Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) Public Information Officer, Francisco Sánchez, Jr. has been re-appointed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue serving on the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). Sanchez will co-chair a work group tasked with reviewing Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) security practices and explore recommendations on how to best encourage the use of emergency alerts by local and state officials.
“I am honored to be appointed for a second term to this important council made up of talented experts in this field,” said Francisco Sánchez, public information officer and liaison to Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “I look forward to collaborating with the team and working on efforts to improve how officials alert and warn the public during emergencies.”
The CSRIC is a federal advisory committee that provides guidance, expertise and recommendations to the FCC to improve the security, reliability and interoperability of the nation’s communications systems. CSRIC members represent a diverse and balanced mix of viewpoints from public safety organizations, federal, state and local government agencies, the communications industry, organizations representing internet users, utility companies, public interest organizations and other experts.
Sánchez joined Harris County in 2004 and was lead public information officer during the Houston area’s response to both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. He also led the region’s Joint Information Center operations during Hurricane Ike and the highly active 2008 hurricane season. In 2015, he was named Public Official of the Year by the University of Houston.
Currently, he heads HCOHSEM’s communications section and helps lead disaster preparedness and response in the nation’s third largest county.
Sánchez has been on the CSRIC since 2013 and will continue to serve through March 2017.
