Coordinated Emergency Response Across 11 Parishes During Winter Event FERN

Louisiana

Winter Event FERN – Multi-Parish Emergency Response Deployment

Project Description

Two years ago, HGA Government Services began planning for a large-scale emergency response scenario with the goal of supporting multiple parishes and jurisdictions simultaneously during a single event. After months of coordination and internal exercises, that strategy was executed during last week’s Winter Event FERN. As part of the response, HGA briefed key officials from Ouachita Parish, including parish department heads and representatives from the cities of Monroe and West Monroe. The briefing addressed federal procurement requirements under 2 CFR, documentation of Categories of Work (CAT A and CAT B), and initial damage assessments to local infrastructure. Concurrently, HGA deployed field personnel across multiple parishes to conduct safety assessments and support local jurisdictions.
Industries:
Capabilities:

Customer Challenge

Local jurisdictions faced the challenge of rapidly assessing widespread impacts across multiple parishes while ensuring compliance with federal requirements necessary to qualify for a potential federal disaster declaration. The pace and scale of the event required immediate coordination, accurate documentation, and consistent communication across jurisdictions, all while operating under time-sensitive and evolving conditions.

Our Solution

HGA executed a coordinated deployment structured around an Incident Command System (ICS) model, commonly used by military and first responder agencies. The deployment included overall command, operations, planning/administration, and technical support roles to ensure clarity, accountability, and adaptability in a fast-moving environment.

During this extremely fast-paced operation, HGA’s field teams were supported by dedicated logistical and administrative personnel who managed lodging coordination, vehicle oversight, project setup tracking, mileage and per diem documentation, emergency contracting, task order processing, and daily deliverable management. Team members met daily—both in person and virtually—to review progress, resolve challenges, and align on next steps.

Value Delivered

HGA’s rapid response deployment supported local jurisdictions across 11 parishes, helping them document damages and meet the necessary thresholds for federal disaster consideration. The team responded on extremely short notice and captured more than 20,000 photos in the field to support damage assessments and documentation requirements.

This effort demonstrated HGA’s ability to plan, coordinate, and execute a complex, multi-jurisdictional emergency response while maintaining compliance, accuracy, and operational efficiency under accelerated conditions.

Client

Multi-Parish Emergency Response Deployment

Project Timeline

Gallery

Scroll to Top