[MRIC] New MEMA Director -- Kenneth J. Mallette

[Chuck Hodell]

>From Hank and Al:
---------------------

> GOVERNOR MARTIN  O¹MALLEY ANNOUNCES KENNETH J. MALLETTE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
> OF THE MARYLAND  EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

> ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 25, 2012)­Governor Martin O¹Malley today announced the
> appointment of Kenneth J. Mallette as Executive Director of the Maryland
> Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
>  
> ³Our most solemn obligation as public  servants is to ensure the safety of our
> people,² said Governor O¹Malley. ³I am  pleased that Ken has chosen to step up
> and serve as we work to build a safer,  more resilient Maryland. He brings
> with him a wealth of experience and vital  crisis management skills that will
> make certain our citizens are better  prepared when a disaster strikes.²
>   
> The Governor continued, ³I¹d also like to  thank Richard Muth for his
> leadership and willingness to serve in tough times.  Thanks to his hard work
> over the years, MEMA is better prepared to handle  emergencies as demonstrated
> through his calm and steady hand during Hurricane  Irene.²
>  
> ³I am honored and excited  about joining Governor O¹Malley¹s Administration,²
> said Mr. Mallette. ³I look  forward to working with the good people of the
> Maryland Emergency Management  Agency, and our public and private sector
> partners in support of the mission  of making Maryland residents and visitors
> safe.²
>  
> Mr. Mallette comes to the State of Maryland  with over 35 years of first
> responder and executive level management  experience in the public and private
> sector.  Ken, was the Vice President  of Preparedness Services for Witt
> Associates, a Washington, DC-based crisis  and risk management firm headed by
> former FEMA Director James Lee Witt.   Ken retired from the New Jersey State
> Police as a Captain and was assigned to  several leadership positions
> including Chief of the Emergency Management  Bureau and Executive Officer in
> the Homeland Security Branch. He is a life  time member of Jackson #1
> Volunteer Fire Company, a combination  career/volunteer fire department in
> Jackson, NJ. He started volunteering in  1977 and has held every
> administrative and operational position including five  years as Chief of the
> Department.
 
> Mr. Mallette will assume his new role on May  21st.

> ³I¹d like to thank Governor O¹Malley for his  outstanding support throughout
> my tenure as Executive Director,² said Richard  Muth. ³He truly understands
> the importance of public safety and emergency  management. His support of
> those missions both at MEMA and at the local level  is greatly appreciated.²
>  
> The  O¹Malley-Brown Administration continues to make steady progress to
> enhance  Maryland¹s homeland security and emergency preparedness, including 12
> Core  Goals to build a better prepared Maryland.

> <http://www.gov.state.md.us/statestat/GDUsecurity.asp>  To date, the
> Administration has continued to build out a historic Statewide Interoperable
> Public Safety Radio Communications System that will allow all state and local
> first responders to communicate with each other across jurisdictions using a
> single handheld radio; helped create a shared network of more than 700 Closed
> Circuit Television (CCTV) camera feeds that provide real-time situational
> awareness of highway and roadway conditions for first responders in Maryland
> and the National Capitol Region; deployed more than 300 License Plate Readers
> across the State that enable law enforcement officers to track terrorist
> suspects as well as recover stolen vehicles; developed an online emergency
> mapping application (OSPREY) that provides real-time emergency data and
> information to first responders and the public; connected all 46 acute care
> hospitals in the state and more than 300 private retail pharmacies to an
> electronic biosurveillance system that detects early indicators of virus
> outbreaks and public health threats; created radar-based tracking systems that
> monitors vessels movements across the Chesapeake Bay and nearby waterways and
> enables law enforcement officers to better protect critical maritime
> infrastructure and natural resources; and created an electronic health and
> medical information dashboard that brings multiple real-time data feeds, such
> as emergency room status and hospital resource availability, into a single
> online viewer available to all hospitals, EMS units, and other medical first
> responders.  
>  
> ### 
>  
> 
> 
> EOM