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The newly formed Caddo Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will open its doors today, and the first order of business will be making its staff official.
A staff of three will be sworn in as Caddo sheriff’s deputies during a 9 a.m. ceremony at the Sheriff’s Office in Government Plaza. Sheriff Steve Prator will administer the oath.
Prator was appointed director of the Caddo Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness after it was announced that the jointly operated Caddo-Bossier office would dissolve on June 30 and reopen on July 1 as separate offices. Prator will oversee the Caddo office in addition to his duties as sheriff at no additional pay.
Joining the Sheriff’s Office to run the Caddo OHSEP will be Robert Jump and Lisa Carmack, both former Caddo-Bossier OHSEP employees, and Tony LeBlanc, a retired Shreveport Police captain. Jump was a 12-year employee in the Caddo-Bossier office and will serve as Caddo Deputy Director. Carmack, who has eight years of experience, will serve as Manager. LeBlanc will serve as a Senior Deputy in charge of Field Operations.
“We brought over a quality staff that brings years of experience in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness,” Prator said. “We expect this to be a seamless transition.”
At Caddo-Bossier, Jump served as Director of Administration, Chief Financial Officer, grants manager, and information technology and communications manager. He was the chairperson of the Caddo-Bossier Local Emergency Planning Committee and serves on the state Emergency Preparedness Association Board of Directors. He has experience in the field and in the emergency operations center with responses to hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and wildfires.
Carmack was the Assistant Director of Planning and Training at Caddo-Bossier and managed the State Homeland Security Grant Program. She also maintained the Caddo-Bossier Emergency Operations Plan and Regional Emergency Operations Plan.
LeBlanc has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience and is a certified Louisiana Emergency Planner and certified Hazardous Materials Technician. He has served as the coordinator for the Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART) and as an instructor for Citizen Emergency Response Training (CERT). He has numerous memberships and appointments to emergency planning committees and certifications from Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness courses.
