DEM Multi-Year Exercise Calendar

DEM's Exercise Training Coordinator, Tony Reidell, has updated the Division's Multi-Year Exercise Calendar.  It is available for download or viewing online.  It is, of course, subject to updates, but we will update this document as necessary.  If you have any questions about the calendar or DEM Exercise activities/support, contact Tony at tony.reidell@state.co.us or at (720) 852-6615.  You can always check the latest DEM Exercise News and announcements on the DEM Exercise tab, as well.

DEM Planning Section and Energy Emergency Planning Activities

I understand from our State Planner, Kerry Kimble, that the Colorado Governor's Energy Office received an award of $658,302 dollars through a formula grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. This grant is specifically provided to the State Energy Office to increase the state capability for emergency response and to update the state emergency plan. The GEO has addressed these challenges in their Colorado Smart Grid Challenges and Opportunities Report. (NOTE: you can also see March 2010 solicitation for services reference on the Governor's Energy Office site at http://rechargecolorado.com/index.php/resources_overview/funding_opportunities/#section18).

Kerry Kimble is running lead on this effort for the Division. According to Kerry, GEO intends to build a new intra-state framework for handling energy emergencies such as cyber attacks, major system outages, and threats to critical energy infrastructure statewide. The objectives of this initiative are to strengthen and expand state and local government energy assurance planning and resiliency response capability.

The Colorado Energy Assurance Emergency Plan will focus on building regional energy assurance capability to allow the State of Colorado to coordinate and communicate statewide and with critical energy Infrastructure partners on the following issues: (a) energy security; (b) grid reliability; (c) emergency response; and (d) large scale disruptions.

GEO intends to build a new intra-state framework for energy emergency planning. The CEAEP project will be managed by CISPR and divided into four major stages: Stage 1: Identify key stakeholders and develop a steering committee for the CEAEP. The initial activity under this grant will be to establish a steering committee for the project plan executed by the vendor. Stage 2: Develop Project Management and Workforce Development plans. The GEO has detailed a project plan which outlines the funding to the Project Manager. The workforce development plan will identify areas within the state which may benefit from hiring, retaining, or training personnel in areas of technical expertise such as smart grid technology, and grid integration of renewable energy. Stage 3: Develop draft Colorado Energy Assurance and Security Plan. The Project Manager and GEO will hold a series of workshops with key stakeholders in the state government, utilities and energy production industry to develop a comprehensive energy assurance plan for the State of Colorado. The Project Manager and GEO will hold a series of workshops with key stakeholders in the state government, utilities and energy production industry to develop a comprehensive energy assurance plan for the State of Colorado. Stage 4: Execute two Energy Assurance Emergency Exercises. The fourth stage of this project will involve testing the effectiveness of the policies, procedures, and operational framework outlined in the draft Colorado Energy Assurance Plan.

Job Announcement - Northeast Colorado All-Hazards Region Regional Homeland Security Coordinator/Contractor

The Northeast Colorado All Hazards Region is requesting proposals from qualified individuals to fill the position of Regional Homeland Security Coordinator/Contractor. The Regional Coordinator responsible for administering and managing State Homeland Security Grant Programs and is the central point of coordination for programmatic issues within the region. The Northeast Colorado All Hazards Region consists of Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma Counties. For more information on this request and to receive a bid package contact Steve Enfante, Morgan County Office of Emergency Management at 970-867-8506 or senfante@co.morgan.co.us proposals deadline is September 15, 2010 at 5:00 pm.

WebEOC Training - 9/2 - Centennial, CO

Just a note from our Operations Officer, Richard Vangilder, that the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is "booked and ready" for WebEOC Training for this coming Thursday, September 2, 2010.  The training will be open to anyone who uses WebEOC in their local jurisdictions, state agencies or provides direct response support to the State EOC. The training is scheduled from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and will be informal, allowing for detailed question and answer and scenario walkthrough demonstrations.  The workshop will also be be a great opportunity to catch up on WebEOC developments and new tools.  If you are interested in attending or have general questions about WebEOC, contact Rich at richard.vangilder@state.co.us or at (720) 852-6627.

DEM Training Registration and Tracking Moving to CO.TRAIN

Per Robyn Knappe, DEM Training Officer, to build partnerships make training participation and scheduling more accessible for students, the Division of Emergency Management is centralizing all its training registration, search and tracking activities to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's CO.TRAIN.org system.  There are some great opportunities ahead as many state agencies are moving in that same direction.

The biggest advantage will be the calendar function, which allows statewide visibility of training activities across Departments, agencies and subject matter criterion.  Rather than having to search for emergency management, health preparedness and homeland security classes on multiple websites, nearly all state emergency management-related agencies will be using CO.TRAIN. Another function is the ability for students to input information on previous classes and to start to consolidate their training records in one place.  Of course, all this will not happen overnight but we have begun the work.  If you have questions at any time during this transition phase, contact Robyn at robyn.knappe@state.co.us.

Starting with the class Incident Command System (ICS) class in Montrose, “Situation Unit Leader” Sept. 27, 2010, DEM is starting the registration for all future classes through CO.TRAIN.  We will continue to make training information, news and announcements available on COEmergency's Training Page, which includes the DEM Training News Feed.

What does this mean for me?
If you do not have a CO.TRAIN account, you will need to spend 10 minutes creating a profile and password.  The nice thing is that you only create the profile once.  And the password, is a self-regulating system, so if you forget your password, you can get on the site and change it without administrator assistance (most of the time, anyway).

