217 TRS Commander leads Texas Military Forces District 10

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GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  When disaster strikes Texas, the Governor may call upon the Texas Military Forces (TXMF) - Army National Guard, Air National Guard and State Guard - to work hand-in-hand with the state's Department of Public Safety and assist with emergency operations under the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) program.

To facilitate emergency relief efforts, Texas is divided into 22 Disaster Districts. Each district has emergency management elements trained, equipped and organized under the National Incident Management System. Goodfellow's 217th Training Squadron Commander here, Lt. Col. Jim Marrs, was appointed this month as the Texas Disaster District 10 Commander. Out of the 22 Disaster Districts, only three are commanded by Air National Guardsmen.

As District 10 Commander, Colonel Marrs assumes command of all TXMF personnel in 13 counties - Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Kimble, Mason, Menard, McCulloch, Reagan, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton and Tom Green - when the Governor declares an emergency. Working with civilian leadership in his district, Colonel Marrs is charged with ensuring the TXMF personnel under his authority assist with protecting the critical infrastructure and more than 150,000 people in the district.

"Lt. Col. Marrs is an excellent choice because of his education, experience and background in disaster response preparation," said Daniel Bloomer, Texas Air National Guard Director of Operations.

Colonel Marrs has more than 12 years experience with disaster preparedness training and operations, including both active duty and National Guard service. Along with participating in and conducting extensive training and exercises, he has served as the incident commander during seven Class A aircraft mishaps on two continents, and as the senior intelligence officer for a joint Army/Air National Guard terrorism response force for Federal Emergency Management Agency Region III.

Colonel Marrs said that although the 217th TRS is a relatively new unit, the squadron has quickly become a vital National Guard element in the state with recognized expertise and demonstrated unique capabilities which are critical to DSCA operations.

"The carefully-selected Guardsmen of the 217 TRS are true Citizen-Airmen, serving in important missions at both the federal and state levels," he said.