As a part of its members’ commitment to community safety, Brazosport CAER (Community Awareness and Emergency Response) has completed maintenance on the CAER siren system and it has been upgraded to newer technology. The CAER sirens will have a different sound, cover a broader area, and may be heard by community members who have not heard them before in order to better inform the community if an industrial event requiring action takes place.
The first test of the upgraded siren system will take place MONDAY, JULY 10 AT 12:10 P.M. During this test, the sirens will sound for up to three (3) minutes, in accordance with FEMA guidelines. CAER is part of the Brazoria County Petrochemical Council (BCPC) Environment Health and Safety committee. To learn more please visit https://brazosportcaer.com.
This clip comes from The Facts newspaper published June 28, 2023.
CAER Repackaged Brazosport Industrial Alert System Changing the Times
Times are changing, and so is Brazosport’s CAER program as the area’s booming industrial center continues to grow.
CAER, or Community Awareness and Emergency Response, is an organization that promotes two-way communication between the community and industries in the area. It acts as a link between the two in order to provide Brazoria County residents with information in the event of an industrial emergency.
The program is comprised of about 20 industrial partners in the Brazosport area who work with CAER on a volunteer basis. Partners include Dow Chemical Co., BASF and Freeport LNG, CAER Vice President Reme Lara said.
“Every member’s goal is to keep their employees and the community safe; that’s why they are a part of CAER,” Lara said.
Rachel Ray, Harold Nicoll, Darren Slover, Greg Yount, Reme Lara, Tabitha Ray volunteers from CAER pose with their booth.
Brazosport CAER formed in 1985, making it one of the first CAER programs in the nation. Since it began, Brazosport CAER has worked to continually promote better communication with residents concerning chemical emergencies, the organization says.
Many of the methods it has historically used, however, have been superseded by technological advances. For instance, a database of home phone numbers won’t provide the extensive reach it did in past decades as many people no longer have landlines. There also are tens of thousands of new residents in the region who might not be aware of CAER and the important role it plays.
Program members recently have been working to completely revamp and revitalize CAER by changing communication methods and increasing awareness of the program, community awareness chairwoman Tabitha Ray said.
“Our community is completely different from when we were first founded,” Ray said. “We have had a lot of growth, new people have moved to our community and there has been a lot of change in technology. It is vital that CAER change as well.”
One of the ways it has changed it by getting upto-date with social media and creating Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, with the latter two being the newest additions, Lara said. Brazosport CAER currently has 1,300 Facebook followers.
