Cashiers Rotary Write Up

BRPS Chief Roy Taylor Gives Talk on Crisis Response

In Newsletter by Sept10checkerBRPS

BRPS Chief Roy Taylor

Rotarian and Blue Ridge Public Safety Chief of Police Roy Taylor gave a presentation on crisis response efforts at the Club’s April 22 meeting. The presentation highlighted the capabilities of the Civil Support Teams which are located in each state, manned by full-time National Guardsmen.

The teams are located in areas of the state to enable a fast response, but not in a likely targeted area. Their primary mission is to respond to any suspected use of these materials whether accidental or intentional with the purpose of identifying the material and then calculating the impacts of its release.

Roy is a Major (promotable) with the Army National Guard and is one of 22 National Guard Officers assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In his role as the Provost Marshal for the Joint Task Force – Civil Support, Roy oversees  all of the military resources that respond to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident in the US. This task force reports directly to Northern Command who then reports to the President of the United States

The Civil Support Teams are equipped with sophisticated monitoring and analysis equipment as well as computer modeling software to determine how large of an area is impacted.  The teams are capable of also providing immediate decontamination and medical care to victims as well as emergency responders.

Roy is able to apply many of the things he has learned in the military to help keep us safe and has worked with Camp Merrie-Woode, Summit Charter School, local businesses, medical offices and others to provide security evaluations and develop emergency response plans. For more information, please contact Chief Roy Taylor directly at 828-743-2199.

The Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley meets every Wednesday morning at Cashiers UMC on Highway 107. Those interested in attending a meeting or becoming a member can find more information at cashiersrotary.org.

This article originally appeared in the Crossroads Chronicle on April 29, 2015.