Safety and OEM

The safety bureau is commanded by the Emergency Management Coordinator, Ruben Martinez. The divisions within the bureau include safety, code compliance, and emergency management.

The safety division is responsible for developing, implementing, and promoting the Katy ISD comprehensive safety program.  The safety program was developed and continually reviewed by the school safety task force.  The task force includes the safety liaison from each campus and department.  The division also works with many other first responder agencies throughout the district.  General responsibilities include workplace and classroom safety programs, large event safety, mobility safety, and progressive response to violence training and procedures.  The safety division includes a Safe Schools Program manager and 45 campus security guards who are assigned at the secondary campuses within the district.​

Response to school violence continues to evolve as each incident is analyzed. Until very recently, the protocol was to lockdown. Katy ISD continues to use lockdown; however, an improved model is being used that gives staff implicit responsibility to take action to protect themselves and those for whom they are responsible.  The model is known as Run, Hide, Fight. The concept is described in a video produced by the City of Houston as a tool to help survive violence. The video can be viewed at the following website link: http://readyhouston.wpengine.com/suspicious-activity/run-hide-fight/

The code compliance division ensures the District is in compliance with applicable state statutes and local codes pertaining to life safety, public health, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The division works with the individual schools on life safety, playground safety, traffic safety, and security assessments in and around the many Katy ISD facilities.

The emergency management division developed and maintains a multi-hazards emergency operations plan that includes mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery procedures relevant to natural and human-caused disasters. The emergency operations plan provides general guidance for emergency management activities and applies to all district officials, staff, and students. It describes how the district responds to emergencies and assigns responsibilities for various tasks. It empowers employees in an emergency and clarifies emergency roles and responsibilities, describing who does what, when and how. The emergency operations plan is a living document that is continually reviewed, tested, and updated through various feedback loops, including scheduled and unscheduled drills designed to test the plan's effectiveness. These drills include, but are not limited to fire, intruders, and severe weather.​

​Regional Links

• Harris County Office of Emergency Management
• Fort Bend County Officer of Emergency Management
• Ready Houston
• Houston Tran Star Traffic Information
• City of Katy

State Links

• Texas Division of Emergency Management
• Federal Emergency Readiness
• Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)
• Readiness for Kids