What is CO.TRAIN system?
It is a training management system with easy to use features and efficient processes.  You sign up once at the co.train.org website and you can easily register for classes.  There is a super calendar and a course search function.

Where did it come from?
The TRAIN system is a free service of the Public Health Foundation, www.train.org is part of the newly expanded TrainingFinder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN).  CO stands for Colorado in the CO.TRAIN acronym. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has been using the system since 2004 and has offered it to other departments as a no fee service to state agencies.

Who else is using it?
Many other states have adopted the site for registering for public health classes and some have adopted it for all-hazards emergency/disaster training management.  For example: the State of Kansas (KS TRAIN)and Utah (UT TRAIN) utilize the all hazards approach and use the TRAIN system for most all emergency management, ICS and homeland security classes.

What are some enhancements in the CO.TRAIN features over the old DEM system?
For example, you can print past certificates for yourself if you lose a certificate. The biggest enhancement is the super calendar which will show all classes. There are also automated function for building class rosters and notifications. As a course administrator, all the students registered in a class can be sent an email with the click of a button. You can also make a training plan for yourself in the system.  In the future, DEM will highlight some of the features in future training activity updates on COEmergency.com.

What are the challenges?
DEM will have to hand key input for past student training records.  We are not certain how long this will take nor how far back our records will go.  We are trying to evaluate this now so stay tuned.

Future enhancements
The Governors Office of Homeland Security (GOHS) will be making some upgrades to the system some time in 2011 to upgrade to the calendar function so that courses may be classified by region and sponsor rather than by discipline code. GOHS courses cross so many disciplines that to use those codes no longer provides us with an accurate view of courses throughout the state. GOHS is already using the web based CO.TRAIN system.

Thank you for your patience as we move to the CO.TRAIN system.  For more information, please email robyn.knappe@state.co.us or call (720)852-6617. Or for more technical issues with the CO.TRAIN site, contact Greg Schlosser at cdphe.co.train@state.co.us or at (303)692-2683.

DEM Exercise Training Officer Update - Operation Nevergreen and the Oct IEMC Exercise

The State Exercise Training Officer (ETO), Tony Reidell, is currently conducting a "Roll-up" of two recent efforts.  The first of which is the After Action Report (AAR) for the Wildfire Exercise, Operation Nevergreen, which was conducted in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) on the 18^th of August.  Related to that exercise but considered a separate effort, is the formalization and first field testing of SEOC Position Specific (Job Books) Checklists.  External Evaluators for the exercise were provided by state and local agencies with many staff assignments within the SEOC being rotated to secondary and alternate positions.  This injected fresh eyes and clear minds into the equation.  The information retrieved was excellent and a larger vetting of these Checklists is currently underway.

Over the next thirty days major emphasis of the ETO will be focused on three upcoming projects.  The largest and most eminent of these being the, October 19^th thru 22^nd, IEMC (Integrated Emergency Management Course) Tornado Exercise.  The IEMC Team is fielded by the National Emergency Management Institute (EMI) at Emmitsburg, Maryland, and will provide a high charged training and exercise opportunity for up to 175 local, regional and state level Emergency Managers and supporting staffer.  We will be looking for volunteers, participants and player in all capacities to maximize this unique presentation.  If you are interested in participating/supporting the exercise, contact Tony Reidell.

Following the IEMC focus will shift to another first in Colorado, a two part series of State Level Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) events.  DEM is currently working with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to development this time product.  As has been seen most recently, the vulnerability of our food chain and stock production is very real.

Finally, Blizzard Exercise design has begun.  As August draws to a close we came to the realization that, in a mere matter of days, winter and the potential of early Rocky Mountain snows are just around the corner.  While we as a state have plenty of experience in this area, we continue to find grounds for improvement and refinement, in both Response and Recovery.  As with each of the scenarios DEM presents in its exercise agenda, we continue to look for meaningful ways to expand the involvement of our partners and allied agencies.  Suggestions for exercise injects as well as volunteers are always welcome.

DEM Plans Section Update - Utility Disruption Planning

Just a some notes on  from Kerry Kimble, State DEM Planner, on DEM's planning team activities.  The DEM planning team is currently working on two projects: (1) our Governor's Energy Office with their 2011 Energy Assurance Plan; and (2) FEMA Region VIII is developing a regional response plan for a large earthquake.  

For each of these projects utility disruption is a basic premise.   

When the power grid goes down, quite a bit of the infrastructure also goes down.  For long-term outages, we are trying to develop a prioritized list of infrastructure to be restored.  The definition of "long-term" is four hours plus.  After that, selected pieces of the infrastructure will need to be addressed as far as becoming operational.  (We are ignoring the fact some facilities will have back-up generators, because sometimes those do not kick in when they are suppose to.) 

Colorado State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) Update

The Colorado State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) was submitted to the DEM Director for promulgation by the Governor recently.  The 2010 update contains 21 major changes to the SEOP based upon legislative changes, lessons learned, and federal guidance.  Once promulgated, it will be posted on the preparedness tab here on COEmergency and the DEM webpage.  If you have any questions about the plan, contact our planner, Kerry Kimble.

Course Announcement - ICS-300 - Oct 9-10 - Adams County

The Adams County Local Emergency Planning Committee is hosting an ICS-300 Expanding Incidents Course on October 9-10, 2010, from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm both days at Suncor (3200 East 56th Avenue) in Commerce City.

