Article Out Loud - CBRN Response Capabilities and Identified Gaps

Kenneth Bell, CEM, serves as the Section Chief–Infrastructure and is a member of the Incident Response Task Force at the Texas Division of Emergency Management, where he oversees daily operations in preparation of disaster response and focuses on damage assessments and identification of impaired infrastructure with the goal of long-term restoration and recovery. He began his career in public safety in 1991, where he served as fire marshal/deputy emergency management coordinator for the City of San Marcos. From 2003 to 2016, Ken oversaw the Capital Area Council of Governments CBRNE Regional Response teams as the team commander for Hays County. He has served in several organizations, including the Capital Area Council of Government Homeland Security Task Force (since 2003), where he has held the position of chair, vice chair, and regional emergency response coordinator and was a member of the CBRNE Regional Response Teams, Long-Term Interoperable Communications Committee, Regional Emergency Support Education Teams (RESET), and Executive Committee. He has also served on the legislatively mandated Governors First Responder Advisory Committee, representing the local public safety responders, since its inception in 2003. Ken specializes in infrastructure protection, continuity of operations, and critical facility reconstitution. In addition, he is certified in fire, emergency medical services, and law enforcement, holding international qualifications as a health and safety officer.