Broward County Aviation Department

Following the shooting incident at the Airport in 2017, Broward County Aviation Division implemented two training programs for airport personnel. Operation Safeguard Training Exercise "Active Shooter Drill" was conducted to train and familiarize airport employees with emergency procedures in partnership with the Broward Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue Divisions, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Allegiant Air as well as other airport Stakeholders.

The Aviation Department also launched the Airport Employee Emergency Training program to prepare airport employees to respond to emergencies such as active threats, hurricanes and aircraft incidents. More than 15,000 employees completed mandatory employer-paid training August.

Regional Emergency Services and Communications (E911)

Broward County operates a Regional Consolidated 911 system with 29 of 31 municipalities participating. It's funded and maintained by Broward County which contracts with the Broward Sheriff's Office to operate the system under performance expectations that meet or exceed national standards. The system handles more than 2.4 million calls annually.

Efforts continue to be made to achieve full consolidation. In FY 2018, many system improvements were made, including:

Regarding the P25 Regional Public Safety Radio System replacement project, the County identified and secured the locations for each of the towers, with one remaining tower requiring a variance from the city of Hollywood. Of note:

• All equipment necessary for the radio system infrastructure system installation has been received, and equipment shelter construction has begun
• The City of Tamarac agreed to a ground lease and passed approvals, through their planning and review board, the construction of a new 300 foot public safety radio tower on their property near city hall.
• The court hearing for the eminent domain proceeding for the tower in the Parkland area concluded in the County's favor. Construction activities are proceeding.
• The County commission approved a contract amendment with Motorola and placed an order for $8 million for regional radio subscriber equipment (radios, mobile units, etc.).

• Implemented Emergency Fire Dispatch protocol and are proceeding with the implementation of the Emergency Police Dispatch protocol. These systems are designed to improve emergency call processing by quickly identifying and relaying necessary information to first responders while recommending the appropriate law enforcement and fire rescue units for response to emergency incidents.

In addition, the upgrade to PremierOne Computer Aided Dispatch System was completed. The upgrade adds functionality necessary to support Emergency Police Dispatch (EPD) protocol, and staff began working directly with the Fire Chief's Association of Broward County on development of operating parameters to facilitate Closest Unit Response. It's expected to be implement in the first quarter of 2019.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

The Broward County Emergency Management Division maintained its Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) accreditation for disaster preparedness and response. Earning and maintaining accreditation requires undergoing an extensive assessment of compliance with requirements in 64 industry-recognized emergency management standards, including planning, resource management, training, exercises, evaluations, corrective actions, communications and administration.

Although Broward County was not hit by a tropical storm or hurricane during the 2018 hurricane season, a concentrated effort continued to address after-action items following 2017's Hurricane Irma. Broward County needs to be prepared for all types of hazards at any given time. The Broward County Emergency Operations Center was activated to address the immediate possible needs and aftermath of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas tragedy and to monitor the Red Tide Event during the year.

Broward County Emergency Management lead the way in achieving and maintaining the awarding of Broward County as a nationally recognized Emergency Management Accreditation Program. An annual report demonstrating compliance of the industry -recognized emergency management standards including training, planning, exercising, and program administration was conducted.

Broward County completed the on-site review and continues to maintain the StormReady designation by the National Weather Service Office. StormReady is a community focused program recognizing those jurisdictions in the US that achieve and continually demonstrate severe storm readiness.

In addition to public education and outreach, the County's emergency preparedness efforts include a commitment to response team readiness.

AlertBroward, the County's Official Emergency Notification System has seen its subscriber base grow from 474,000 in FY 2017 to nearly 1 million in FY2018. It is used to inform the public and County employees in the event of hurricanes or other natural disasters, public health emergencies and situations imposing imminent threat to life or property. Residents and business owners are urged to sign up to receive critical information. Subscribers decide how they want to receive notifications – text, mobile phone call, landline call, email or a combination of all options. Register at Broward.org/Emergency.

Animal Care

Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Center takes great strides to ensure all dogs and cats in the County receive their rabies vaccinations and rabies registration tags. It holds monthly low-cost rabies clinics for people who may not be able to afford them at the veterinarian's office. In Fiscal Year 2018, more than 100,000 licenses were sold.

Animal Care augments its funding with grants. The Division obtained $175,000 in grant funding in the 2018 fiscal year. Through its sterilization programs, more than 13,000 pets were spayed or neutered.

Animal Care's also WebPortal, now in its second year, allows residents to apply for a voucher online. This feature allows residents free sterilization of Community Cats and helps the Division build partnerships within our community.

Mosquito Control Section

Mosquito Control staff treated more than 100,000 acres with organic, environmentally-friendly larvicide. The larviciding program addresses mosquitoes that carry diseases by killing the mosquito larvae before they can develop into flying mosquitoes without affecting animals, humans or beneficial insects (such as butterflies and bees). Staff also strategically and proactively applied larvicide treatment treatment in Broward County parks, around Broward County libraries, and around train and bus stations.