The ICS-300 course provides training on and resources for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System (ICS). The target audience for this course is for individuals who may assume a supervisory role in expanding incidents or Type 3 incidents. These incidents may extend into multiple operational periods. This course expands upon information covered in the ICS-100 and ICS-200 courses. This course will include but not be limited to: unified command, incident/event assessment and objective development, the ICS planning process, incident/event resource management, transfer of command and demobilization.

Course Objectives

• Describe how the NIMS Command and Management component supports the management of expanding incidents. 
• Describe the incident/event management process for supervisors and expanding incidents as prescribed by the Incident Command System (ICS). 
• Implement the incident management process on a simulated Type 3 incident. 
• Develop an Incident Action Plan for a simulated incident.

Time and basic requirements
Course Length: 16 hour (for 24 students or less)
Prerequisite: ICS-100, 200 and 700

Targeted Audience/Discipline
Emergency Management personnel, Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Elected and appointed officials, Public works, Volunteer agencies, Military.

To Register
Please contact Jessica Schwarz at 720-322-1401 or email; jschwarz@co.adams.co.us, no later than September 23, 2010.
Note: Must be present all day for both days (Oct 9 & Oct 10th) to receive certificate.

Durango Herald News - Weather wise

Interesting piece from today's (Aug 26, 2010) Durango Herald News, titled "Weather wise" on the effort to shore up the weather radar 'black hole" suspected to exist by weather patterns developing below the existing radar sight lines in the Four Corners region.  The study will also evaluate the annual monsoon rains in Southwest Colorado. The ultimate goal of the project is to seek a permanent fix to help communities better understand weather activity in the Four Corners region.

See Something, Say Something

In Colorado, emergency management and homeland security officials share a common purpose and objective to mitigate, respond to and recover from either man-made or natural disasters and threats to life and property. At the State's Division of Emergency Management, our focus is on natural disasters and managing the State's all-hazards Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC)/Emergency Operations Center (EOC). For homeland security and terrorism issues, the lead agency in Colorado is the Department of Public Safety and, specifically, DPS's Colorado Information and Analysis Center, or CIAC.

You are probably aware of the CIAC's outstanding work with The Cell - The Center for Empowered Living and Learning, to produce the "8 Signs of Terrorism" video above. As the video and the CIAC's site notes, "prevention is everyone's responsibility". In that effort, the Department of Homeland Security's recently introduced program to "see something, say something" is a great reminder of how we all must remain alert and aware, but also to act.

"See Something, Say Something" is key to early identification of potential threats. In Colorado, you are encouraged to report suspicious devices, activities or people by Calling 911. You can learn more about suspicious activity on the CIAC's site.

One call can make a difference.

In addition, you can also report suspicious activity online directly to the CIAC online.  Thankfully, most reports turn out to be non-events, but whether you are crossing a street, noticing that the water level on the local creek is higher after recent storms, supporting your neighborhood watch program, see a downed power line or are simply out and about town, keeping your eyes open and being aware of your surroundings is just good practice.  It is only part of the practice, though.  In order for your observations to yield results, you have to act.  You have to notify local authorities that something doesn't seem right.

Job Announcement - FEMA Regional Disability Integration Specialist - Denver, CO

In addition to the job announcement searching for FEMA External Affairs (Stakeholder) Specialist to work on developing private sector relationships, FEMA is also currently recruiting for Regional Disability Specialists at the GS 12 level for each of the FEMA Regions, including Region VIII - Denver.  According to FEMA, these positions are "located in the office of the Regional Administrator for their respective regions and work closely with the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) to prepare individuals and families strengthening communities before, during and after a disaster by providing guidance, tools, methods, and strategies to integrate and coordinate emergency management efforts to meet the needs of all citizens, including children and adults with disabilities and others with access and functional needs."

For more on this position with Region 8, check out the FEMA Region VIII Regional Disability Specialist announcement on http://usajobs.gov or view the search results on http://usajobs.gov for links to all of the Regional announcements.

All of the announcements close within the next few weeks so get your materials together, submit and join a great team doing amazing, tangible and meaningful work!

Job Announcement - FEMA External Affairs Specialist (Stakeholder Relations) - Denver, CO

Just a note that there is an announcement for an External Affairs Specialist position with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with Region VIII in Denver, CO.

There are actually two announcements, one at the GS-11 level and one at the GS-12/13 level, that are for the same single position.  To apply or read more about the positions, visit http://www.usajobs.gov and look for MG-2010378441-LLN378544D/M (GS-11) and MG-201091424-LLN378441D/M (GS-12/13).

The position is a new position and will focus on cultivating FEMA-Private Sector Stakeholder Relations.  There are similar announcements for each of the regions with positions located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Denton, Kansas City, Oakland, and Bothell.

Course Announcement - All-Hazards Communications Unit Leader - Nov 30-Dec 1 - Pueblo West, CO

The next All-Hazards COML course (flyer), sponsored by the San Luis Valley, South and Southeast Homeland Security Regions, will be November 30 – December 2, 2010 at the Pueblo West Fire Department Station 3 from 8:00 – 5:00 each day. Please complete the attached Course Application and submit it by not later than November 1st. Please fax this application to Mark Hall at (303) 972-4903 or via email at mhall@fairmountfire.org.  If you have any questions, please call him at (303) 972-4902.

Type III COML Course Pre-Qualifications:

A public safety communications background with exposure to field operations; this experience should be validated by the authority who supervised the student.

