Regional Preparedness
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 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 for more information.
Download four important documents about communications interoperability planning in Texas and the CAPCOG region:
Texas Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan
Texas Radio Communications Interoperability Plan
Texas Statewide Interoperability Channel Plan
CAPCOG Interoperability Plan
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 for more information.
