August 29, 2017
This afternoon, TX TERT deployed Team Two to Dickinson Police Department for seven days. The team consists of two Team Leaders and Two Members:
Team Leader: Christine Dykes, Seagoville PD
Team Leader: Erin Whitfield, Collin County SO
Team Member: Maria Lemonds, Collin County SO
Team Member: Julia Maschmann, Murphy PD
The team is expected to arrive in Dickinson between 11:00 pm and midnight, with two possibly reporting for duty upon arrival. Daily updates on this deployment will be included with the Rockport deployment.
We received notification that a third request was submitted to the State this morning from Missouri City Police Department, and expect the State to provide the official request in the morning. A team of six is assembled and ready to go when the call is made.
Notification will be provided when the team arrives safely to Dickinson.
August 30, 2017
Date: 8/30/2017
Time: 6:00 PM
Update: Team Leader Whitfield advised herself, and Team Member Lemonds spent the day getting familiar with the area. They headed into the center an hour early, so that they could get acquainted with the equipment. Team Leader Dykes advised herself, and Team Member Maschmann had a great day in the PSAP. They worked all positions, Fire, EMS, and Calltake. Dykes advised everyone is extremely accommodating. The majority of the calls handled were informational only. However, there are a lot of people wanting to know when they can return from the mandatory evacuation.
August 31, 2017
Date: 8/31/17
Time: 6:00 AM
Update: Team Leader Whitfield advised they had an eventful evening, calls were pretty steady. Over one-third of the city is still closed down which includes mostly neighborhood areas. The gas is getting pretty sparse however the Captain has let the Team into the secured area to fill up their tanks, and they still have the reserve that they were sent with. Everyone has been very helpful and glad the Team is there.
Date: 8/31/2017
Time: 6:30 PM
Update: Team Leader Dykes advised they had a very busy day. The city is starting to let the citizens back in which is causing an increase in calls. Captain Jackel gave Team Leader Dykes and Team Member Maschmann a tour of the city to show them the destruction and where the water line was at its worst. Team Leader Dykes advised everyone is very accommodating and they are getting home cooked meals all day. Captain Jackel advised he was thankful to have the help and that the Teams fit right in like it’s their home PSAP.
September 1, 2017
Date: 9/1/2017
Time: 6:00 AM
Update: Team Leader Whitfield advised they had a great shift. The community and local restaurants have been bringing food and supplies for everyone. Captain Jackel told Team Leader Whitfield that since the Team has arrived the Dickinson PD Telecommunicators are laughing and having a good time again. He is very appreciative of everything we are doing.
Special Needs/Requests: The Team is staying at the High School which is starting back on Tuesday, September 5. Team Leader Dykes is going to talk to Captain Jackel today about future sleeping arrangements.
Date: 9/1/2017
Time: 6:00 PM
Update: Team Leader Dykes advised there are no changes and everything is going great.
September 2, 2017
Date: 9-2-17
Time: 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM
Update: Team Leader Dykes and Team Leader Whitfield both advised that everything is going great. Everyone is in great spirits and continuing to work hard to make this time easier for the Dickinson PSAP. The Team has been advised that they are free to head home on Monday morning at 6:00 AM, after the night shift gets off.
September 3, 2017
Date: 9-3-17
Time: 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM
Update: The Dickinson Team had an eventful day. The call volume continues to increase as more citizens return to the city. They are all so grateful to have had the opportunity to help this PSAP. They will be departing tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM. For the PSAP, everything is up and running, the water, electric, cell phone service, etc. Initially, there was damage to the room and leaks in the building. However, there is no damage to the PSAP. 100% of the city was affected in some way by the storm; approximately 7,000 homes and businesses.
The Dickinson Team indicated that Gene Kranz, Apollo 13 mission Control Flight Director, visited with the PSAP today as he is a resident to Dickinson, TX.
September 4, 2017
The Dickinson Team was released this morning and arrived safely in DFW at 1145 am.