Fundamental public safety communications technology, supervisory, and personnel management skills.  These must be validated by the authority who supervised the student and include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of local communications systems, including frequencies and spectrum
• Knowledge of and experience with available communications technologies
• Knowledge of local topography
• Knowledge of system site locations
• Knowledge of local, regional, and state communications plans
• Knowledge of local and regional Tactical Interoperable Communications Plans, if available
• Knowledge of local, regional and national communications and resource contacts

Completion of the following training courses (prior to attending):

IS-700, IS-800b
IS-700 explains the purpose, principles, key components and benefits of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).  The course also contains “Planning Activity” screens, allowing participants to complete planning tasks during the course.
IS-800b introduces participants to the concepts and principles of the National Response Framework.

ICS-100, ICS-200, and ICS-300
ICS-100 introduces ICS and provides the foundation for higher level ICS training.  This course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of ICS.  It also explains the relationship between the ICS and NIMS. Course taken on line are considered an equivalent to the classroom version.
ICS-200 provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to assume a supervisory position within ICS. Classroom version preferred.
ICS-300 provides training and resources for personnel who require advanced application of the Incident Command System.

Course Announcement - All-Hazards Situation Unit Leader - Sep 27-Oct 1 - Montrose, CO

Location: Holiday Inn Express, 1391 Townsend - Montrose CO 81401

This 5 day L964 ICS Position Specific, FEMA- developed all-hazards planning class is intended for local, county, state and other personnel who are responsible or potentially responsible for managing multi-jurisdictional or interagency incidents for extended operational periods, as part of a Type III or Type IV Incident Management Team.

Download the All-Hazards Situation Unit Leader Flier

The workshop focuses on leadership principles, organizational skills, document preparation, operational planning, transitional briefings and Situational Unit Leader job duties. This class alone DOES NOT qualify an individual to be credentialed as a Situation Unit Leader as experience is also needed and documented through the task book process.

Prerequisites: An open position task book (PTB) in the Situation Unit Leader position (or Planning Section Chief) is requested. Please fax PTB to 720-852-6750 upon registration. Also, please bring your SITL “go kit” to the class. An open task book is preferred so we can provide training to personnel who will be committed to this position. Case-by-case basis considerations will be made for EOC staff. Please obtain a letter from your Emergency Management Office or DEM field manager recommending your attendance. If you are the emergency manager, please join us as this class is essential to doing your job.

Lodging: Direct bill lodging will be provided beyond 50 miles for the night before the class through Thursday night (check out Friday morning). Class and lodging at Holiday Inn Express.

Register: CO.Train.org Course ID #1023839 If you have any trouble logging in or getting registered with COTrain or for more information please contact Robyn Knappe 720-852-6617 or robyn.knappe@state.co.us

Colorado Public Safety Week - Aug 29-Sep 3, 2010

August 29 - September 3, 2010 is Colorado Public Safety Week.  Sponsored by the Colorado State Fire Chief's Association and in cooperation with fire and law departments across Colorado, the goal of this year's safety week is to promote incident response safety, the proper use of new safety vests, and to provide additional resources to responders to get safety information and training.

The partnership has also developed a Colorado Public Safety Week Training Briefing (download) as an aid for first responders to integrate into their training or staff meetings.



For additional  information regarding the Colorado State Fire Chiefs or Colorado Public Safety week, contact Paul Cooke at paul@coloradofirechiefs.org

Governor Ritter Announces 2010 Homeland Security Grants

Governor Bill Ritter and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security announced today the recipients of this year's homeland security grants.  Local communities and state agencies received awards totaling $19.3 million.  Click here to view the full report, the list of awardees and all 118 funded projects.

According to the Governor's Office Press Release, more than 80 percent of the funds – which come from the federal government and are administered by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security – will go to counties and local jurisdictions throughout Colorado to support local first responders and homeland security initiatives. The projects will improve the state’s preparedness for a man-made or natural disaster.

Funded projects include community preparedness initiatives, detection and protection from explosive devices, interoperable communications capabilities, law enforcement crime data and counter-terrorism tools, planning, information sharing and collaboration capabilities, medical surge capabilities, exercise and training initiatives, and first responder equipment.

“These important grants will help local communities all around the state improve public safety and continue preparing for possible emergencies,” Gov. Ritter said. “Through partnerships like this, we are providing invaluable support to first-responders and local communities.”

One of the largest grants, $952,000, was awarded to Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs to support and enhance an emergency Metropolitan Medical Response System.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security guided the selection process throughout the past six months using risk-based funding formulas and a competitive scoring process judging the quality of the projects submitted.

Almost $30 million of requests for 170 projects were submitted by state agencies and regional authorities in April. These projects were then scored by a cross jurisdictional Grant Review Committee in July. The resulting recommendations for awards for 118 projects were then approved by a Governor’s Homeland Security Senior Advisory Committee and by Gov. Ritter.

For specifics on the grant amounts for each region/program, check out the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security website at www.colorado.gov/homelandsecurity.  Too, for particular information regarding the program, contact Evan Dreyer with the Governor's Office at evan.dreyer@state.co.us or at (720) 350-8370 or Mason Whitney with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security at (720) 852-6602.

Colorado School Safety Resource Center - Safe Schools Training - 10/20-21 - Pueblo, CO

The Colorado School Safety Resource Center is holding their next two-day Colorado Safe Schools Training October 20-21, 2010, in Pueblo, CO.  This training is free to all Colorado participants and, if an endorsement would help convince you to attend, Cathy Prudhomme, Citizen Preparedness Program Manager, from the Governor's Office of Homeland Security adds that "earlier this year, I attended this training and it was one of the best I've ever attended - it's highly recommended."

