About Our Department

The San Patricio County Department of Emergency Management & Safety is made up of two unique groups: Emergency Management and Personnel Safety. Each group has a set of unique responsibilities that contribute to the overall preparedness and resiliency of the community.

Our Mission

San Patricio County Emergency Management & Safety safeguards and protects the community by coordinating programs and activities to implement, sustain and improve the capability of the whole community to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from natural or man-made incidents and disasters.

Emergency Management

This group within our department is in charge of planning for emergencies that may arise, preparing our departments and stakeholders, providing regular training and exercises, exploring and pursuing mitigation projects to reduce or eliminate hazards and threats, and leading the county through the recovery process when disaster strikes. They also manage and operate the Emergency Operations Center in times of crisis, and ensure that all departments of the county, and our partners, have the resources they need to effectively respond. They maintain several plans and their associated agreements and contracts: San Patricio County Multi-Jurisdictional Emergency Management Plan, Hazard Mitigation Action Plan, and Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan. They perform regular after-action reviews of incidents and provide documentation and improvement plans, to ensure the county’s ability to respond more effectively and efficiently in the future. Our Emergency Management Coordinator is a Certified Emergency Manager, in accordance with the International Association of Emergency Managers.

Personnel Safety and ADA Coordination

This group oversees the safety program for the the county and all of its employees. They work with each department to provide training, supplies, and information on best practices to county employees and leadership. They perform regular inspections of county facilities, to ensure safe use of equipment, compliance to procedures, and compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. They also perform accident investigation and follow-up improvements whenever a county employee is injured, a citizen is injured on county property, or damage to county property occurs. They maintain the county’s Accident Prevention Plan, and update it as the need arises.