Department of Agriculture and Forestry, State of Louisiana - Mike Strain DVM, Commissioner

Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., said the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Emergency Program’s incident management team completed another training session under the instruction of two nationally accredited logistics trainers.

“The LDAF logistics session completed advanced training taught by Tom Hamilton and Mike Lococo,” Strain said. “Both men have plenty of experience with emergency response and have worked on many high profile recovery efforts.”

Hamilton has worked on numerous emergency responses throughout the world including hurricanes, typhoons, floods and earthquakes. He served as an Assistant Area Commander in New York during the 9-11 crisis and most recently was involved in the Deep Water Horizon oil spill as a subject matter expert in the logistics arena, Strain said.

Lococo started his career as a firefighter assigned to the Tahoe National Forest and has been involved in the emergency management of numerous wildfire incidents in the West. He is certified as a National Incident Management System (NIMS) All-Hazard Instructor.

“The LDAF is committed to being the most highly trained emergency management team possible,” Strain said. “Logistics is essential to managing any emergency response and I’m very proud of our team and their willingness to serve the public.”

Diane Stacy, D.V.M., LDAF deputy director of emergency programs, said 24 Ag and Forestry employees from across the state were certified at the Type 3 and 4 levels of the emergency management system. The training was held in the LDAF’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium June 11-15 in Baton Rouge.

“This is a big accomplishment for our logistics team,” Stacy said. “We have one of the best qualified teams in the state.”

The advanced training involved techniques to manage emergency incidents of a greater complexity that those typically experienced.

The training taught all-hazard competencies and behaviors for command, general staff and unit leader positions to deal with Type 3/Type 4 emergency incidents.

Type 3 incidents involve emergency situations at the state/metropolitan level. Type 4 incidents deal with emergencies at the city/parish/fire district level.

For more information on LDAF emergency programs, visit www.LDAF.la.gov or call 225-935-2151.