Jeff Braun's Emergency Management Blog » Fire

Fort Bend County Technical Rescue Team practices trench rescue techniques in City of Richmond

Jeff Braun — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:29:46 +0000

As reported by Don Munsch and reported in the Fort Bend Herald on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, area firefighters who make up a County-wide Technical Rescue Team have been in training this week. Top-notch instructors from Texas A&M have been leading the students with instruction on trench rescues. Other training sessions will be taking place throughout 2011.

The Fort Bend County Technical Rescue Team is a multi-jurisdictional effort to build an urban search and rescue capability that can be deployed in the Houston region if the need should arise. The cost of the needed equipment and training is being paid for by federal homeland security funds which have been allocated to Fort Bend County.

In addition to the Technical Rescue Team, homeland security funds have also funded the formation of two regional hazardous materials response teams and a regional mass casualty response team. All these teams are based here in Fort Bend County providing excellent service the citizens of Fort Bend County and support assistance to the entire region. Without the formation of all of these teams, response to certain types of disasters would not be as effective or as efficient.

Related to the training being held this week, as reported by Munsch:

The victim was under some dirt at the bottom of the 8 1/2-foot trench at George Park in Richmond. Upon closer examination, the victim was missing part of his arm.

Emergency responders said the victim was breathing but not conscious. He was a worker tending to duties inside a trench, according to the public information officer at the scene.

Using various equipment, firefighters from Richmond and Rosenberg, Missouri City and Stafford rescued the victim Monday afternoon in about an hour and 20 minutes. Fire department training teams rescued the victim, a mannequin, in 100-degree temperatures.

“It’s a multi-agency task force that we have with the county and it’s part of the technical rescue training we have,” said Richmond Fire Department Lt. Chris McAnally, explaining the trench rescue training.

Firefighters train together about twice a year, he said. Trainings sessions include structural collapse, trench rescue, confined space and rope rescue.

“We’ve got a simulated trench collapse here with a mannequin on the bottom simulating a victim,” he said. McAnally said trench hole collapses are common with utility, electrical, underground and pipeline work.

“We had a trench collapse in Richmond in 2000 in the Office Depot parking lot,” he said. “There have been a few other ones since then, but that was a major one. It was an underground utility trench they were digging.” Rescuers must simultaneously perform safety measures while maintaining their own safety.

“It’s a methodical process of shoring up to maintain safety to prevent further collapses,” McAnally said.

Pecan Grove to get New Fire Station

Jeff Braun — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:44:33 +0000

As published in Ultimate Fort Bend on July 28, 2011, Scott Gorden writes:

The Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department broke ground last week on a second fire station that will help firefighters and EMS reach the Pecan Grove subdivision’s northern end and Waterside Estates more quickly.

The station, at 3700 Farmer Rd., will measure about 1,500 square feet, have three bays for fire trucks, and house a total of six firefighters and EMS workers, at a construction budget of about $250,000.

“[Our first] station is on the far south end of our service area [at 727 Pitts Road], and 29 years ago, we only went three-fourths of a mile north,” says Chief Paul LeDoux, who also serves part-time as a captain with the Houston Fire Department. “Unfortunately, Pecan Grove kept growing to the north.”

The department now covers 6.5 miles and about 19,000 people in an unincorporated area of Fort Bend County between Richmond and Sugar Land. A home’s proximity to a fire station affects insurance rates, not to mention how quickly firefighters can get there in an emergency.

“The goal for this year was to bring 90 percent of our territory into a less-than-three-minute response time,” LeDoux says.

LeDoux says the department would like to have the station up and running by November, “if it could just stay dry for another three months.”

The department has also ordered a new pumper truck to be housed in the new station, and wants to add at least 10 volunteers to its current roster of 23 volunteers and 18 paid staff.

“We’re going to run a campaign up in Waterside Estates to try to attract some more volunteers out of that area,” LeDoux says.

A groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, July 21 included LeDoux, several of the department’s other staff and board members, and Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers.

Drought and Fire Danger Continues in Fort Bend County—but rain may be on its way

Jeff Braun — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:21:25 +0000

As you can tell from the chart below, the KBDI continues to increase in our region. As I blogged about previously, the higher that number, the more chance for wildfires. KBDI levels and its relationship to expected fire potential are reflected in the following table:

• KBDI = 0 – 200: Soil moisture and large class fuel moistures are high and do not contribute much to fire intensity. Typical of spring dormant season following winter precipitation.

