Union Parish OHSEP

05/12/2026

"Weekly Leadership Quote"
Earn your leadership every day. –Michael Jordan

05/06/2026

Director Ford and Deputy Director Green took a quick break from the Louisiana Emergency Management Conference today to check out the Hurricane Awareness Tour at Chennault International Airport. They had the opportunity to tour the U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft and learn more about the critical missions these crews perform during hurricane season.

These aircraft play a major role in gathering real-time storm data that helps forecasters track hurricanes and improve public safety decisions before and during severe weather events. It was a great experience seeing the aircraft up close and speaking with the teams that support these operations.

While Union Parish may not experience hurricanes as frequently as our coastal parishes, we still see impacts from tropical systems including severe weather, flooding, tornadoes, power outages, and in some rare cases even the remnants of hurricanes themselves. Preparing for these events remains an important part of emergency management for our parish.

As we continue preparing for the 2026 hurricane season, opportunities like this help strengthen our understanding of the tools, partnerships, and response capabilities involved in protecting Louisiana communities statewide.

05/05/2026

"Weekly Leadership Quote"
You don’t lead by hitting people over the head—that’s assault, not leadership. –Dwight Eisenhower

04/28/2026

04/28/2026

"Weekly Leadership Quote"
The supreme quality of leadership is integrity. –Dwight Eisenhower

04/26/2026

The burn ban for Union Parish has been rescinded, effective 4/26/2026.

04/23/2026

As a reminder, we are still under a burn ban.

04/21/2026

Congratulations to our Director, Matthew Ford on earning his Louisiana Emergency Manager Technical (LEM-T) credential!

The LEM-T credential is issued by Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) and is earned by personnel proving mastery in at least one occupational field within the National Response Framework. Of the 18 fields, Director Ford's certification is within the Specialized Public Safety and Security: General Law Enforcement sector.

LEPA created this credentialing program for emergency managers to raise and maintain professional standards and certify achievements within the profession. To be eligible for this credential, the candidate must demonstrate at least 2 years of experience in an Emergency Support Function (ESF) field. Emergency Management professional references must be submitted as well as documentation of time devoted to disaster and emergency management duties. Additionally, candidates must submit training records and certifications relevant to the ESF. Applications are then reviewed by a committee before a credential is issued.

Along the way, Director Ford also completed FEMA's Professional Development Series, a 35-hour course designed to provide emergency management professionals with essential skills in leadership, planning, and disaster operations.

Please join us as we say congratulations to Director Ford!