Ralph Montes serves as the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator for the Victoria County Public Health Department. In addition to this role, Ralph acts as a liaison between the Public Health Department and the Victoria Office of Emergency Management (VOEM). He also serves as the program manager and CERT instructor for the Victoria Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program sponsored by VOEM and overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Ralph completed a certification program in 2024 with UT Health Houston / Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI). This program brings together public health professionals across the United States to engage in a curriculum of courses and a final epidemiological exercise. Ralph has been a Stop the Bleed Instructor since 2018 with the American College of Surgeons. He graduated from Victoria College in 1988 with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Law Enforcement and is a 1990 graduate of the Victoria College Police Academy. Ralph also graduated from the Victoria College Emergency Medical Technician-Basic Program in 1998 and holds an Emergency Medical Technician certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
With 27 years of experience in the hospital and healthcare industry, Ralph's background includes work in private emergency medical services. He also has 18 years of experience in hospital emergency preparedness, specifically in treating victims of hazardous substance releases. Throughout his career, Ralph has actively participated in real-life natural, man-made, and technological disasters and various disaster response exercises.
Ralph contributes to several committees and coalitions, including Victoria's Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and the Mid-Coast Hurricane and Disaster Conference Committee. In 2025, Ralph assisted as a CERT instructor with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service MYPI Program, Texas Youth Preparedness Initiative. The program is designed to prepare young people to take meaningful action during disasters, equipping them not only with critical lifesaving skills but also instilling a strong sense of civic responsibility.