• KBDI = 200 – 400: Typical of late spring, early growing season. Lower litter and duff layers are drying and beginning to contribute to fire intensity

• KBDI = 400 – 600: Typical of late summer, early fall. Lower litter and duff layers contribute to fire intensity and will burn actively.

• KBDI = 600 – 800: Often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence. Intense, deep-burning fires with significant downwind spotting can be expected. Live fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.

Here are the numbers for our region. Notice the steady increase in the KBDI level for all counties within our region. It remains to be seen if our area will see any relief.

COUNTY	6/13	6/14	6/15	6/16	6/17	6/18	6/19
Austin	708	712	715	718	721	725	728
Brazoria	740	742	745	747	750	752	754
Chambers	715	719	722	726	729	732	735
Colorado	696	700	703	707	710	714	718
Fort Bend	699	703	706	710	714	717	720
Galveston	672	676	680	684	688	691	695
Harris	725	728	731	734	737	740	742
Liberty	716	720	724	728	732	736	739
Matagorda	659	663	667	671	675	679	683
Montgomery	736	739	742	745	748	750	753
Walker	683	688	694	699	704	709	714
Waller	698	701	705	709	712	716	719
Wharton	667	671	675	679	683	687	691

Weather forecasters are giving us all some hope for rain in the coming week. There is a disturbance moving to the west-northwest to northwest in to the Bay of Campeche and into the western Gulf of Mexico over the next 3-5 days. Forecasters are indicating that the system could provide shower and thunderstorm activity along the northwestern Gulf Coast by the middle to the end of this week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Fireworks Banned in Unincorporated Fort Bend County

Jeff Braun — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:15:01 +0000

Fort Bend County Commissioners passed an order prohibiting the sale and use of restricted fireworks June 14 in court. The order was necessary given the extreme dry conditions across the County. Though some citizens may feel this is unfair restriction that will reduce their enjoyment of the July 4th holiday, I think it is very important to realize why a restriction was placed on the sale and use of aerial-type fireworks.

The order prohibits certain fireworks from being sold and/or used in the unincorporated areas of Fort Bend County and was initiated from the drought conditions that are being experienced across the region. The order specifically prohibits the sale or use of “sky rockets with sticks” and “missiles with fins” from being sold or used. It has been determined that the restrictions are needed for these types of fireworks due to the lack of rainfall over an extended period of time and as a method for mitigating the threat of dangerous fires.

How dry is Fort Bend County? Before you answer that question, it is necessary to understand how “dryness” is measured. A standard measure used is the Keetch-Byram Drought Index. This Index, commonly referred to as “KBDI,” was created by John L. Keetch and George Byram as a way of measuring specifically for fire potential. It is a number representing the net effect of evapotranspiration and precipitation in producing cumulative moisture deficiency in upper soil layer. It is a continuous Index relating the the flammability of organic material in the ground.

The KBDI attempts to measure the amount of precipitation necessary to return the soil to full field capacity. It is a closed system ranging from 0 to 800 units and represents a moisture regime from 0 to 8 inches of water through the soil layer. At 8 inches of water, the KBDI assumes saturation. Zero is the point of no moisture deficiency and 800 is the maximum drought that is possible. At any point along the scale, the index number indicates the amount of net rainfall that is required to reduce the index to zero, or saturation.

KBDI levels and its relationship to expected fire potential are reflected in the following table:

• KBDI = 0 – 200: Soil moisture and large class fuel moistures are high and do not contribute much to fire intensity. Typical of spring dormant seasonfollowing winter precipitation.

• KBDI = 200 – 400: Typical of late spring, early growing season. Lower litter and duff layers are drying and beginning to contribute to fire intensity

• KBDI = 400 – 600: Typical of late summer, early fall. Lower litter and duff layers contribute to fire intensity and will burn actively.

So, now that you understand KBDI—- Fort Bend County’s level on the KBDI is currently 703. This number is rising; and with little or no chance of significant rain in near future, the number will likely continue to rise. Just for comparison, here is the KBDI level for some of our neighboring counties: Austin–712; Brazoria–742; Harris–728; Waller–701; and Wharton–671. Perhaps you now understand why local government officials in our area are taking steps to limit use of fireworks during the upcoming holiday season.

