(FORT BEND, TX) – Fort Bend County Judge KP George today announced the selection of Greg Babst to serve as the new Manager of the County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HS&EM), effective immediately.

Babst, who has been with HS&EM for over two years, served as Deputy Manager prior to being named as the office’s interim Manager in January 2023. In his new role, Babst will oversee all aspects of the County’s planning for, response to, and recovery from emergencies, and disasters.

“Greg has a wealth of experience and an enthusiastic outlook for the safety of residents and businesses in our county along with the ability to engage with our internal departments, the public, private sector partners, local, state, and federal agencies,” said Judge KP George.

Babst began working with HS&EM in 2021, first as an Emergency Management Specialist One Exercise and Training position and was later promoted to Assistant Deputy Manager. He has worked with multiple local, state, and federal partners to help the County plan for and respond to Disaster Declarations and various emergencies within the County.

Prior to joining HS&EM, Babst served 24 years in the United States Coast Guard (USCG), where he served as Chief Warrant Officer, as well as being a Surf & Rescue Boat Coxswain, Federal Law Enforcement Officer, Tactical Deployment Team Lead, a member of the Maritime Security Response Team West, and part of the National Incident Management Deployment Team.

Additionally, Babst is a (USCG) Training Officer and has experience in law enforcement, HAZMAT, first aid, high-risk training, weapons, tactical elements, and small boat operations in all types of weather. He has acquired an estimated 15,600 hours of training hours as a lead instructor, earned 80 hours as a USCG certified instructor, and served as a USCG First Responder in over 1000 cases in the maritime realm as the on-scene coordinator for various types of cases (Searches, Capsizes, Sinking, EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement, Active Shooter, Terrorism, Bombings, Hostage, Protests, Cartel Drug Seizures).

“I’m excited about this new role, and I look forward to continuing to build this response team,” said Babst. “I want to thank all the department heads in the county for their support and our First Responders, EMS, the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Marshal’s Office, ESDs, the leadership, and all the stakeholders within the county who have supported us as we have built-out this response team. My goal is to be a value and responsive proactive multiplier for all coordination during all hazards in this county.”

It is the mission of the Fort Bend County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to create an environment of readiness for the whole community through a comprehensive program of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and disaster recovery.