Sabine-Neches

 Chiefs’ Association

                   

 

 

 

 

Organized Feb. 9, 1949

 

 

“Working together to protect Southeast Texas”

 

 

 

 

 

Strategic Plan

January 2009

 

 

 

 

 

A note from the President of the Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association

 

 

I am pleased to disseminate the Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association (SNCA) Strategic Plan for 2009.  We are very proud of the long history of the organization and our Strategic Plan.  We are an organization dedicated to protecting the citizens of Southeast Texas. Whether we are from government, private business, or nonprofit organizations, the members of the SNCA are constantly working to improve the response and recovery capability of the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast area.

 

Some might wonder why the SNCA or any organization would need to publish a Strategic Plan.  Strategy development is the way an organization prepares for the future.  Strategic Planning is challenging in that it requires the organization to take an honest, open look at itself, where it has been and determine where it is headed.  The advantage of developing a Strategic Plan is that it provides the decisions and actions that shape and guide the organization and where it is headed. 

 

The 2009 plan was developed and drafted by reviewing the 2008 plan and updating it to reflect needed changes.  We are currently on track with the plan and it will be re-evaluated and updated annually to insure continuous improvement. 

 

Stephen Curran

President, Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association 

 

Our Vision: 

 

To be the premier mutual aid organization serving the community by innovative achievement of the highest level of awareness through preparedness, prevention, response and recovery actions.

 

 

Our Mission:

 

The Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association (SNCA) is a team of public and private entities working together to protect the standard of life and resources of the community through teamwork, integrity and preparedness.

 

 

Our Values:

 

Teamwork:  Working together to maximize the use of mutual aid and member resources.

 

Integrity:  Striving to professionally and ethically protect life and resources.

 

Preparedness:  Working together to enhance information, network, and promote innovative training for the continual improvement of response capability.

 

A brief history…

 

The Texas City disaster gave impetus to the founding of the Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association. Many area fire and emergency personnel had seen this destruction first-hand. They moved quickly to convince city, county and industrial officials of the immediate need for an organized disaster plan to prevent the massive loss of life and property that had occurred at Texas City.

On February 9, 1949, a group of representatives from local fire departments and industry met for the purpose of organizing a mutual aid organization. At this first meeting, the Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association was formed. In the beginning, one of the largest obstacles facing this group was forming a plan which would not only meet the needs of the community, but would also satisfy the interest of all parties involved. As a direct result of this commitment and willingness on the part of each of the 100-plus members that made up the Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association, a mutual aid plan was unanimously endorsed. The emergency assistance plan formed over 50 years ago is continually updated to meet the changing times and the Association maintains a constant state of preparedness.

Over the years the Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association has continually broadened its membership and is inclusive of government agencies, industrial manufacturing facilities, public utilities, public health administrations, emergency medical organizations, community service organizations, public for profit/non-profit entities, vendor sales companies and honorary members.

Guiding Documents: 

 

• Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association Constitution
• Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association By-laws
• Sabine-Neches Chiefs’ Association Operational Procedures and Attachments

 

Strategic Objective:  To unite, and have available as a resource, member governmental agencies, industrial manufacturing facilities, public utilities, pipeline companies, petroleum/chemical storage facilities, public for-profit/not-for profit entities, community service organization, vendor/sales companies and for-profit providers of contractual services for mutual aid assistance and preparedness for response to all hazards.

 

Action Items:

 

Monthly meetings and special events

 

• Conduct monthly meetings (normally on the first Wednesday of the month) with speakers, presentations and training from Federal, State, Local Government, and Industry Representatives that promotes the knowledge of potential hazards and emergency operations in the field of emergency response. 

 

• Ensure meeting programs continue to be of a broad and varied nature so as to be of interest and value across the membership spectrum.  Publish future meeting locations, sponsor and presentation topic on the SNCA web page.  (Program Committee)

 

• To facilitate membership awareness of other members, a “Member of the Month” will be highlighted at the monthly meeting.  The member highlighted will provide a short biography to be read by the President.  The biography and photo will be posted on the SNCA web page for that month.  (BOD/Programs Committee, Public Relations Committee)

 

• Periodically give a presentation on a response to a major event in the history of the SNCA.  (Programs Committee)

 

• Continue annual Bosses Night, advertise early and often, encourage all members to invite their boss.  Distribute informational flyer early.  (Bosses Night Committee)

 

• Hold a summer bar-b-que social event to include bosses and family members.  (Social Committee)

 

• Hold annual SNCA Golf Tournament, advertise early and often.  Have sign up table available at SNCA meeting prior to the tournament.  Advertise on the web, at the golf course, and in the paper.  (Golf Committee, Public Relations Committee)

 

• Annually hold an administrative meeting dedicated to try to get a representative from each membership to this meeting to encourage continued participation, complete the annual survey, pay dues, and hand out new editions of the constitution.  (Programs Committee)

 

• Ensure programs meet the needs of all sections of the SNCA by varying the topics to include Law Enforcement, Fire, Industry, Emergency Management, and Health.  (Programs Committee)

