CAPCOG homeland security director joins EMAT board

Emergency Management Association of Texas (EMAT) members elected Martin Ritchey, CAPCOG’s homeland security director, to serve as the association’s treasurer at its 15th Annual Leadership Symposium in February. As one of four at-large board members, Ritchey will be able advocate for emergency management and homeland security issues across the state. It also allows him to share best practices learned in the CAPCOG region with others. EMAT’s treasurer position was previously held by CAPCOG’s Dee Harrison, who held the volunteer post before starting at CAPCOG and was term limited.

At the symposium, CAPCOG’s Homeland Security Division presented an exhibit about best practices and lessons learned for operating its regional notification system — Warn Central Texas — and the regional use of WebEOC, a virtual emergency operations center that allows multiple agencies to track and share disaster information. The division explain how it has implemented WebEOC regionwide and how local jurisdictions have used the tool to respond to and document disasters, incidents, and planned events. Staff also discussed how CAPCOG has curated one of the largest resident contact lists in the state for its notification system.