Rio Grande Valley Sector CBP within FEMA Region VI

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Rio Grande Valley SectorCBP within FEMA Region VI
Office of Incident Management Operations Officer
Juan A. Garces Supervisory Border Patrol Agent
Oscar Silva Jr. Border Patrol Agent Ricardo Cantu
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CBP within FEMA Region VI Mission

• To contribute toward the effectiveness of the
  Customs Border Protection mission and
  preparedness efforts through the coordination of
  multi-component and inter/intra-agency
  operational activities including technical
  standards, contingency planning and training
  through exercises and readiness assessments.

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CBP within FEMA Region VI Regional Incident
Management Construct

• CBP components in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma,
  Arkansas, and Louisiana make up Region VI
• Chief Patrol Agent Rosendo Hinojosa is currently
  the CBP Lead Field Coordinator (LFC) within FEMA
  Region VI
• The LFC and the Deputy Field Coordinators have a
  clear area of responsibility to coordinate a CBP
  regional response during an emergency

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CBP within FEMA Region VI All
Threats Preparedness
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Background

• Master Exercise Practitioner, certified by FEMA.
• Have done Emergency Management for the U.S.
  Border
• Patrol for five years (collateral duty).
• Served as the Hurricane Isaac Task Force
  Commander for
• Region VI.
• Serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army
  Reserve
• Intelligence, Operations, Training, Logistics
  and Emergency
• Response (Support Civil Authorities).

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Why have exercises?

• Enables entities to identify strengths and
  incorporate them
• within best practices to sustain and enhance
  existing
• capabilities.
• Provide objective assessments of gaps and
  shortfalls within
• plans, policies and procedures to address areas
  of
• improvement.
• Help clarify roles and responsibilities.
• Practice! Practice!
  Practice!

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Why have exercises?

• Virginia Tech shooting Apr 16, 2007, 715 a.m.,
  32
• deaths.
• Sandy Hook Elementary shooting Dec 14, 2012,
  930 a.m.,
• 27 deaths.
• Boston Marathon Bombings Apr 15, 2013, 219
  p.m., 3
• deaths, 282 injured.
• Cummings Middle School (Brownsville, TX) 1
  death
• Alton school bus accident (Alton, TX) 21deaths,
  49 injured

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Types of Exercise (Three Types)

• 1. Tabletop (TTX) simulates an emergency
  situation in an informal, stress-free
  environment.
• Participants are usually at the decision making
  level.
• Gather around a table to discuss general
  problems and
• procedures of an emergency scenario.
• Focus is on training and familiarization w/
  roles,
• procedures or responsibilities.
• Purpose solve problems as a group

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Types of Exercise (Three Types)

• 2. Functional (FX) simulates an emergency
  situation in the most realistic manner possible,
  short of moving real people and equipment.
• Interactive, designed to challenge the entire
  emergency
• management system.
• Takes place in an Emergency Operations Center.
• Players practice their response to an emergency
  by
• responding in a realistic manner.
• Decisions and actions occur in real time
  (imitate reality)

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Types of Exercise (Three Types)

• 3. Full-Scale (FSX) is close to the real thing
  as possible. Its a lengthy exercise which takes
  place on location using the equipment and
  personnel that would be called upon in a real
  event.
• Interactive, designed to challenge the entire
  emergency
• management system in a highly realistic and
  stressful
• environment.
• Players represent all levels of personnel.
• Achieves realism thru on-scene
  actions/decisions, simulated victims, search
• rescue, communications, equipment deployment
  and actual resource
• personnel allocation.
• Requires significant investment of time and
  effort and resources.

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National Incident Management System

• NIMS
• Establishes flexible incident management
  protocols and procedures that all responders
  federal, state, and local utilize to conduct and
  coordinate response actions.
• Sets forth a core set of concepts, principles,
  terminology, and organizational processes to
  enable effective, efficient, and collaborative
  incident management at all levels of government.

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RGV Sector - Office of Incident Management

• Aligned to respond and support any Incident of
  National Significance
• Terrorism
• IED
• Chemical
• Biological
• Border Violence
• Natural Disasters
• Hurricanes
• Floods
• Tornadoes
• Earthquakes
• Pandemics
• Avian flu
• H1N1
• Mass Migration
• Extreme Weather Conditions
• Extreme Heat
• Winter Freeze

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Local and Federal Partnership

• Lower RGV Coastal Bend Council of Government
  (COG) Integration
• Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC)
• Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) Ad
  Hoc Panel Member
• Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC)
  (McAllen/Weslaco)
• Cameron County Local Emergency Planning Committee
  (LEPC)
• Nueces, Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo, Starr Webb
  County Emergency Management Coordinators
• Rio Grande Regional Response Association (RGRRA)
• Regional Communication Interoperability System
  Committee

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Questions? Comments/Concerns
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Operations Officer Juan A. Garces office
956-289-5621 juan.garces_at_dhs.gov