2011 Texas Legislative Session – March 13th

Jeff Braun — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:51:54 +0000

Below you will find a listing of Emergency Management related bills as of March 13, 2011. Information about 53 bills is noted below.

The 82nd Texas Legislature will be in session 140 days. The first day of the session was Tuesday, January 11, 2011 and the last day of the session is Monday, May 30, 2011. The last day to file regular bills was Friday, March 11, 2011. Governor Perry has until June 19th to review bills passed by the State Legislature. He can sign a bill to authorize new law, or he can let a bill become law without signing, or he can veto a bill.

HB 1 – (Pitts) Relating to General Appropriations. Among other things, this bill would reduce expenditures for 9-1-1 Network by 27%; reduce by 48% disaster funding to state and local agencies when the Governor finds the demands on funds regularly appropriated are insufficient to respond to a particular disaster; reduce by Criminal Justice grants by 55%, impacting the number of grants awarded from an estimated 900 in FY 2011 to approximately 520 each fiscal year of the 2012-13 biennium; and eliminate funding for the Flood Control Dam Grant Program which provides operations and maintenance, structural repair, and rehabilitation needs to flood control dams across the State.

HB 614 - (Hopson) Relating to allowing health care providers to provide services across state lines in catastrophic circumstances.

HB 803 – (Bonnen) Relating to the penalty for failure to make a timely installment payment of ad valorem taxes on property in a disaster area. SB 432 is identical.

HB 805 – (Callegari) Relating the requirement that certain water service providers ensure emergency operations during an extended power outage.

HB 837 – (Taylor, Van) Relating to the authority of peace officers to request thumbprints during motor vehicle stops.

HB 993 – (Rodriguez, E.) Relating to the closure of a road or highway by certain firefighters.

HB 1030 – (Miller) Relating to the powers and duties of certain emergency services districts.

HB 1075 – (Anderson) Relating to the consolidation of certain alert system into a single statewide alert system and to the addition of other factors that will prompt an alert under the consolidated system.

HB 1092 – (Christian) Relating to the exemption from certain construction requirements for volunteer fire departments in certain counties.

HB 1125 – (Burnam) Relating to a study regarding the odorization of natural gas transported in gathering and transmission lines located in populated areas.

HB 1147 – (Smith) Relating to notice by a governmental entity regarding certain geospatial data products. SB 442 is identical.

HB 1174 – (Workman) Relating to the expiration of a county burn ban.

HB 1217 – (Miles) Relating to a residential tenant’s right to vacate a dwelling and avoid liability for rent following the declaration of a state of disaster; providing a civil penalty.

HB 1319 – (Laubenberg) Relating to the calculation and reporting of water usage and conservation by municipalities and water utilities.

HB 1354 – (Davis, S.) Relating to liability of certain certified municipal inspector for services rendered during an emergency or disaster.

HB 1379 – (Anchia) Relating to the purchasing of a firearm from the county by an honorably retired law enforcement officer.

HB 1476 - (Riddle) Relating to the grounds for revocation of an emergency medical services personnel certification.

HB 1561 - (Orr) Relating to the authority of a municipality to implement a photographic traffic signal enforcement system and impose civil penalties.

HB 1619 – (Orr) Relating to emergency services districts.

HB 1711 – (Davis, John) Relating to disaster remediation contracts; providing penalties.

HB 1750 – (Darby) Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation to lease and contract for the operation of rolling stock during certain emergencies.

HB 1765 – (Miller, Sid) Relating to an emergency public service messaging network. Identical to SB 971

HB 1791 – (Kleinschmidt) Relating to emergency services districts.

HB 1861 – (Anchia) Relating to the continuation and functions of the Commission on State Emergency Communications. Identical to SB 648.

HB 1878 – (Miller, Doug) Relating to emergency service districts. Identical to SB 917.

HB 1911 – (Bonnen) Relating to the liability of certain persons for damages arising from training exercises to prepare the persons to respond to certain emergencies. Brazoria County emergency management officials worked to get this legislation proposed for consideration.

HB 1917 – (Schwertner) Relating to the removal of appointed emergency services commissioners by a commissioners court.

