2018-036 Emergency Response FrameworkDate: March 30, 2018 Report No.2018-036
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
City’s Emergency Response Framework
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The purpose of this report is to provide City Council with details regarding the Emergency
Response Framework.
DISCUSSION:
Emergency Management Plan Framework
The State Disaster Act requires jurisdictions to prepare Emergency Management Plans (EMPs)
that follow the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) planning standards. The
purpose of these plans is to reduce vulnerability of the communities’ damage, injury, and loss
resulting from natural or man-made catastrophes. There are basic, intermediate, and advanced
level plans that cover mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The City of Denton
maintains an advanced level plan, which enables the City to be eligible for homeland security
and other federal preparedness grants. The EMP is updated on a five year cycle. The current
version is dated July 2014, and is undergoing revisions for renewal submission to TDEM late
summer or early fall of 2018. Additionally, the EMP is supplemented by companion documents
including the Technology Services’ Business Continuity Plan, Local Mitigation Strategy,
Emergency Operations Center Standard Operating Framework, and departmental response
procedures.
Emergency Operations Center
The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is located at Central Fire Station. The EOC is
the physical location designed to support emergency response, business continuity, and crisis
communications activities. The City’s Executive Staff and/or the Incident Management Team
meet at the EOC, as needed for table top planning exercises. During activation the EOC is used
to manage preparations for an impending event, or an ongoing incident. By gathering the
decision makers together in a central location and supplying them with the most current
information, better decisions can be made.
Activating the EOC
The City has four emergency alert levels. The Emergency Management Coordinator will issue
the alerts to the City’s Emergency Response Teams: High Water Group, Swift Water Rescue
Team, and/or Incident Management Team, as conditions warrant through the Hiplink messaging
system.
Level 4 is activated when the forecast is predicting possible severe storms threatening the City of
Denton in the next 24 hours. Potential technological emergencies may necessitate the issuance of
Date: March 30, 2018 Report No.2018-036
a Level 4 Alert as a precaution including a suspicious explosive device, planned civil
protest/potential unrest, small-scale hazardous material incident, etc. Additional weather
conditions include: tornado watch, flash flood watch, severe thunderstorm watch, and winter
storm watch.
Level 3 is activated when a situation has escalated to hazardous conditions such as active flash
flooding, sustained high winds, tornado, large grass fires, major hazardous material incident, etc.
Additionally, hurricane shelter operations are included in this level along with: tornado warning,
flash flood warning, and severe thunderstorm warning.
Level 2 occurs when a major disaster event with extensive damage to the city such as from a
large tornado, wide-scale flash flooding, a significant hazardous materials incident, or other
substantial natural or technological disasters. Shelter operations where City of Denton recreation
center(s) are used as shelter sites following an evacuation, would typically be a Level 2 Alert
requiring a significant amount of City resources and coordination of activities by Incident
Management Team.
Level 1 is activated when a catastrophic disaster is impacting or imminent for the City of
Denton. This severe situation will necessitate use of all or a vast majority of available City
personnel and resources over an extended period of time. Mutual-aid assistance may be needed
from other communities, state, and federal agencies. Examples include a direct hit from an EF4
or EF5 tornado with mass casualties and numerous fatalities, hazardous materials release
involving a substance immediately dangerous to life and health requiring mass evacuation and
shelter operations, massive flash flooding impacting a significant portion of the city, domestic
terrorism incident, and other large-scale events that will overwhelm local response capabilities.
STAFF CONTACT:
Michael Penaluna, Emergency Management Coordinator
(940) 349-8836
Michael.Penaluna@cityofdenton.com