Mark Sloan is Harris County, Texas' Coordinator for Homeland Security & Emergency, serving more than five million incredibly diverse residents and covering more than 1,770 square miles. Because of Harris County's large population, port operations, transportation infrastructure, and concentration of petrochemical plants, the Department of Homeland Security has identified Harris County as a Tier 1 region. To meet the growing expectations of emergency management, Sloan is streamlining regional emergency response coordination through the use of automated flood warning systems, traffic management systems, broadcast media capabilities, first responder and community alerting, GIS mapping systems, and regional interoperable communications.

As the director of Harris County Citizen Corps, an innovative, award-winning public preparedness initiative, recognized as a National Best Practice, he coordinates all aspects of the program. Working with a team of county technology experts, he developed one of the first websites devoted to the sharing of community preparedness volunteer opportunities and tracking of volunteer hours. The site links users to the most helpful and informative websites on citizen preparedness throughout the country. Since 2002, over 40 million individuals have visited the website (www.harriscountycitizencorps.com) and over 64,000 have completed the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course.

During the Katrina relief effort at the Astrodome, Sloan was assigned to the Unified Command to coordinate volunteers. During the 21 days more than 60,000 volunteers received various assignments that helped over 65,000 evacuees from New Orleans. On September 9, 2005, Sloan was recognized for his efforts by ABC Nightly News as the Person of the Week and received the Special Award: Texas' Response to Katrina Evacuees at the 2006 National Hurricane Conference in Orlando in recognition of his leadership and coordination.  Mark was also honored with "The President's Call to Service Award" in September of 2007 recognizing the accomplishments of the Harris County Citizen Corps and for coordinating the volunteer response during the Katrina relief effort.

In the fall of 2008, Sloan was also recognized by the Houston Texans football team on Reliant Stadium's 50-yard line and later received the John C. Freeman Weather Museum's Hurricane Hero Award for his exemplary leadership during Hurricane Ike.

In November of 2010 the Department of Homeland Security appointed Mark to serve on the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council that coordinates critical infrastructure protection guidance and strategies across all levels of government.

He is a member of the San Jacinto Type III All-Hazards Incident Management Team.

Sloan is a board member on the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, Regional Healthcare Preparedness Collalition, and Big City Emergency Managers, where he serves as the Chair.

In 2018, the Emergency Management Association of Texas (EMAT) named Sloan the recipient of the "Lou Harrell" Emergency Management Coordinator of the Year award.

Sloan is also a member of the National Homeland Security Consortium and is serving as one of the Tri-Chairs.

Since 2008 as EMC, he has led the organization in over 270 EOC activations some of which include Hurricanes Ike, Bill, Harvey, Imelda, Laura, and Beryl, Winter Storm Uri, numerous floods and other weather events, Super Bowls, World Series and other special events as well as COVID-19.

This session will walk through our response to the flooding event on July 4th, how we implemented our emergency
management plan, coordinated with all communication stakeholders, and how agencies and service providers can
effectively work and partner with camps and youth serving organizations in times of crisis.

TBA

TBA

In 2004 Jon Romano was 16 years old when he walked into his high school with a shotgun. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured or killed, and Romano spent 17 years in prison for the trauma he imposed on others that day.

Jon was released from prison in 2020 and has done talks with School Resource Officers, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, school officials, churches, and on social media. He shares openly about what led him down this dark path, and he discusses how we can prevent other tragedies from happening.

In the summer of 2024, St. Lukes Behavioral Health Hospital in Phoenix Arizona suffered a cooling system failure. Mitigation efforts began immediately but ultimately were unable to beat the heat, resulting in the need to evacuate 90 patients. The Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response (AzCHER) activated its emergency response plan, coordinating 27 agencies and organizations including county and state level Public Health and Emergency Management, EMS, and multiple hospitals.

TBA

Find the best way to approach your campus leadership

"Disaster Plan requirements to include Risk Assessment, Plan for Continuity of Operations and other considerations, Process for cooperation/collaboration with local, regional, state, and federal coalitions.
Policy and Procedure requirements
Communication Plan requirements
Training Program requirements
Testing Program requirements
Emergency and Standby Power Systems
System-wide Preparedness
Transplant Center Preparedness"

This course provides emergency response personnel with the foundational knowledge and practical skills necessary to support evacuation operations in crisis or disaster settings. Participants will learn to identify and organize the key resources required at embarkation hubs, evaluate transportation assets used during evacuations, and apply triage principles to ensure effective assessment and appropriate shelter placement of evacuees. Through scenario-based learning and operational planning exercises, trainees will develop the ability to coordinate evacuation logistics in alignment with triage outcomes, resource constraints, and transportation capabilities.

