Farmers Branch reviews emergency-preparedness plan, urges residents to sign up for Branch Alert

Luke Parton, emergency management coordinator for Farmers Branch, briefed the City Council on Sept. 2 about the city's emergency-management program and how residents are notified before, during and after disasters.

Parton said Farmers Branch maintains an all-hazards Emergency Operations Plan with about 22 annexes covering communications, sheltering and other response functions. He described preparedness activities (training, public presentations and an awareness campaign called "Farmers Branch Ready"), continuity-of-operations planning and regular regional coordination with the Quad Cities (Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Addison and Coppell), the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Dallas County.

The presentation focused on notification tools and how residents can receive warnings: outdoor warning sirens (eight citywide, intended for people outdoors and tested the first Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m., weather permitting); Branch Alert (the city's mass-notification system, which can deliver texts, calls and emails);…