HB 1986 – (Turner) Relating to the authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas to ensure the Electric Reliability Council of Texas has adequate reserve power to prevent blackout conditions.

HB 2035 – (Hamilton) Relating to the temporary relocation of alcoholic beverage distributor’s or wholesaler’s premises during a period of emergency and delivery of alcoholic beverages to a distributor’s or wholesaler’s premises.

HB 2040 – (Hamilton) Relating to critical incident stress management and crisis response services.

HB 2075 – (Martinez, Mando) Relating to certain diseases or illnesses suffered by firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

HB 2099 – (Truitt) Relating to an alert for a missing person with an intellectual disability.

HB 2158 – (Coleman) Relating to a prohibition against the use of a stun gun or taser by school district peace officers, security personnel, and other employees against certain public school students. Identical to SB 1239.

HB 2239 – (Coleman) Relating to the minimum number of county jailers necessary to staff a county jail.

HB 2257 – (Phillips) Relating to communications during a disaster or an emergency by public service providers. Identical to SB 1238.

HB 2369 – (Quintanilla et al) Relating to the accreditation of training programs and examinations for certain emergency medical services personnel.

HB 2390 – (Davis, Sarah) Relating to the types of information relating to emergency responses that are confidential.

HB 2411 – (Miles) Relating to a residential tenant’s right to vacate a dwelling and avoid liability for rent under certain circumstances following the declaration of a state of disaster; providing a civil penalty.

HB 2462 – (Bonnen) Relating to motor vehicles used for fire, emergency or disaster response purposes.

HB 2858 – (Gallego) Relating to the definition of emergency services personnel for purposes of the enhanced penalty prescribed for an assault committed against a person providing services in that capacity.

HB 2979 – (Hunter) Relating to county authority to provide certain exemptions to restrictions on outdoor burning.

HB 3060 – (Smithee) Relating to arbitration of certain claims under residential property insurance policies.

HB 3219 – (Thompson) Relating to intelligence data standards and protected personal information.

SB 9 – Relating to Homeland Security. The content of this proposed legislation relates to verification of immigration status of person charged with committing offense.

SB 106 – (Davis, Wendy) Relating to condemnation of municipal property for, and municipal regulation of, pipeline operations.

SB 319 – (Carona) Relating to financing programs for low-income electric customers and certain other electric customers.

SB 389 – (Williams) Relating to emergency preparedness during an extended power outage of a water service provider with at lease 250 connections.

SB 418 - (Williams) Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns by certain persons attending a school board meeting.

SB 617 - (Rodriguez) Relating a manifest system to record the transportation of certain liquid wastes.

SB 917 – (Wentworth) Relating to emergency service districts.

SB 969 – (Nelson) Relating to the establishment of the Public Health Funding and Policy Advisory Committee with the Department of State Health Services.

SB 1205 – (Jackson) Relating to the application of the limit on appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes to an improvement that is a replacement structure for a structure that was rendered uninhabitable or unusable by a casualty or by wind or water damage.

SB 1206 – (Deuell) Relating to medical care and health care services provided by a health care professional in a licensed freestanding emergency medical care facility.

SB 1461 – (Lucio) Relating to the creation of the disaster reconstruction coordination office withing the governor’s office; creating the disaster contingency account.

For a PDF listing: billreport 3-13-11

The PDF lists the bills, and includes information on the status of each bill. At this point, many of the bills have been assigned to committees for review. Public hearings have been called to hear testimony on some bills.

If you know of other bills that I may have missed, please leave me a comment and let me know! Thanks to those of you who have contacted me and made suggestions.

Also, please consider subscribing to this blog to receive the legislative information directly.

2011 Texas Legislative Session – March 5th

Jeff Braun — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 21:44:04 +0000

Below you will find a listing of Emergency Management related bills as of March 5, 2011. Information about 42 bills is shown below.

The 82nd Texas Legislature will be in session 140 days. The first day of the session was Tuesday, January 11, 2011 and the last day of the session is Monday, May 30, 2011. The last day to file regular bills be Friday, March 11, 2011. Governor Perry has until June 19th to review bills passed by the State Legislature. He can sign a bill to authorize new law, or he can let a bill become law without signing, or he can veto a bill.

