Emergency Preparedness Summit & Fair

U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, MD hosted the 2022 Emergency Preparedness Summit and Fair on Saturday, April the 23rd at Argyle High School.

The event featured over 30 vendors, some of which included FEMA, American Red Cross, Area Agency on Aging, Denton County 911, FirstNet, CoServ, Medical Reserve Corp., Salvation Army, local law enforcement and fire departments, Careflight, and many others. Attendees enjoyed meeting with the vendors, checking out the emergency vehicles and outdoor exhibits, and learning more from the presenters. The moderator for the presenters was Eric Hutmacher, Director of the Denton County Office of Emergency Management. Argyle ISD Superintendent Dr. Telena Wright welcomed U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, MD as the host for the event. After opening remarks, Argyle ISD students were recognized on stage for their artwork entries in the art contest that honored first responders. The overall winner of the art contest was Padma Bheemalingam, a 3rd-grade student at Argyle West Elementary. The second-place winners were Avery Almazin, a 2nd-grade student at Hilltop Elementary, and Jerry Zhang, a 3rd-grade student at Argyle West Elementary. The three students were honored with a certificate from Congressman Burgess and a special coin from Tony Robinson, the Regional Administrator for FEMA. The overall winner, Padma Bheemalingam’s artwork was featured on the front of the event’s program and the second-place winners had their artwork featured inside.

Special guest speaker was Argyle ISD’s former Police Chief, Paul Cairney. Chief Cairney gave a special presentation on School Safety. Eric Hutmacher, the Director of Denton County Office of Emergency Management, Kevin Starbuck, Assistant Chief Region 1 for the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and Tony Robinson, Regional Administrator for FEMA were all panelists covering a presentation on community preparedness. There was also a panel on personal preparedness and a weather presentation featuring guests Jennifer Dunn, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, and Brad Barton, Chief Meteorologist for WBAP 820 AM Radio. There was also a Kid’s Zone hosted by the AHS UNICEF Club where all of the art entries were displayed and where kids could pick up resources, color, make crafts and have their faces painted.

photos by J.B. Lilley