 

Outreach

 

• To solidify and enhance support and knowledge of the SNCA at the management level, give a presentation at the Plant Manager’s Forum on the SNCA.  Hold one meeting a year designed for elected officials and Plant Managers to show the benefits of SNCA.  The program will be presented by SNCA’s membership to elected officials.  (BOD: Public Relations Committee, Program Committee)

 

• Develop and distribute promotional materials to “get the word out” about the SNCA.  Promotional materials include tri-fold pamphlet, video/DVD and PowerPoint presentation for potential new members and for members to use to educate others on the SNCA.  (Public Relations Committee)

 

• Encourage long-standing members to occasionally bring a junior member of their organization to a SNCA meeting to introduce him/her to the members and allow the junior member to learn about the SNCA.  (Membership Committee)

 

• Consider expanding SNCA’s interaction at the State level including consideration of the benefits of having SNCA representation on the inter/intra state mutual aid association.  (Other ways to expand beyond region for networking & mutual aid) (BOD)

 

• Maintain a SNCA liaison with LEPC and the Area Maritime Security Committee.  (Drills and Exercises Committee, Homeland Security)

 

Membership

 

• Continue to proactively recruit appropriate new members.  Make SNCA tri-fold pamphlet available to all members as a force-multiplying recruiting tool.  Invite school district management to attend a SNCA meeting and consider joining.  Continue to expand existing sections of SNCA such as increasing Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, Health, and Industry  (Membership Committee) 

 

• Advertise the website on all publications and news announcements to encourage membership and educate those that are interested.  (Membership Committee, Public Relations Committee)

 

• Ensure SNCA Committees have strong participation by a wide cross-section of the SNCA membership.  Encourage new members to join a committee and contribute to furthering the goals of the committee, SNCA BOD and the SNCA Strategic Plan.  (Nominations Committee, All Committee Chairs) 

 

• Review the SNCA Constitution, By-laws and Operational Procedures annually, at a minimum.  Draft recommended changes and submit to the Board of Directors for their review.  (Constitution and By-laws Committee)

 

Budget

 

• SNCA budget action items – business literacy and include the 501 (c) 4

 

Strategic Objective:  To continually improve professionalism, response capability and readiness across and between the membership organizations.  Serve as a forum to share information on upcoming training and exercise opportunities.

 

Action Items:

 

Communications

 

·         Build and maintain a SNCA web page (www.snchiefs.com) that contains pertinent information including meeting minutes, calendar of events, training opportunities, Constitution and By-Laws, history, lessons learned, best practices, contact information, inventory in protected area, etc.  (Public Relations Committee)

 

·         Complete the Regional Communications Interoperability project including assigning common talk groups for communicating in each region and finalize the rebanding project including reprogramming all radios.  Goal is 100% communications interoperability. (Communications Committee)

 

·         Review Communications Guidelines to assure operating procedures remain up-to-date.  (Communications Committee)

 

·         Gather information, prepare and disseminate the Communications Capability Inventory of the SNCA (Communications Committee)  

 

Drills, Exercises, Training and Education

 

·         Announce upcoming training and education opportunities at monthly meetings and post on the website.  (Training and Education Committee, Public Relations Committee)

 

·         Develop a SNCA Drill Plan that identifies drills and exercises that members of the SNCA will participate in for the next year.  (Drills and Exercises Committee)

 

·         Coordinate SNCA participation in the State of Texas functional exercises.  (Drills and Exercises Committee)

 

·         Review the Learnings Report from exercises.  Identify and prioritize action items for the SNCA.  (Drills and Exercises Committee)

 

·         Identify specific member ICS training needs, locate appropriate sources, post information on the web page and announce at monthly meeting.  (Training and Education Committee)

 

·         Plan for and execute a site drill in preparation for Functional Exercises.  (Drills and Exercises Committee)

 

Preparedness

 

·         Develop proposal for an Area Command organization and address SNCA’s contribution to the staffing.  (Overhead Team Committee)

 

·         Consider offering 300/400 course

 

·         Review and update the SNCA Overhead Team list.  Develop a methodology to test SNCA Overhead Teams and Task Forces in the SNCA Response Plan.  (Overhead Team Committee, Drills and Exercises Committee)

 

·         In keeping with the goal of continual improvement and enhanced readiness, conduct after-action reviews of actual responses (e.g., Fire and Hurricanes) and develop recommendations for improvements.  Develop prioritized Action Plan and identify member(s) to track progress to completion, post after action plan on web site for members.  (BOD, Operations Section)   

 

·         Maintain up-to-date inventory of response equipment and points of contact. (Inventory Committee).

 

·         Establish a temporary working group to outline First Responder considerations under a Pandemic Flu scenario and determine what Mutual Aid responses are likely to be requested.  As Pandemic Flu plans are developed, have organizations provide information about their plans at SNCA meetings.  (Homeland Security Committee)