Tab Troxler, who has been hired by Dow, will likely remain with parish through February
St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center Director Tab Troxler, who has taken a similar job with Dow Chemical’s St. Charles Operations plant, is tentatively set to remain at his post through February, according to Parish President V.J. St. Pierre.
“Right now, there is no timeframe for choosing a new EOC director,” St. Pierre said. “Between now and February, I will be evaluating what direction I’d like to go in – whether we promote someone from in-house or outside.”
Troxler, who has served as the parish’s EOC director since 1997, will oversee emergency services and security at Dow, according to plant spokesman Tommy Faucheux.
St. Pierre said that the EOC will be in good hands during the transition.
“We do not anticipate any lapse in services provided by Emergency Operations,” St. Pierre said. “EOC boasts an extremely talented staff that is more than capable of handling day-to-day activities through this transition.”
At Dow’s St. Charles Operations plant, Troxler will get to work at a new state-of-the-art facility that opened on June 1, which was the first day of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The new building, which is called the Emergency Operations/Dispatch Center, is built as a hurricane shelter and the second floor of the two story building can withstand winds of 200 mph. It is also above any potential flood waters caused from storm surge and can be fully powered by backup generators.
The building is also equipped to serve the 2,000 acre site in Hahnville during any event where emergency services and leadership teams need to come together. A large conference room is equipped with six large flat-screen monitors and redundant communications systems, which include satellite backups that sit next to a dispatch center.
Dow’s Emergency Operations/Dispatch Center began as an idea several years ago, but picked up steam in 2005 as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita moved through south Louisiana.
Construction on the facility began in 2007.
Troxler, who was instrumental in improving the parish’s communication network during Katrina, will be missed.
“Tab has been a valuable asset to St. Charles Parish and a true leader through some of our parish’s most trying times, and we will miss him,” St. Pierre said.
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