The Dallas Emergency Response Team (DERT) is being recognized at the International Downtown Association conference in Forth Worth next month, as the recipient of the Public-Private Partnership Award. The IDA has more than 650 member organizations worldwide including: North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. It’s a guiding force in creating healthy and dynamic centers that anchor the well-being of towns, cities, and regions of the world.
Created in partnership with the Dallas Police Department and Downtown Dallas, Inc., DERT was designed to improve communication between businesses and public safety departments before a disaster happens. DERT brings together City officials, building owners and managers, security professionals, and other emergency planners from the private and non-profit sectors to deal with the special challenges posed by disasters and emergencies. Whether it’s the threat of a tornado or a terrorist attack, the group works together to prepare for, respond to and recover from critical incidents.
The Department of Homeland Security has asked the group to devise a template of its program that can be used by other cities throughout the nation. In a recent report released by the Government Accountability Office, the DERT project was listed in an audit of best practices in disaster response planning. DERT also is being featured on the FEMA Web Site as a Public Private Partnership “Best Practice”.
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