Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (MOHSEP)

MOHSEP is the emergency management agency that coordinates and collaborates with Local, State, and Federal partners to Prepare, Prevent, Reduce, Respond and Recover from disasters and emergencies. To learn more about what MOHSEP does in our community you can click here. 

Red Stick Ready 

Baton Rouge is French for "Red Stick" and MOHSEP promotes that the community is Red Stick Ready! Recognized as a national best practice, the "Red Stick Ready" campaign encourages the community to take personal responsibility for being prepared with the necessary resources and plans in place for when a disaster or emergency occurs. You can click here to find more information about how to be Red Stick Ready with your family, kids, pets, and businesses. 

Sign Up 

Sign up for the Red Stick Ready APP in the Apple Store or on the Google Play Store. For more information click here. 

Sign up for text message alerts by texting REDSTICKREADY to 225-243-9991

You can also follow Red Stick Ready on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.   

EBR EMS is the primary Pre-hospital Advanced Life Support provider for East Baton Parish. Responsibilities of EBR EMS include: ​

• ​911 operations and maintenance

• Providing pre-hospital care to sick and injured patients 

• Establishing ambulance provider standards and operations in EBR

• Establishing clinical guidelines for Pre-hospital providers in EBR parish

• Providing public education and training on a variety of topics

​​The East Baton Rouge EMS Explorer Post

The Exploring program allows high-school-aged young adults to learn life-saving skills and gain exposure to the medical field prior to deciding on a career path. Explorers complete an Emergency Medical Responder course and are CPR certified. Members of the Explorer Post are able to work alongside EMS Paramedics in the field while responding to 911 calls and working on public events such as parades, concerts, and football games. You can learn more about the program and how to sign up by clicking here. 

Advanced External Defibrillator (AED) registry

​An AED is a device that can be used to save a person's life in the event of a cardiac arrest. AED's are readily available in most public buildings, schools, churches, and sporting events. Louisiana State law RS 40:1137.3​ requires any person or entity in possession of an AED to notify the local 911 provider of the acquisition, location, and type of AED. The East Baton Rouge Parish AED registry ​makes this process simple and also provides the benefit of maintenance reminders.  You can learn more and sign up your AED device by clicking here. 

Baton Rouge Fire Department 

   Free Smoke Alarm Program: Smoke alarms save lives. If you need a smoke alarm or help to install one in your home you can sign up here. 

Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)

The mission of the LDH is to protect and promote health and to ensure access to medical, preventive, and rehabilitative services for all citizens of the State of Louisiana. LDH is dedicated to fulfilling its mission through the direct provision of quality services, the development and stimulation of services of others, and the utilization of available resources in the most effective manner. In order to serve the entire state, LDH is broken down into 9 regions. East Baton Rouge Parish is located in Region 2. To learn more about LDH you can click here. 

Medicaid - Medicaid provides medical benefits to low-income individuals and families. Although the federal government establishes the general rules for Medicaid, specific requirements are established by each state. In Louisiana, over a million residents receive health care coverage through Medicaid, most of whom are children under 19. The Louisiana Medicaid Program operates within the Louisiana Department of Health. To find out more information about Medicaid and to apply for Medicaid click here. 

The Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) - OAAS develops, provides, and enhances services that offer meaningful choices for people in need of long-term care. The office is committed to developing a long-term care system that provides choice, ensures quality, meets the needs of consumers and caregivers, and does so in a fiscally responsible manner. 

Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) - OBH manages and delivers the services and supports necessary to improve the quality of life for citizens with mental illness and addictive disorders. The state has developed 10 Human Services Districts that serve the residents of Louisiana. In East Baton Rouge Parish, we are in region 2 and are served by Capital Area Human Services (CAHS).  CAHS is the public service provider for mental health, addictive disorders, and developmental disabilities services in the Capital Area (Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes). 

Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) - OCDD serves as the Single Point of Entry (SPOE) into the developmental disabilities services system in Louisiana. They oversee public and private residential services and other services for people with developmental disabilities. OCDD conducts an assessment of people who request services to determine the person’s eligibility for system entry. 

Office of Public Health (OPH) - OPH is charged with protecting and promoting the health of the communities of our state. The agency operates more than fifty programs with staff in 63 parish health units, three specialty clinics, nine regional offices, three centers, fifteen bureaus, and nearly 600 contractual agreements. Engineers, doctors, chemists, biologists, nurses, sanitarians, clinicians, emergency preparedness experts and a host of other professionals work constantly to:

• monitor the food Louisiana's residents and visitors eat;

• keep our water safe to drink;

• fight chronic and communicable disease;

• ensure we are ready for hurricanes, disasters, and other threats;

• manage, analyze and disseminate public health data

• ensure access to vital records like birth certificates; and

• offer preventive health services.

Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) 

DCFS works to keep children safe, helping individuals and families become self-sufficient, and providing safe refuge during disasters. They believe in treating all people with dignity, compassion, and respect while providing services with integrity. 

Child Support Enforcement - DCFS offers parent locator and paternity establishment services, as well as assistance to establish and enforce child support orders and collection and distribution of child support payments. Access and Visitation Assistance is also a service provided.

Child Welfare - The Child Welfare Division works to meet the needs of Louisiana's most vulnerable citizens. Programs include information, resources, programs, and services that include: Information about adoption, Foster Parenting, Family Services, Safe Haven, Safe Sleep, and reporting child abuse and neglect. 

Disability Determination - Disability Determination Services (DDS) is the state agency responsible for determining if individuals are disabled within the Title II/XVI requirements. All disability benefits, as well as the administrative costs of operating the DDS Program, are 100% federally funded.

Economic Stability - The Economic Stability section of DCFS assists families with needed assistance programs. Programs include: 

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - Provides monthly benefits that help low-income households buy the food needed for good health.

• Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP) - Provides cash assistance for eligible children who reside with qualified relatives other than parents.

• Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) - Provides temporary cash assistance to families in need.

• Strategies to Empower People Program (STEP) - The goal of the Strategies to Empower People (STEP) Program is to provide opportunities for work-eligible families of FITAP to receive job training, employment, and supportive services to enable them to become self-sufficient. STEP is the result of the Personal Responsibility and Universal Engagement Act of 2003 passed by the Louisiana Legislature.

• CAFÉ - An online account that gives access to our new online smart application that only asks questions that apply to you. CAFÉ offers you the same services, just in a way that's more convenient. Submit online applications and redeterminations for FITAP, KCSP, SNAP, and Child Care Assistance.

Emergency Preparedness - DCFS is responsible for managing state Critical Transportation Needs Shelters, Medical Special Needs Shelters, Sex Offender Shelter, and Unaccompanied Minor Shelter while providing staff and resources to General Population Shelters (GPS) upon request.

Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA is a federal agency headquartered in Washington, D.C., but has10 regional offices located across the country. They leverage a tremendous capacity to coordinate within the federal government to make sure America is equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters. To learn more about FEMA click here. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The agency's main goal is the protection of public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and worldwide. To learn more about the CDC click here. 

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)