedness

In September 2002, CAPCOG entered into a cooperative agreement with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Health Services Region 7 (HSR7) for public health preparedness. Since then CAPCOG has remained a partner with DSHS HSR7 and continues to work on projects directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for public health emergency planning with an emphasis on preparedness goals related to improved response and performance to all public health disasters.

Planning activities are focused on Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Llano, & Lee counties, the seven CAPCOG counties that do not have local health departments but where DSHS HSR7 provides public health services. Each county has completed plans for local bioterrorism response and pandemic influenza response that tie in to DSHS, Health Services Region 7 response roles. Additional coordination for county volunteer requirement needed during a public health emergency is also occurring at a local level.

Contact Robin Wiatrek at 512-916-6014 for more information.

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an emergency preparedness program supported by the federal government that trains citizen volunteers to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. CERT Teams are organized under the leadership of a local jurisdiction and receive specialized training that enhance their role to provide critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT teams also help with non-emergency programs to help improve the safety of the community. Within CAPCOG, CERT teams are associated with City of Austin OEM, City of Cedar Park, City of Pflugerville, City of Sunset Valley, Pflugerville, Bastrop County, Fayette County, and Hays County. Refer to the national website at http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/index.shtm to learn more about CERT.

Contact Robin Wiatrek at 512-916-6014 for more information.

Contacts

Ed Schaefer, Director of homeland Security at 512-916-6026
Robin Wiatrek, Regional Homeland Security Coordinator at 512-916-6014
Shelia Jennings, Regional Emergency Planning Coordinator at 512-916-6013
Helena Szeredy, Administrative Assistant at 512-916-6035

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