Information and Updates
Resource Mobilization Annex Public Comment Period Open
The Office of Emergency Management is seeking public comment on the current Resource Mobilization Annex until March 15. Email Bill Miederhoff at william.miederhoff@state.co.us with your feedback.
Sequester Letter from FEMA
FEMA is circulating a letter about sequestration and grants. Additional information from OEM is that the House today proposed a continuing resolution to fund the government for the rest of the Federal Fiscal Year at the post-sequestration rates. We will need to see what the Senate does, however, a continuing resolution passed by Congress and signed by the President would allow FEMA to award their grants. Based on some calculations by NEMA's legislative liaison, it appears that EMPG will be cut from $350 million to $332.5 million in this proposal. If this holds true, it means Colorado's programs will be unaffected except for a reduction in funding for special projects. This estimate is less than the 10% cut OEM Director, Dave Hard, discussed at the Colorado Emergency Management conference.
The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will continue to provide updates as they become available through the Division Update, the Division website and on the COEmergency site.
2013 Colorado Emergency Management Conference
Thank you to everyone who attended the conference and who worked to make the conference possible. There were more than 300 people in attendance this year. If you are looking for copies of the conference presentations, please visit www.COEmergency.com and click on the Conference tab.
If you attended the conference the team would love to receive your feedback on the conference survey. The link to the survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N5H2XHJ.
Fire Restriction and Fire Ban Updates
The Office of Emergency Management will continue to provide a list of fire restrictions and fire ban information on our site at www.COEmergency.com as well as a map showing the current status. As you update your fire restrictions and bans please share the information with Micki by email at micki.trost@state.co.us or by sending it to our Regional Field Manager and Fire Management Officer. This page is offered as a service to the community. OEM is not setting fire restriction levels. It is simply sharing the restrictions that local jurisdictions have set for themselves.
Public Information Officer Group Information
Two new pages will be added to the division website at www.DHSEM.state.co.us that are specific to public information officers in Colorado. Please send Micki Trost the name of your PIO group and the main contact for the group. The other page will compile PIO specific training and networking opportunities. If you have an opportunity to share please send those to Micki as well by email to micki.trost@state.co.us. Thank you for your help in providing this information. The goal of these pages is to strengthen the Joint Information System for PIOs within the state and with our neighboring states.
Change of Name: Division Update
You may have noticed that this newsletter has changed to the DHSEM Update as announced at the Colorado Emergency Management Conference last week. The newsletter will now include regular updates from all of the offices within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Submissions of information are also encouraged from our partners. Please email the information to micki.trost@state.co.us.
Southwest/San Luis Valley Regional Field Manager Announced
The Office of Emergency Management is pleased to announce that Trevor Denney has accepted the position of Regional Field Manager for the Southwest and San Luis Valley Regions. An official start date will be announced later this week.
Trevor comes to OEM from Grant County where he is the Deputy Emergency Manager.
Transition Advisory Committee Update
Each month the Division will provide an update on the progress achieved on the recommendations from the Transition Advisory Committee (TAC). These will be available to view on the Division website at www.DHSEM.state.co.us on the About Us page under the Committee page. View the February TAC updates.
FEMA and FTA Sign Agreement Regarding Federal Assistance to Repair and Restore Public Transportation Systems During Major Disasters
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that outlines the roles and responsibilities of both agencies in providing federal assistance to repair and restore public transportation systems in areas the President has declared a major disaster or emergency. FTA’s newly authorized Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program was established by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and the MOA is required to establish the relief program.
FEMA will continue to have primary federal responsibility for emergency preparedness, response and recovery in major disasters and emergencies. The new authority provides FTA with primary responsibility for reimbursing emergency response and recovery costs after an emergency or disaster that affects public transportation systems and for helping to mitigate the impact of future disasters.
The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, which President Obama signed into law on January 29, required the FTA to make available no more than $2 billion in disaster funds within 60 days of enactment of the disaster relief appropriation, which the agency is currently doing. The remaining funds required a MOA between FEMA and FTA and the establishment of emergency relief program regulations by FTA.
Homeland Security and All-Hazards Advisory Committee
The Homeland Security and All-Hazards Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, March 11, 2013 at the DHSEM office in Centennial beginning at 10 a.m.
Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership (CEPP): March Program
The events of 9-11 solidified in many minds that the threat of terrorism is real and upon our doorstep. The recent tragedy in Aurora is a sobering reminder that acts of terror can come from within our community as well, and we must work collectively to find ways to prevent such incidents from occurring.
