To support and enhance Texas preparedness for any emergency by managing a comprehensive planning and exercise program, and by developing products and communication that support the emergency management community.
TDEM's Preparedness Division administers a statewide emergency management program focusing on all-hazards emergency planning, Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) training, exercise, and continuous improvement. The Preparedness Division consists of the Operational Plans Unit, Strategic Plans Unit, Technological Hazards Unit, and Exercise/Continuous Improvement Unit.
The Preparedness Division is dedicated to the whole community by managing and coordinating a comprehensive all-hazards program.
Randy D. Meshell serves as the Preparedness Division Chief at the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), leading statewide programs that enhance Texas’ ability to support local jurisdictions with emergency management planning efforts. He joined TDEM following more than 30 years of leadership in emergency management, homeland security, firefighting, and military service.
Prior to TDEM, Meshell was a preparedness executive with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS-FEMA), most recently serving as Preparedness Division Director for FEMA Region 6, one of the busiest divisions in the nation. He led a staff of 35,overseeing intelligence, firefighting, continuity of operations, training, exercise, grants management, and preparedness programs for five states, 68 federally recognized Tribal Nations, and hundreds of local jurisdictions serving more than 42 million people. He was selected for senior executive roles including Acting Director of the National Exercise Division and twice appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to Federal Coordination Teams for Super Bowl LI (2017) and the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston. As third in the region’s line of succession, Meshell regularly directed a workforce of more than 1,000emergency management professionals and responded to dozens of presidential disaster declarations.
From 1995 to 2004, Meshell served as a firefighter and EMT-B, attaining Firefighter Level II, EMT certifications, and Fire Service Instructor credentials. As a CLEET-certified arson investigator, he conducted more than 70 origin-and-cause investigations and thousands of fire code inspections, while collaborating with municipal leadership on fire and life safety measures.
Commissioned as a U.S. Army Military Police officer in 1993, Meshell is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle. His assignments included domestic security operations following the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing, garrison law enforcement and antiterrorism programs at Fort Sill, and leading military police operations in Iraq. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, two Global War on Terrorism medals, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
Meshell’s training includes FEMA’s Incident Command System, Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government planning, and numerous homeland security and public safety leadership programs.
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Kristof Hermans is the Section Chief of Preparedness and Continuity at the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).
Kristof is a seasoned emergency management professional with over 25 years of experience. His career began as a fire chief for the Belgian Air Force, and he has since played pivotal roles in program management and implementation for multiple organizations, including assisting with development of the Anthrax response program for the United States Postal Service, serving as the FEMA Region 9 Disaster Operations Section Chief, and acting as the Emergency Manager for the U.S. Courts, where he oversaw over 700 court units and responded to disasters nationwide.
Since joining TDEM in 2017, Kristof has led several critical programs and now oversees the Planning, Continuity of Operations, and Exercise Units.
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Chris Earp is the Preparedness Section Chief over Emerging Threats and Special Hazards.
Chris joined TDEM in 2016 as a Local and Regional Planner in the Preparedness Division. In 2017, Chris was promoted to District Coordinator at the Capitol where he provided technical expertise and coordination on numerous operations dealing with multiple special events, protests, and rallies which occurred at the Texas State Capitol. Chris has also supported State Operations Center activations for flooding responses, cybersecurity responses, hurricane responses, winter weather, and the pandemic response. During Hurricane Harvey, Chris served as the TDEM representative on site for the San Antonio State Resource Staging Area.
Chris was promoted to State Coordinator in 2019 for the Capitol Region. When TDEM joined The Texas A&M University System, Chris was promoted to Section Chief and was given responsibility for the State Management Team in September of 2019 and was assigned to the State Operations Center.
Prior to joining TDEM, Chris served as a law enforcement officer for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the City of Midland Police Department. In 2015, Chris was appointed as the Ector County/City of Odessa/City of Goldsmith Emergency Management Coordinator.
Chris also served on the Texas A&M Forest Service Permian Basin Type 3 Incident Management Team where he deployed to the Rockhouse Fire in 2011 as well as other operations in support of state responses including hurricanes and wildland fire operations.
Chris received his Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications from Texas Tech University and his Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management from the American Military University.
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