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Emergency management asks for EOC tools, assistant and plans tied to possible $10M wildfire grant
Summary
Erath County emergency management presented requests for an operational Emergency Operations Center, IT and communications resiliency, and proposed hiring an assistant emergency manager to expand grant-writing and planning capacity; officials noted a Community Wildfire Protection Plan could unlock a $10 million grant opportunity.
Erath County emergency management officials told commissioners they need more staff and infrastructure to run a permanent Emergency Operations Center and to compete for large grants, including a potential Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that could support a $10 million project if funded.
The county's emergency management lead described requests to increase supplies and continuing-education funds, buy rugged tablets for CAD and reporting, and add server and IT capacity for a dedicated EOC. He urged the court to consider creating an assistant emergency manager/planner position to build grant capacity and maintain continuity when the EMC is unavailable.
"If that all goes through, then that's the $10,000,000 for whatever project," the official said about the potential wildfire defense grant that would follow completion of the CWPP. The office also proposed a project to document county roads with photos and GPS points to speed FEMA reimbursements after storm damage.
Officials discussed communications resiliency: fiber-backup connections at individual radio-tower sites were explored, with vendor quotes the county characterized as roughly $240,000 per site and about $950 per month on a 60-month contract. Commissioners acknowledged the price is high and said the county is not positioned to install fiber at every site immediately, but agreed improved redundancy is a long-term need.
No formal vote was taken; commissioners directed staff to fold the emergency-management requests into the county's consolidated budget review and return with cost estimates and prioritization.
