About Francisco
Francisco Sánchez is the Deputy Homeland Security and Emergency Management Coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management. The office is responsible for disaster preparedness and response in the nation’s third largest county. The county has responded to historic hurricanes, flooding, wildfires and major industrial incidents- averaging a presidentially declared disaster every nine months. In recent years, it has also hosted major security events like Super Bowl 51, the NCAA finals and the World Series.
Francisco has served on command staff for four of the nation’s ten most devastating natural disasters and is involved in public safety at the local, state and national levels. In 2013, he was appointed to the Communications Security, Reliability & Interoperability Council — an advisory committee to the FCC offering guidance on key issues such as next generation 9–1–1 technology, alerts and warnings, and cybersecurity. He was re-appointed to two additional terms and led the working group of industry, academics, tech experts, wireless carriers and public safety officials that drafted sweeping recommendations that are taking the nation’s Wireless Emergency Alerts to a new level.
In 2015, Francisco was named Public Official of the Year by University of Houston. In 2013 he was featured as Emergency Management Magazine’s Major Player for his work to bring focus to emergency public information as a national priority. In 2017 he was named one of the Top 11 Public Safety Tech Leaders to Watch by StateScoop, for using cutting-edge emergency communications technology to improve warnings and save lives.
Francisco is a recipient of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to public safety.
Among other leadership positions, he is currently president of the Emergency Management Association of Texas.
Francisco is a graduate of the University of Houston and earned his master’s degree at Sam Houston State University. He is volunteer firefighter Ponderosa Fire Department in north Houston. Francisco loves dogs; especially three named Winston, Boston and Quincy.
For a full bio, please email: DisasterPIO@gmail.com