HB 614 - (Hopson) Relating to allowing health care providers to provide services across state lines in catastrophic circumstances

HB 803 – (Bonnen) Relating to the penalty for failure to make a timely installment payment of ad valorem taxes on property in a disaster area. SB 432 is identical

HB 805 – (Callegari) Relating the requirement that certain water service providers ensure emergency operations during an extended power outage

HB 837 – (Taylor, Van) Relating to the authority of peace officers to request thumbprints during motor vehicle stops

HB 993 – (Rodriguez, E.) Relating to the closure of a road or highway by certain firefighters

HB 1030 – (Miller) Relating to the powers and duties of certain emergency services districts

HB 1092 – (Christian) Relating to the exemption from certain construction requirements for volunteer fire departments in certain counties

HB 1125 – (Burnam) Relating to a study regarding the odorization of natural gas transported in gathering and transmission lines located in populated areas

HB 1147 – (Smith) Relating to notice by a governmental entity regarding certain geospatial data products. SB 442 is identical

HB 1174 – (Workman) Relating to the expiration of a county burn ban

HB 1217 – (Miles) Relating to a residential tenant’s right to vacate a dwelling and avoid liability for rent following the declaration of a state of disaster; providing a civil penalty

HB 1319 – (Laubenberg) Relating to the calculation and reporting of water usage and conservation by municipalities and water utilities

HB 1354 – (Davis, S.) Relating to liability of certain certified municipal inspector for services rendered during an emergency or disaster

HB 1379 – (Anchia) Relating to the purchasing of a firearm from the county by an honorably retired law enforcement officer

HB 1476 - (Riddle) Relating to the grounds for revocation of an emergency medical services personnel certification

HB 1561 - (Orr) Relating to the authority of a municipality to implement a photographic traffic signal enforcement system and impose civil penalties

HB 1619 – (Orr) Relating to emergency services districts

HB 1711 – (Davis, John) Relating to disaster remediation contracts; providing penalties

HB 1750 – (Darby) Relating to the authority of the Texas Department of Transportation to lease and contract for the operation of rolling stock during certain emergencies

HB 1765 – (Miller, Sid) Relating to an emergency public service messaging network. Identical to SB 971

HB 1791 – (Kleinschmidt) Relating to emergency services districts

HB 1861 – (Anchia) Relating to the continuation and functions of the Commission on State Emergency Communications

HB 1878 – (Miller, Doug) Relating to emergency service districts. Identical to SB 917

HB 1917 – (Schwertner) Relating to the removal of appointed emergency services commissioners by a commissioners court

HB 1986 – (Turner) Relating to the authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas to ensure the Electric Reliability Council of Texas has adequate reserve power to prevent blackout conditions

HB 2040 – (Hamilton) Relating to critical incident stress management and crisis response services.

HB 2075 – (Martinez, Mando) Relating to certain diseases or illnesses suffered by firefighters and emergency medical technicians

HB 2099 – (Truitt) Relating to an alert for a missing person with an intellectual disability.

HB 2239 – (Coleman) Relating to the minimum number of county jailers necessary to staff a county jail.

HB 2257 – (Phillips) Relating to communications during a disaster or an emergency by public service providers.

SB 9 – Relating to Homeland Security. The content of this proposed legislation relates to verification of immigration status of person charged with committing offense.

SB 106 – (Davis, Wendy) Relating to condemnation of municipal property for, and municipal regulation of, pipeline operations.

SB 319 – (Carona) Relating to financing programs for low-income electric customers and certain other electric customers.

SB 389 – (Williams) Relating to emergency preparedness during an extended power outage of a water service provider with at lease 250 connections

SB 418 - (Williams) Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns by certain persons attending a school board meeting

SB 617 - (Rodriguez) Relating a manifest system to record the transportation of certain liquid wastes

SB 917 – (Wentworth) Relating to emergency service districts

SB 969 – (Nelson) Relating to the establishment of the Public Health Funding and Policy Advisory Committee with the Department of State Health Services

For a PDF listing: billreport 3-05-11

If you know of other bills that I may have missed, please leave me a comment and let me know! Thanks to those of you who have contacted me and made suggestions.

Also, please consider subscribing to this blog to receive the legislative information directly.

2011 Texas Legislative Session – March 2nd

Jeff Braun — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:43:23 +0000

Below you will find a listing of Emergency Management related bills as of March 2, 2011. Information about thirty-three bills is shown below.