"Drones have rapidly evolved from niche gadgets to powerful tools — and potential threats — in today's healthcare and emergency response landscape. This presentation examines the dual role of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in hospital, EMS, and emergency management operations.
On the threat side, attendees will gain insight into both physical risks — such as airspace incursions, delivery of hazardous payloads, and operational disruptions — and cyber vulnerabilities, including data interception, facility surveillance, and wireless network interference. Real-world disruptive incidents will be analyzed to illustrate these dangers.
The session will emphasize why incorporating drone-related scenarios into drills and training is no longer optional, and why engaging external partners is critical for success. Participants will learn practical steps and common pitfalls in drone detection, threat assessment, and coordinated response, along with strategies for integrating these considerations into existing emergency plans.
Balancing the risks, the discussion will also highlight emerging positive applications of drones in hospital life safety, emergency management, and EMS — including regulatory requirements for FAA compliance, safe landing zone planning, and integration with dispatch systems.
By the end of the session, participants will have the knowledge to recognize and plan for malicious drone activity, mitigate potential disruptions, and respond effectively to incidents — while also identifying opportunities to use drones to improve healthcare outcomes. This presentation is designed for administrators, IT/cyber-security, emergency managers, EMS personnel, safety and security staff, and facilities management professionals."

What happens to a hospital and emergency department when a major hurricane turns into a major flood that incapacitates an entire city for multiple days? Join us for a firsthand look at how a team of hospital and emergency medicine professionals faced the storm. This presentation goes beyond the clinical data to share a powerful narrative of resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment. We will explore the unique challenges of providing critical care in the heart of a disaster and reveal the key lessons learned on the front lines.

Krisann Shoemaker, BSN, RN, is the Trauma Program Manager at Matagorda Regional Medical Center, a Level IV facility.  She has been a nurse for 26 years and has a background in trauma, emergency care, flight nursing, and labor and delivery.  She has participated in multiple MCI and disaster-related events throughout her career and has completed programs at the Center for Domestic Preparedness related to hospital emergency response during MCI events.  In 2024, Matagorda Regional Medical Center was awarded the SETRAC CEO Award of Excellence in Trauma Care for its efforts during an MCI event at the facility. Krisann has also previously presented at the SETRAC Preparedness Coalition Symposium.

"HHSC Disaster Behavioral Health was deployed in response to the Kerrville flooding event on July 4, 2025.
This presentation will cover the establishment of mental health services for the affected community, first responders and response workers, the challenges encountered, best practices identified during the deployment, and strategies for improving future disaster response efforts."

Emergencies don't pause expectations for safe, high-quality patient care. In fact, they make the stakes even higher. This presentation examines how hospitals can maintain safety and quality during disasters, with a focus on tracking safety events during power outages, IT failures, and resource constraints. Learn how preparedness planning and real-time data monitoring can safeguard patient outcomes, even in the most chaotic conditions.

This session explores the new laws and regulations impacting senior living providers and how these new requirements will affect emergency services personnel responding to localized and natural disasters. Attendees will gain insights into the regulatory requirements and limitations of different senior living community types, lessons learned from previous events, improving communication and coordination between agencies and providers, and actionable strategies to strengthen response efforts for Texas' aging populations.

Session details TBA

"We've all experienced unforgettable moments of an ""us of collaboration"" in our work with disaster victims, as well as in our shared work with emergency management colleagues. It seems to show up naturally and spontaneously. Yet, it fades away just as quickly. We call that going back to normal. It doesn't have to be that way.

There's a science and art to collaboration.

So much of what we do involves spontaneous actions that cannot be written into plans and procedures. Our dedication as professionals requires learning what it takes to generate Us in every interaction before, during, and after a disaster. The emergency management profession is a community that is changing. Learning to consistently collaborate is an opportunity for the Us of community to emerge as something permanent during every disaster, as well as in the evolution of the emergency management profession itself."

This presentation will explore our mass care response following Derecho and hurricane Beryl hurricane that left the Houston community without power during an active heat advisory. The focus will be on safeguarding vulnerable populations—especially seniors and medically fragile individuals—through innovative coordination, emergency planning, and targeted emergency medical needs. This case study will serve as a practical, adaptable model for other cities preparing for similar climate-related emergencies.

Continuity planning is essential for healthcare organizations to maintain operations during disruptions- from natural disasters to cyber incidents. This session introduces the foundational concepts of Continuity and is aimed at beginner Continuity Program Managers (by title OR in practice) or those heavily involved in their organizations Continuity Program. Participants will gain a solid understanding of continuity basics, including key terminology, principles, and the importance of maintaining essential functions. This session will also provide guidance on how to locate and effectively use continuity planning templated and resources available, as well as how to pursue further Continuity Training and Education. This practical knowledge should provide a foundation to build or improve upon your organization's Continuity Program in order to promote a resilient community.