City Manager Pat West announced yesterday that the newly created Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications (DDPEC) will be led by Deputy City Manager Reggie Harrison.
The DDPEC was created with FY 2013 funds to help consolidate and implement more efficient emergency efforts such as dispatch services, disaster management and preparedness functions. In addition to working with City sectors–police, fire and other departments–the DDPEC will oversee the management and disbursement of Homeland Security grants.
One of the major approaches to this consolidation involves emergency calls from citizens. Given that Long Beach Police and Fire Departments have separate emergency communications systems, emergency calls are typically answered by LBPD first and–following an assessment of the call’s purpose–then transfered to the proper area. The department hopes to consolidate these efforts where all emergency communications and dispatch staff will be fully trained instead of all calls being funneled to police.
“For several years, the City has thoroughly studied the consolidation of emergency communications and dispatch, and we are ready to implement the consolidation,” City Manager Pat West said in a press release. “Reggie Harrison has proven time and time again his skills in leading complex efforts, and his oversight of this consolidation is critical to its success. We are excited to create this new Department under Reggie Harrison’s leadership to provide more streamlined emergency call taking and dispatch services and an enhanced disaster management focus.”
The city has received about $9 million annually in Homeland Security grants over the last few years, which has funded purchases of new emergency operations equipment as well as training of emergency responders. Harrison has also led several studies since 2005 that have led to altered procedures in the City’s emergency responses and preparedness.
{FG_GEOMAP [33.7682,-118.19546700000001] FG_GEOMAP}