The training is targeted for school administration, faculty and staff, security and law enforcement personnel, fire and emergency medical responders, mental health and counseling professionals, community agencies and parent/parent organization representatives.

Download the Colorado Safe Schools Training Course Flyer and register online via CO.TRAIN (http://www.co.train.org) at Course ID: 1021638.  For additional information, you can visit the Colorado School Safety Resource Center Page, email the Center at schoolsafetycenter@cdps.state.co.us or call the Center at (303) 239-4435.

The CDV-700M

In organizing one of our storage rooms here at the Division, we came across one of our reserve equipment pieces from our old Division of Disaster and Emergency Services days, the CDV-700M Radiological Monitor.  It is one of host we received and maintained for radiological preparedness in the late 1970s from the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (Federal Emergency Management Agency's predecessor).

At that time, our (now) Division of Emergency Management was a part of the Department of Military Affairs.  Today, we reside in the Department of Local Affairs, but at that time we maintained a robust Radiological Monitoring Program, including a Radiological Officer and a Calibration Technician to support local Civil Defense authorities.

As emergency management and homeland security organizations, structures and technologies evolved from the civil defense era, this aspect of our program moved on, as well.  These days, the capabilities of any individual first responder is arguably more powerful, connected and technologically advanced than anything like what was in play then at the top-tier Civil Defense level.

That said, we still keep a few pieces around the office such as this one, just in case.

Most interesting?  We fired it up and, despite its age and near-relic status, it worked perfectly!  That said... we are perfectly happy it stays in its home on the reserve shelves, unneeded for another 30+ years.

Second Annual Volunteer Capacity Building Workshop - 8/27 - Breckenridge, CO

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Colorado Volunteer Coordinator, Koral O'Brien, is hosting the Second Annual Volunteer Capacity Building Workshop (Course ID 1023540) on Friday, August 27, 2010 in Breckenridge, CO at the Beaver Run Conference Center.  This one day workshop targets the Medical Response Corps, Citizen Corps, Red Cross, Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, and Citizen Emergency Response Teams to take part in a day of educational and training opportunities.  

You can register for the workshop online at CO.TRAIN (http://www.co.train.org).  You will find the workshop listed under Course ID 1023540.

There is a robust agenda being developed for the course, with specific instruction/discussion on topics such as Federal and Medical Health Response, Volunteer Legal Issues, 800MHz Radio Trainings, Social Media and Disasters, Psychological First Aid, ICS 100 and 700, Citizens Emergency Response Team Training and much, much more.  You can download a copy of the draft agenda on the CO.TRAIN Second Annual Volunteer Capacity Building Workshop Announcement (Course ID 1023540).

If you have any questions, just shoot an email to koral.obrien@gmail.com or give her a ring at (303) 692-2782

Fast Follow COEmergency's Twitter Feed via TXT/SMS

Twitter has rolled out a new feature called "Fast Follow" which should grab the attention of emergency managers and the emergency management community.  In short, the feature allows any user - regardless of if they have a Twitter account or not - to begin receiving texts from any Twitter account.

Huh?

OK.  Probably best to try it.  Using your mobile phone, send a text message to 40404 with the message of "follow coemergency" and you will begin receiving text/sms messages of the same posts we make on our COEmergency Twitter Feed on your mobile device.  By doing the same with your local fire, police, town, news agencies or any Twitter account in your area from organizations that matter to you, you can now stay instantly up to speed with notifications on your phone.  While many Colorado communities offer txt/email/sms alert systems, a wider and growing number of organizations maintain Twitter feeds as a part of their outreach/notification systems.  This effort opens up a wider variety of options for text message notifications to help you and your family stay informed. 

Obviously, like any text, you must have a capable phone and a plan that supports text messaging and be aware of the plans/costs associated with that data usage, but the concept holds great potential to help spread the word before, during and in the aftermath of a disaster.

Give it a shot.  And, if you are in Colorado and curious as to which organizations in your area have local accounts, we've made a stab at compiling a list of Colorado Media, Colorado Government and Colorado Emergency Services Twitter accounts.  Just look through the list, pick out the ones that matter to you and try it out!  There are many great organizations in Colorado using this and other social media tools to help you stay informed and safe!

Course Announcement - Hazmat Air Monitoring - 9/21-23 - Loveland, CO

The Colorado Division of Fire Safety and Signet North America are hosting a Hazmat Air Monitoring course at the Loveland Fire Training Center from September 21-23, 2010, from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.

To register, call (303) 239-4600

This course is geared towards emergency response personnel who wish to acquire working knowledge and skills related to the use of and interpretation of information provided by hazardous materials air monitoring equipment. Upon completion of the course, the student will possess skills and competencies in making decisions as to selection, equip-ment limitations, interpretation of data, and sample collection for lab analysis. This class includes hands-on field exercises using skills and knowledge obtained in this course. Students will work in small groups to ensure maximum involvement and participation in the class. The experience will heavily involve live application of the material learned during this exciting 16-Hour course.

The goal of this experience is to ensure that personnel will better understand the capabilities and limitations of hazardous materials air monitoring equipment and selection resources, as well as the selection and use of different devices, interpretation of data from these devices, and field sample collections for further analysis. To that end, this experience will address standards found in the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Hazardous Materials Emergency Responder Training Level (1910.120(q)(6) as well as standards related to air monitoring found in NFPA 472. It will also address Colorado Division of Fire Safety Hazardous Materials Operations JPR #2 and #5 as well as Hazardous Materials Technician JPR #4b, #4c, #9a, and #9b.

