.png)
ABOUT ME
Need to Know:
Name: Wren
Current Role: County Level Emergency Management - Disaster Coordinator
Previous Roles:
- County Health Department - Community Educator
- County 911 Dispatcher for Police/Fire/EMS
- Helicopter EMS Dispatcher
Education:
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
- Licensed EMT since 2014
Nice to Know:
Being a first responder is in my blood.
I come from a long line of law enforcement but realized early on that was not my preferred method of serving our/my community. Medicine has always held my heart. Originally I wanted to be an OB/Gyn until I realized what it would cost in student loans. (Hello, first gen college grad here.) I ended up pursuing a business degree as a safe alternative. Then, in my last semester I threw my sanity away and enrolled in an EMT course while completing my capstone and working full time. I was hooked.
My husband enrolled in the fire academy six months after we started dating.
He then completed an EMT course to become a full time paid firefighter.
This life is all I've know since 2008.
I'm a momma to a surprise baby (#infertilitylife) that I exclusively pumped 15 months for.
We currently have 2 dogs (Lela and Bradley) and 2 cats (Salem and Ambrose).
I'm a long time spicy book reader and can quote Schitt's Creek with the best of them. A fresh pen and notebook are my guilty pleasures with strong caffeinated beverage.
Certifications:
-
2010 - present: BLS CPR provider
-
2014 - present: Licensed EMT (Texas)
-
2022 - Stop the Bleed Instructor
-
2024 - Psychological First Aid (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
-
2024 - Community Disaster Preparedness for Healthcare Certificate (TEEX)
-
2025 - Level 3 Instructor: BLS, EMR, Adult and Child CPR/AED, First Aid, etc (Health Safety Institute)
Disasters Worked:
-
2017 Hurricane Harvey - San Antonio Airlife (helicopter EMS) dispatcher. I coordinated multiple aircraft to the Texas Gulf Coast to evacuate critical patients to a variety of hospitals across Texas to include neonates, high risk obstetrical patients, and general ICU patients. I also worked part time shifts in our local ER that accepted evacuated patients from the Gulf Cost.
-
2020 to 2022 COVID Pandemic - County level 911 telecommunicator then transferred to the same county's public health department.
-
2021 Winter Storm Yuri (Snovid) - County level 911 telecommunicator during the storm and personally effected by all the power outages.
-
2024 Texas Spring Storm Weather Event - County Level Disaster Coordinator. Organized immediate volunteer agencies to assist with clean up in residential areas. Then coordinated with the state of Texas to bring FEMA to the affected areas to receive Individual Assistance.
My Full Time Career
I work in a county level fire marshal and emergency management office so I'm able to learn and do a little bit of everything. My fire wife skills come in handy most days at the office.
My official title is:
Disaster Response/Recovery Coordinator
Honestly though? I do it all. When someone is out, one of us will step in and vice versa.
Here's a small list of my everyday tasks:
- General clerical duties
- Rewrite/revamp county's ESF (emergency support function) documents
- Schedule training classes for local first responders
- Attend meetings for all the things
- Maintain inventory and logistics of our Emergency Management equipment that is lent out to other agencies in time of need
- Maintain volunteer database (VOAD, CERT, etc) for any outreach events and/or disasters
- Responsible for sheltering agreements, contracts for disaster services, hazard mitigation plans, contracts with county volunteer fire departments
- Annoy my husband the days he's also in the office with me (he works part time with us as a Fire Inspector)
Yup. This is my husband. We frequently work food bank distributions together (hosted by our office).