GOHSEP Elected_Officials_Manual_2015

GOHSEP
Louisiana Elected Officials
Emergency Management Manual
Prepare + Prevent + Respond + Recover + mitigate
1.3.1 Parish OHSEP Director Responsibilities
Each of the 64 Louisiana Parishes has an
Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness (OHSEP). The Louisiana
Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance
and Disaster Act (Disaster Act) – Louisiana
Revised Statute (LRS) Title 29:728 – provides
that each Parish OHSEP have a Director
appointed by the Parish President and
commissioned by the Director of GOHSEP.
A list of OHSEP Directors is included in the
Contact Directory of this Manual.
The OHSEP Director is an
IMPORTANT position!
All local disaster response
is coordinated through the
OHSEP Director.
Duties Required by Statute
Broadly speaking, the Disaster Act requires the OHSEP Director to organize, administer and
operate the Parish OHSEP. The OHSEP is responsible for homeland security and emergency
preparedness in the Parish. Additionally, each Parish is responsible for creating, maintaining and
adhering to a Parish Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
Generally, the Director:
• Ensures that the Parish OHSEP and all Parish agencies are adequately manned,
equipped and trained to address any Parishwide crisis.
• Prepares for evacuation, rescue and sheltering of disaster-affected Parish citizens, pets
and service animals.
• Advises the Parish’s chief elected official when to declare a state of emergency.
• During a state of emergency:
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Alerts and advises the Parish citizenry.
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Directs the response and deployment of all Parish agencies and resources
through the Parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or similar Incident
Command System (ICS).
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Ensures that all Parish assets and resources are fully utilized before requesting
assistance from the State (as per Louisiana statutes).
1.3.1 OHSEP Director Responsibilities Page 1 of 2