Attendees are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO BRING THEIR OWN AGENCY’S MONITORING EQUIPMENT to allow for maximum immediate and long-term benefits of this experience.

READYColorado - National Preparedness Month - Sep 2010

September is National Preparedness Month, and READYColorado and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security are providing an opportunity to promote your individual or business disaster preparedness classes, workshops, and events on the READYColorado website http://www.readycolorado.com/.  

The Colorado campaign was developed to encourage all citizens to enroll and participate in an upcoming disaster preparedness class during the month of September.  Potential classes include CPR and AED training, First Aid, a CERT course, weather spotting, HAM radio, wildfire mitigation, pet first aid, etc.  Any course, class, workshop, or event that increases citizen preparedness, or encourages mitigation efforts, is invited to share their information on the site. Every applicable class and event will be promoted on the READYColorado website's special National Preparedness Month section.  To have your class included in the campaign send your information (please include the course name, a brief description, date, time, length, registration info, and a point of contact) to Cathy Prudhomme.

Share this opportunity with your local fire and police departments, sheriff's office, red cross, and non-profits too! 

Course Announcement - ICS Forms - 9/1/10 - Centennial, CO

On September 1, 2010, the State Emergency Operation Center will host an ICS Forms Class from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon).  Come learn or refresh the essential Incident Command System (ICS) Forms to be used in the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC).  This will be a great workshop prior to the National Response Plan Exercise in October 2010. Does everyone have to complete an ICS 214? Come learn the answer. The class will be held at DEM 9195 E, Mineral Ave., Second Floor, Centennial CO 80112.  To register, complete DEM Training 75-5 EZ Form.  The class is geared towards state agency SEOC personnel and their back up staff and there is no charge for the class.

Course Announcement - OGT-101 EOC Operations and Planning for All-Hazards Events - 8/24-26 - Glendale, CO

The UASI/North Central Region Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) is pleased to announce the following course:

Course: OGT-101 EOC Operations and Planning for All-Hazards Events

The EOC Operations and Planning course offers participants insight into, and practical experience with, emergency management and decision-making skills necessary to effectively manage an EOC and the overall response to a large-scale Type 3 or 2 and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)/terrorism incident or all-hazard event utilizing the MACS. The EOC course is 24 hours in length, with decision-based exercises comprising 8 of the 24 hours. This course will develop and reinforce emergency management, situational awareness, information management, resource management, and decision-making skills for course participants. The course adapts existing emergency management NIMS/ICS procedures to the unique requirements of EOC operations.

August 24-26 2010

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

4300 Cherry Creek Drive South

Glendale, CO 80246

Course Length: 24 hours from 8am to 5pm daily
Prerequisites: G775 EOC Management and Operations, G191 ICS/EOC Interface
Target Audience:  EOC Command or upper level management staff

Registration Information:
The course is taught by the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and sponsored by the UASI/NCR EOC Committee. Requests to attend must be submitted through your Emergency Manager and your training administrator will register students through the on-line training system. Please contact Matt Mueller (720) 865-7641 - matthew.mueller@denvergov.org  or Scott Field at 720-865-7603, scott.field@denvergov.org if you have any questions.

NOTE:  Effective October 01, 2007, this course is NOT APPROVED for reimbursement for overtime or backfill from UASI training funds.

FEMA Position-Specific Situation Unit Leader Training Recap

Last week the State of Colorado conducted the first FEMA position-specific training in Centennial. Ten students (including the deputy director of DEM) completed the course that took the better part of a week. L-964 -Situation Unit Leader is one of eighteen national courses. Instructors Pat Conroy and Todd Manns, both Type III-qualified Planning Section Chiefs put the class through both lecture and exercise with an emphasis on understanding mapping, field observation, computer usages on incidents, intelligence operations and the role of the situation unit leader in incident management. Attendees of all of the FEMA position-specific courses are required to have an initiated task book for the course position and are individually tested prior to certificate achievement.

The next FEMA position specific course will be Resource Unit Leader, Carbondale, Colorado the week of August 17th.

For questions regarding the course and scheduling of future trainings, contact Todd Manns, The Blue Cell, or the DEM State Training Officer, Robyn Knappe.

Denver UASI: Shared Strategies for Homeland Security Video

Launched yesterday, the Denver Urban Area Security Initiative rolled out a new Shared Strategies Blog to provide information, video interviews and support for the upcoming Shared Strategies for Homeland Security Conference planned for December 13-16, 2010 in Denver, CO.  The Shared Strategies Blog will be the place where detailed information regarding each of the business and critical infrastructure, first responder, medical and health, and community resiliency will be posted.



We at the Division are actively supporting the planning and input for the Conference.  We are doing so because of the new ground our partners at Denver UASI are seeking to break.  Departing from the norm of program management, grant administration and organizational issues discussions, this conference will focus solely on subject-matter exchange of ideas, strategies and solutions to mutual homeland security challenges.  By gathering bomb techs, SWAT, emergency medical personnel, fire and law officers, civilian volunteers and private sector representatives in one spot with no other focus, the goal is to mold a common response approach that balances each disciplines unique considerations and priorities in response to human-initiated or other disasters.

For conference registration, grant funding info to attend or for other questions regarding the conference, go to the Shared Strategies Conference site or contact Jennifer Steck at jennifer.steck@ci.denver.co.us.

One of the more fascinating aspects of this first-run effort has been Denver UASI's initiative to go to where the expertise overseas exists in blending these disciplines together in a unified response to real events and bringing it home to Denver for this training.  Interested?  Take a look at the quick Conference video where Denver UASI got impressions from local Denver bomb techs, fire, law and health officials on what they are looking forward to in terms of sharing strategies.

