In the wake of recent tornadoes and flooding across Bossier Parish, local law enforcement took the opportunity to undergo a week of training to improve communications among themselves.  

In concert with the Louisiana Governor Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), Caddo-Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (CBOHSEP), local police, fire, EMS and 911 staff from northwest Louisiana conducted an extensive five day communications training event at the Bossier Civic Center that began Monday and culminated Thursday.

"We just had a flood and that stands to show everything we're doing has a meaning and an impact on the ability for us to respond and for the outcome to be the greatest," said Bossier City Fire Chief Sammy Halphen.

Training consisted of both classroom instruction and practical exercises cumulating in a large communications disaster drill deployment of command busses, radio tower trailers and other major communications response apparatus.

"From every disaster we've had, starting with Hurricane Katrina, something we knew that had to be improved was our communications capability. Everything you see today is to improve on that so we can respond properly to these challenges," said Bossier City Mayor Lorenz “Lo” Walker.

"Communications is always the number one issue in response to an emergency. Response to Katrina in the New Orleans area proved we were way behind the curve in that and post-Katrina we have really picked up the pace in the state of Louisiana," said Sandy Davis, director of Caddo-Bossier Parish OHSEP.

Col. Mike Edmonson, superintendent of Louisiana State Police, mentioned the "can-do, will-do" attitude that has played a part in Shreveport-Bossier's initiative to improve their interoperability.

"You look at the Red Chute Bayou (flooding). That could've been a catastrophe for this area but these people here wouldn't let it happen and it's because of the can-do, will-do attitude you have in this area."

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