Carl A. Flores
Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Department of Health

Carl A. Flores is a seasoned emergency response leader with over 30 years of experience in Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Currently serving as the Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness at the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), his career is marked by a deep commitment to innovation, community resilience, and disaster management.

Flores began his career as Chief of EMS for the City of New Orleans, where he led the recovery and modernization of the EMS department post-Hurricane Katrina. Under his leadership, New Orleans EMS became a model for excellence in care delivery and operational best practices, earning national recognition for its achievements.

In 2020, Flores took on the role of Burn Outreach Coordinator at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO), formerly Charity Hospital. As the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, he quickly adapted to the crisis, implementing critical response strategies such as mask reprocessing protocols and launching a Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) exchange program.

Amid the busiest hurricane season in Louisiana's history, he was appointed Director of Emergency Management at UMCNO, where he led disaster planning and hospital continuity operations. In 2021, he returned to his role as Burn Outreach Coordinator and was named Southern Region Burn Disaster Coordinator for the American Burn Association (ABA). His efforts expanded burn education and training across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, directly benefiting thousands of healthcare professionals.

Flores' work with LDH, the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN), and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) was instrumental in developing key tools for burn disaster response, including Burn Push Packs, a burn bed board, and an alert system. These innovations have helped position LERN as the Southern Regional Burn Call Center for the ABA.

On a national level, Flores' leadership extended to the ABA's Disaster Committee, where he was appointed Chair. He led the creation of a standardized national disaster response plan, organized the first regional coordinator summit, and facilitated a burn tabletop exercise to identify system gaps. His initiatives, including the development of a standardized burn bed definition and integration into the Nevada Watch board for real-time situational awareness, have proven vital in major incidents such as the Honolulu fireworks explosion, California wildfires, and a plane crash in Philadelphia.

Today, as Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness at LDH, Flores continues to drive the state's efforts to enhance resilience, strengthen disaster response capabilities, and improve recovery outcomes in the face of future emergencies.