Primary Department: Fire Marshal
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Laurie L. Christensen, Fire Marshal
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for discussion and possible action regarding the adoption of the Harris County Employee Active Threat Emergency Notification and Response policy.
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Background and Discussion:
As an update to the Commissioners Court order issued on May 8, 2025, directing Harris County to begin using the Blackboard messaging platform as an Employee Emergency Notification System (ENS), the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office (HCFMO) has been working closely with County Law Enforcement Departments and Harris County Universal Services (HCUS) to prepare the system for operational use. The Blackboard platform was previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now being repurposed to alert county employees when an active threat occurs in or around a county facility.
During the preparation process, several important considerations have been identified.
? Employees will need to properly configure their profiles in STARS to ensure they receive emergency notifications.
o Ongoing notification to County Employees has been occurring with support from OCA.
? Blackboard can meet the county's immediate needs as a temporary solution; several limitations have been noted that will require either enhancements through Finalsite (Blackboard) or consideration of alternative solutions through an RFP pro...
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