The Coast Guard has announced this year’s Emergency Management Award winners, honoring the units and individuals who have successfully led the Coast Guard through some of the year’s most complex and dangerous crises and set the gold standard in readiness, planning, and crisis response.
“Our emergency managers are the backbone of our operational readiness,” said Rear Adm. M.M. Dean, Assistant Commandant for Operations Integration and Response Policy. “This year’s winners faced unprecedented challenges — from major oil spills to intense civil disturbances — and proved that the Coast Guard is always ready to protect our communities. They didn’t just manage incidents, they led their people through them, setting a powerful example for the entire workforce and the communities they serve.”
Operational Unit of the Year: Sector New Orleans
Sector New Orleans earned the top spot for managing an incredible operational tempo through some of this year’s most complex and dangerous crises. They activated 25 Incident Management Teams (IMTs) to coordinate responses to major real-world emergencies, including:
- A terrorist incident in New Orleans
- A massive 96-day response to a major oil spill
- Two major marine casualties involving a vessel and barge sinking in the Mississippi River
- Security operations for “SEAR 1” (Special Event Assessment Rating) national-level events, including the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
- A 57-day force protection operation alongside Department of Homeland Security partners.
- A week-long severe weather response to unprecedented snowfall.
Despite this heavy real-world workload, the Sector still completed 15 training exercises and maintained an impressive 87% IMT readiness rate while preparing for upcoming Sail250 events.
Response of the Year: Station Chicago for Operation Midway Blitz
Station Chicago’s crew showed unwavering dedication during Operation Midway Blitz, a prolonged, high-stress security event that lasted from October 14 to November 12, 2025. Faced with severe physical security threats and localized civil disturbances, the station initiated a formal Type 3 incident command system (ICS) response. With support from the Sector Lake Michigan IMT, the crew successfully protected their facility, their people, and their DHS partners.
Emergency Manager of the Year: LT Ramon Gil Dominguez, Sector New Orleans
LT Gil Dominguez earned this individual honor for his expert leadership as a Planning Section Chief, guiding over 1,000 Coast Guard members through five major Type 1 and Type 2 events. His portfolio included the 96-day Well #59 oil spill, a threat on a passenger ferry, and year-long preparations for Super Bowl LIX. As the unit’s ICS Coordinator, LT Gil Dominguez used every phase of these responses as a hands-on training opportunity, elevating the skills and capabilities of everyone involved.
Other Outstanding Nominees
The competition was fierce, and several other nominees deserve recognition for their outstanding performance:
- Sector Guam: Runner-up for Operational Unit of the Year for their large-scale interagency effort uniting over 60 territorial and aviation industry partners to validate regional Mass Rescue Response Operations (MRO) during a separate Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) aviation disaster exercise.
- Sector San Francisco: Honorable mention for achieving an astounding 118% IMT Readiness rate.
This article was originally published on MyCG.