You can also find additional information regarding the conference on the Denver UASI Twitter Feed and the Shared Strategies Conference Facebook Page.

Job Announcement - DEM Emergency Management Planner - Centennial, CO

The Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is looking to hire an Emergency Management Planner for our Headquarters Office.  This announcement closes on August 13, 2010.  This position as an Emergency Management Planner will work with the State lead Emergency Management Planning Officer to draft, develop, maintain, and coordinate designated State-level operational procedures, plans, functional and incident specific annexes, with the main document being the State Emergency Operations Plan; support other government entities in the development and coordination of their plans; assist in collecting, evaluating, and disseminating information pertaining to a hazard class; and provide direct support in designing and implementing exercises and training to evaluate and improve the plans.

During specific emergencies or incidents the Planner will assist in preparing and documenting Incident Action Plans (IAP) and incident maps and gathers and disseminates information and intelligence critical to the incident.  The position will serve in the rotation of Division of Emergency Management Duty Officer and performs duty officer responsibilities for a designated period of time, 24 hours per day.

NOTE:  This position is for a specific grant and there is no guarantee of continued employment beyond the grand end date (grant provides for an 18 month performance period).  For more information on the position or to apply, check out the Emergency Management Planner Announcement on the Department of Local Affairs HR site or contact Susie Esparza at Susie.Esparza@state.co.us or at (303) 866-5884.

Colorado National Guard Conducting Major Emergency Response Exercise - Aug 5-7 - Lakewood, CO

The Colorado National Guard, in conjunction with the West Metro Fire District and Colorado Task Force-One (CO-TF1) will be conducting a large-scale emergency response exercise at the new West Metro Fire Training Rescue Center in Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 5-7.

According to the Guard's Press Release on the exercise, "the three-day exercise will involve multiple realistic scenarios of mass casualty events in which local authorities will request assistance from the Colorado National Guard. Approximately 600 Soldiers, Airmen, first responders, evaluators, and role players will participate in this exercise involving a hypothetical terrorist attack using biological, radiological, and chemical weapons, the collapse of urban structures, and trapped victims."

The press release adds that the Colorado National Guard unit who will be responding is the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-yield Explosives, (CBRNE)-Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P). A CERF-P is a rapidly-deployable National Guard unit capable of providing immediate response capability to a Governor for a CBRNE incident. CERF-P has five primary capabilities: medical, which provides evaluation and triaging for evacuation; decontamination; search and extraction, which searches for victims and extracts them from collapsed structures; communications. The final element is command and control. A CERF-P has 200 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen.

For more on the training and activities, visit the Colorado National Guard's site at http://www.co.ng.mil and be sure to check out their other online sites, including the Colorado National Guard Facebook Page, Colorado National Guard Twitter Feed, the Colorado National Guard's Flickr Page, and the Colorado National Guard YouTube Channel. 

For any questions about the exercise, contact either Maj. Elena O'Bryan at (720) 250-1053 or Capt. Michael Odgers at (720) 250-1024.

Colorado Instructor Historical Recognition Program

The State of Colorado All-Hazards Incident Command Position-Specific Historical Recognition working group is looking to recruit and recognize qualified instructors to add to the State and National Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute (EMI) instructor cadre.

Federal training criteria was established and went into effect on September 14, 2009 and is only allowable until September 30, 2010. This program allows for instructor historical information to be reviewed ensuring all aspects of the instructor quality are being evaluated. As a result of the Federal training requirements, the State of Colorado developed the All-Hazards Incident Command Position-Specific Historical Recognition Working Group.  The main focus of this work group it to evaluate the historical documentation, training, qualifications, experience and instructor skill sets, for applicants who are interested in teaching the FEMA All Hazards ICS Position Specific classes within the state of Colorado.  There are two levels of instruction; Lead Instructor and Support/Unit Leader.

Incident Command System (ICS) Position-Specific (PS) training is designed to provide all-hazards competencies and behaviors for the eight Command and General Staff positions and select unit leader positions.  The competencies, and experience in the training, for which the instructor will be reviewed, are focused around the ability of the instructor to relay to the student the position responsibilities, ability to lead assigned personnel, communicate effectively, and to ensure the completion of assigned tasks to meet identified objectives for the position.

The State of Colorado All-Hazards Incident Command Position-Specific Historical Recognition Working Group will evaluate the instructor historical documentation in concert with State Training Officer for the Colorado Division of Emergency Management. and make decisions on the quality and ability to represent the State of Colorado.

All-Hazard Incident Commander (L-951)
All-Hazards Public Information Office (L-953)
All-Hazards Safety Officer (L-957)
All-Hazards Operations Section Chief (L-958)
Division/Group Supervisor
All-Hazards Planning Section Chief (L-962)
-Situation Unit Leader
-Resource Unit Leader   
All-Hazards Logistics Section Chief (L-963)
-Supply Unit Leader
-Facilities Unit Leader
-Communications Leader
All-Hazards Finance/Administration (L-974)
-Finance/Admin Unit Leader
All-Hazards Liaison Officer (L-956)

Instructors interested in completing the Historical Recognition documentation packet should contact the State of Colorado Training Coordinator Robyn Knappe at  robyn.knappe@state.co.us

Advanced HAZMAT Life Support Provider/Instructor Course - Oct 13-15 - Denver, CO

Our Training Officer, Robyn Knappe, wanted to pass on an interesting upcoming training activity in Denver regarding how to - quickly and efficiently - medically manage victims exposed to an accidental chemical spill or intentional terrorist event.

