From mobile command centers to warehouse stockpiles of disaster supplies, the Webster Parish Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness maintains a range of equipment and resources designed to respond to emergencies across the parish at no cost to local taxpayers.
Director Brian Williams said the office has invested in equipment and planning capabilities through various local, state and federal grants to ensure preparedness for storms, fires, search and rescue operations and large public events.
Among the office’s assets are two mobile light towers used for nighttime emergency and crime scenes and deployed annually during the archery tournament at Camp Minden. A recently acquired warehouse — the former National Guard Armory transferred by the Webster Parish Police Jury from the City of Minden — houses bottled water, Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs), tarps for damaged roofs, masks, Tyvek suits, and gloves.
In partnership with the Doyline Fire Department, the office operates a sandbag distribution site on Highway 163 in Doyline to provide residents sandbags during flooding events.
The parish’s mobile command post is equipped with a generator, cellular and satellite internet, phones, computers, printers, radios, refrigerator, microwave, stove, and coffee pot. It also contains rehabilitation supplies such as an ice chest, tent, and chairs, along with televisions and dispatching capabilities. The unit includes space for an incident commander or responders to rest during extended deployments.
The command post is deployed annually for the archery tournament at Camp Minden and the Minden Mardi Gras parade, as well as for emergency events including search and rescue for lost persons and crime scenes.
Williams’ parish-issued Dodge 1500 pickup also serves as a smaller mobile command unit, equipped with cellular internet, radios and rehabilitation supplies for smaller incidents. The larger command post is brought in when needed.
Additional specialized equipment includes a Polaris Ranger side-by-side with firefighting and EMS transport capabilities deployed in agreement with the Minden Fire Department. The vehicle has been used during the Minden air show at the Minden Airport, grass fires, rescues of injured bikers at Caney Lake State Park, Winter Storm Fern, and the annual Minden Christmas parade.
The office maintains a mobile water buffalo to supply water to residents during water system emergencies, as well as a drone used for search and rescue, storm damage assessments, aerial views of fires or hazardous materials incidents, and security at major events.
A mobile refrigerated conex box powered by a 15-kilowatt Wildcat generator allows storage of supplies at temperatures ranging from frozen to refrigerated during disasters.
To support logistics, the office has acquired a new flatbed truck to transport supplies from the warehouse, along with a forklift and pallet jack for loading and unloading.
There are additional assets which are not publicly disclosed but are available to first responder partners when needed.
The office also operates a mass notification system that sends emergency alerts to residents, including tornado warning phone calls. An upgraded system is expected to be operational within the next two months.
The Emergency Operations Center, located in the Webster Parish Courthouse, is activated during major storms and events. It was most recently activated during Winter Storm Fern, when Williams spent four days managing resource requests and assigning missions.
During the winter storm, the office reported multiple response tasks, including sanding the entryway to the hospital and emergency room entrance; assisting ambulance services in rural areas using Humvees; working with State Police to aid motorists stranded on Interstate 20 by delivering water, food, blankets and fuel using department ATVs; transporting 911 dispatchers to the hospital for food and showers; and diverting a fuel truck from Greenwood to Love’s Truck Stop in Minden after it ran out of fuel, which had contributed to a longer backup on I-20.
Another example of Homeland Security coordinating with parish assets was on display during a Texas college basketball team bus accident on Interstate 20 last year. After receiving notification of the crash, Williams contacted the Webster Parish School Board to secure a bus to transport passengers from the interstate to First Baptist Church in Minden with assistance from the Minden Fire Department. He then coordinated transportation from the church to a hotel in Ruston using a bus from St. Rest Baptist Church. The response involved collaboration among local EMS agencies, law enforcement, fire departments and community partners.
Williams said emergency management operates in a continuous cycle of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, often with phases overlapping during major events.
“In Emergency Management you are always working in a continuous cycle,” said Williams. “You work to mitigate or prevent any future disasters as best you can and prepare for them with training, education, stocking supplies, etc. Then, when a disaster happens, you enter the response phase to take care of immediate needs. Lastly, you enter the recovery phase to rebuild and restore services after the disaster, but this sometimes starts while you are still in the response phase.”
Williams coordinates parishwide emergency management activities, including development of alert systems, responder training and implementation of the Emergency Operations Plan, which is updated annually. His responsibilities include working with local and regional agencies, reviewing emergency plans for nursing homes, coordinating with educational facilities on disaster procedures and maintaining a drone program under his Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 Small UAS certification. He has 27 years of public safety experience, including 22 years as an Emergency Medical Technician, service with Advanced EMS, 23 years with Fire District 7 in Dixie Inn — including 13 years as fire chief — 13 years with the Shreveport Fire Department in the Communications Division and five years with the City of Minden Fire Department, including three years as fire chief. He has served in emergency management since 2019.