Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Communications

About Us

 Administration Team

Reginald Harrison
Director

Reginald "Reggie" Harrison is the Director of the City of Long Beach Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications (DPEC). Since the Department’s inception in 2014, Reggie has overseen DPEC’s operations which include Citywide emergency management; 9-1-1 emergency communications for Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services; and the City’s Homeland Security Grants Program, which allocates millions of dollars each year for disaster preparedness training and equipment acquisition. 

As the founding Director of DPEC, Reggie has oversight of a state-of-the-art 9-1-1 Communications Center with a comprehensive training curriculum and a consolidated cross-training program to improve customer service and achieve greater efficiencies. Additionally, Reggie has established robust relationships with local education, medical, transportation, non-profit, County, State and Federal agencies to create a more coordinated disaster response to increase the City’s resiliency and return to normalcy as quickly as possible after a disaster. 

Further notable accomplishments as the DPEC Director include: the implementation of Alert Long Beach, a mass notification system to issue emergency alerts to residents and businesses; participation in the beta-site testing of MyShake, an earthquake early warning system; and the creation and update of several City disaster preparedness plans, including the Continuity of Government Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and Crisis Communications Plan.

Reggie is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the California Army National Guard. He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree and an undergraduate degree in Psychology. He and his family reside in Long Beach, where he is an active participant in the community and a member of several boards and commissions.

Dan Cunningham
Communications Center Officer

Dan oversees the operation of the City's 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center (Police and Fire), which consists of 76 Public Safety Dispatchers and three Coordinators. He is responsible for ensuring the quality of service provided to 9-1-1 callers, the recruitment and retention efforts of new Public Safety Dispatchers, and the operational readiness of the Communication Center. Additionally, he guides the department in planning strategies, participates in labor relations, and serves as a liaison to the Police and Fire Departments to ensure our 9-1-1 Communication Center is providing them the operational support they need to serve the residents of Long Beach. Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Meredith Dawson
Administration and Grants Officer

Meredith oversees the overall administration of the department including coordination and administration of the fiscal, personnel, accounting, purchasing, safety and facility maintenance functions. She also supervises the Homeland Security Grants Program staff and payroll functions. Her experience in grant administration, capital project management, city programs, community engagement, and budgetary analysis makes her a great asset to the City of Long Beach. Meredith holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree from California State University, Northridge.

Francisco Soto
Disaster Preparedness Officer

As the City of Long Beach's Disaster Preparedness Officer, Francisco plays a key role to educate staff, community partner organizations and residents on techniques and tools available to help them prepare for and recover from a major emergency or disaster. Additionally, Francisco is responsible for managing the City's Emergency Operations Center and assisting with planning, organizing, and directing the disaster preparedness activities focused on the development of the City's emergency management program. Francisco holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Masters of Science degree in Emergency Services from California State University, Long Beach.

Organizational Structure