Advanced HAZMAT Life Support (AHLS) has a two-day Provider Course designed to train medical professionals how to treat people exposed to hazardous materials.  The course(s) will be held on October 13-15, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Denver.

For more info regarding the course, registration and other details, check out the AHLS Provider/Instructor Course page.

2011 Western Colorado All-Hazards Conference - Apr 25-29, 2011 - Grand Junction

Supported through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security and with cooperation from the City and County of Denver Office of Emergency Management, the Northwest All-Hazards Emergency Management Region, the West All-Hazards Emergency Management Region and the State's Division of Emergency Management, Mesa County will be hosting the 2011 Western Colorado All-Hazards Conference from April 25-29, 2011, at the Clarion Inn in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The Conference will feature Federal Emergency Management Agency position-specific trainings, including Incident Commander, Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, Command and General Staff Type 3, ICS-300 and ICS-400.

This is just the initial announcement and more details will follow, but for any questions or registration information, contact Nanci Quintana at nanci.quintana@mesacounty.us or at (970) 248-6947.

Course Announcement - G-191 Incident Command System (ICS)-Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Interface - 8/30-31/2010 - Centennial, CO

Intended for emergency management professionals from all disciplines, the two day ICS/EOC interface Workshop is geared to understand more thoroughly the relationship between the on-scene Incident Command and the Emergency Operations Center.  The word “interface” in the course implies communication, coordination and other relationships between field operations and the EOC.  The class will be held at the South Metro Fire Building in Centennial, CO

To register, complete the online 75-5 EZ Form and for more information, contact Robyn Knappe at robyn.knappe@state.co.us or at (720) 852-6617.  You can also view other DEM course offerings/training opportunities and information by clicking on the "Training" tab above.

Recommended Prerequisites:  NIMS IS 700, IS 800, ICS 100, ICS 200 and IS/G775

FEMA Encourages Applications for Mitigation Grants

Our DEM Mitigation Office and FEMA partners wanted to pass on the FEMA announcement regarding the availability of the FY 2010 mitigation grant guidance and open application period for the Hazard Mitigation Assistance non-disaster grant programs.  These programs allow local communities, state agencies, and federally-recognized tribal governments to apply for mitigation planning grants or project grants based on risks identified in FEMA approved, local, tribal or state hazard mitigation plans.

For the Colorado, these grants are managed through the Mitigation Office here at the Division of Emergency Management and at the Denver-based FEMA regional offices.

The application period for the FY 2010 grants began June 1, 2010, and remains open through Dec. 3, 2010 for FY 2011 grants.

The FEMA grant descriptions are pasted below and consist of one program that focuses on risk reduction from all hazard types and three that directly address reduction of flood risk:

• Pre-Disaster Mitigation is a nationally competitive program that provides funds for hazard mitigation planning grants and implementation of mitigation project grants. 
• Flood Mitigation Assistance provides grants for cost-effective measures to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.
• The Repetitive Flood Claims program provides funding to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to structures insured by the National Flood Insurance Program that have had one or more flood claim payments. These funds may only be used for structures that cannot meet all of the requirements of the Flood Mitigation Assistance program.
• The Severe Repetitive Loss program provides funding to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to residential structures insured by the National Flood Insurance Program that meet specific criteria in terms of multiple claims or claims that total an excessive cumulative amount. An insignificant number of severe repetitive loss structures are located in Region VIII.

Additional FEMA information is available at the following web site: http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/hma/grant_resources.shtm#0 and contact information, grant news and state hazard plan information for the DEM mitigation staff can be found online at http://www.coemergency.com/p/mitigation.html

Denver Hits Milestone in Emergency Preparedness

According to Carolyn Bluhm, with the City of Denver's Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the City of Denver trained and registered more than 1,500 individuals in the metro area through its Citizen Emergency Response Training (CERT) program as of July 2010.

The Denver Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security offers the disaster preparedness and response training for all types of hazards that could potentially impact our area.

“The ability of a community to recover from a devastating terrorist event, a natural disaster or emergency requires active planning, participation, and cooperation from citizens,” said Dan Alexander, Director of the Office of Emergency Management. “While each individual shares the responsibility for preparedness, proper training and support are vital to minimize the effects of a disaster.”

Well-trained citizens can assist others in the immediate aftermath of an emergency event when professional responders may not immediately be available to help. The CERT program specifically trains citizens in disaster planning and basic response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.

The Office of Emergency Management often partners with local groups to conduct training. Partner organizations have included the Center for African American Health, Colorado Asian Health Education and Promotion, Denver’s Commission for People with Disabilities, Denver’s Commission on Aging, Denver Indian Center - Native Americans, Gay and Gray in the West, Colorado Muslim Society, St. Cajetan Catholic Church, Retired Seniors Volunteer Program, Colorado Federal Executive Board, Rocky Mountain Intergovernmental Continuity Council, Denver Regional Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters, READY Colorado, Colorado North Central Region Citizen Corp Council (10 counties and 16 cities in the Denver metro area), various faith-based organizations, government agencies and others.

The program’s professional training partners include the Denver Fire Department, Denver Police Department, Denver Health and Hospitals, Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Human Services, Denver Parks and Recreation, Colorado North Central Region Citizen Corp Council, Colorado Division of Emergency Management and the Governor Office of Homeland Security.

For more info and or questions about Denver's CERT effort, contact Carolyn Bluhm at (720) 865-7600 or at carolyn.bluhm@denvergov.org