Texas Border Business
MCALLEN – The seventh annual South Texas All Hazards Conference will be held Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28 at the McAllen Performing Arts Center and McAllen Convention Center.
The All Hazards conference is the second largest training conference of its type in the State of Texas and is the only conference offered at no charge to the invited participants. More than 3,000 emergency responders and ancillary staff are expected to attend.
“Recent events have shown us that emergencies can come at any time and from any source,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez. “Hidalgo County and its regional partners have made great strides in emergency preparedness by working together and sharing resources. The All Hazards conference and the free training it provides to emergency responders is an excellent example of the collaborative spirit that makes us stronger and better prepared for anything.”
The theme, “Faces of Preparedness-The Human Factor,” honors the men and women who leave their homes to respond to emergencies.
“Disaster knows no city limits or jurisdictions,” said City of McAllen Mayor Jim Darling. “This conference, and more importantly, the cooperation that already exists between local, state and federal agencies, emergency responders and government entities here in the Rio Grande Valley demonstrates the professionalism, training,
The conference follows the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in organization and execution, which has become a model for others. NIMS is a standardized approach to incident management developed by the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate coordination between all responders. Hidalgo County Public Health Coordinator Nancy Pearl Treviño and Hidalgo County Emergency Management Coordinator Ricardo “Rick” Saldaña will serve as Incident Commanders during the conference. Even the more than 70 volunteers from Idea Academy and South Texas Training Center received training in the Incident Command Structure in order to follow protocol.
“In this day and age, we must take every opportunity to train, not only our first responders, but also the support staff, in the unified command structure because during an emergency NIMS ensures that crucial information is communicated,” said Saldaña.
The conference is split into six educational tracks: Public Health and Hospitals; Emergency Response; Law Enforcement; Educational Institutions; Faith Based and Non-Profits; and COOP Continuity of Operations Planning for Business with more than 70 presenters from the Texas Division of Emergency Management, U. S. Custom & Border Protection, National Weather Service, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Department of Public Safety, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Union Pacific Railroad, Coast Guard, and FBI, FEMA and other federal, state, local and non-profit agencies. In addition, there will be an Immunization Summit for clinicians held as part of the conference.
Due to NIMS protocol, the workshops and training sessions are not open to the public.