On March 14th, 2013, the CEPP, in partnership with the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (the CELL) invite you to a work shop, "Denver's Response to a Mumbai-style attack." Named after the infamous terrorist event that killed 164 people in November, 2008 in India's largest city, the workshop will address such potential threats and how the public sector can partner with the private sector in counter-terrorism, prevention and response. We will hear from representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State of Colorado, the Denver Police and Fire Departments, the City and County of Denver's Office of Emergency Management, the private sector and the medical community who recently completed an exercise with FEMA on this topic. Our ability to defeat the threat and respond to any incidents is incumbent upon our ability to work together as a region.
The panel discussion will be preceded by the meeting registration and complimentary tour of the CELL.
When: March 14, 2013 Registration, CELL Tour & Refreshments from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Meeting from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: 99 West 12th Avenue, Denver, Colorado
Attendees will be directed to Sharp Auditorium in The Denver Art Museum for the Panel Discussion.
We hope you can participate in this critical program.
To register go to www.thecepp.org or click on the link below to register or RSVP: <http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=dvyh77cab&oeidk=a07e700osmwa91ce9d2&oseq=a001fwmqoowa>
Kudos and Thank You
Thank you to the members of the 2013 Colorado Emergency Management Conference IMT. The members included:
Incident Command and Command Staff
· Incident Commander: Steve Paolino
· Public Information Officer: Micki Trost
· Liaison Officer: Chuck Hildebrand
Organization Representatives
· COEM Representative: Chad Ray
· CEMA Representative: Jim Lancy
Planning Section
· Chief: Paul Engstrom
· Status Check-In: Sarah Werner
· Status Check-In: Chris Sorensen
· Status Check-In: Amy Shish
· Computer TS: Elizabeth Ownsby
· Computer TS: Charles Boyle
· Computer TS: Eric Simmons
Logistics Section
· Chief: Travis Bailey
Service Branch
· Communications Unit: Jack Cobb
Operations Section
· Chief: Jim Moore
· Branch Deputy Division A/B: Tony Reidell
· Branch Deputy Division B/C: Kerry Kimble
· Branch Deputy Vendor Division: Mike Gavin
Job Announcements
Kiowa County Emergency Management Position
Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications for a coordinator to work in the Division of Emergency Management.
The preferred candidate will have a background in emergency management or emergency response. The candidate must have or be able to obtain Incident Command System (ICS) 100-400 and National Incident Management System (NIMS) 700-800 certification within one year. The FEMA Professional Development Series certification is helpful.
The candidate must be able to coordinate with local, regional and state teams, manage grant resources, and develop and implement preparedness and response plans for responders and the general public. They must oversee and maintain emergency operations center readiness and must be able to travel and respond to local and state emergencies and mutual aid requests with little notice. The candidate must possess the ability to leverage and obtain other grant fund sources for the benefit of the agency and county. A valid Colorado driver’s license and background check required.
The position is partially grant funded and contingent upon continued receipt of grant funds. An application and resume must be submitted to the Kiowa County Commissioners Office, PO Box 100, 1305 Goff Street, Eads, Colorado 81036, (719) 438-5810. Deadline for applications to be submitted is March 20, 2013 at 4:30 pm. Kiowa County reserves the right to reject any and all applications. EOE.
CVISN Project and Grant Manager Position Announcement
A new open competitive announcement has been posted for a CVISN Project and Grant Manager Position for Colorado State Patrol Port of Entry. Please note the link will expire at 5:00 pm 3/10/2013. CVISN Project and Grant Manager Position Announcement
Twitter Account for Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
If you are looking for official information from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control please follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/COStateFire or @COStateFire.
Additional information is also available on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CODivFirePrevControl?fref=ts or under Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
Educational Resources
Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Practitioner Webinar: Improving State and Local Warnings
Public warning is rapidly changing as technology evolves allowing for rapid origination and dissemination of emergency messages to the public. Updated policies, governance, plans and procedures are also needed so emergency managers are better prepared to handle newly identified hazards in their jurisdictions.
During IPAWS’ next Webinar on March 6 at 12 p.m., Manny Centeno, IPAWS Program Manager, will engage in a discussion of how public alerting has changed, where it is going and how as alerting authorities we need to adapt our plans to adjust to the changing environment. He will discuss the fundamentals we should consider when formulating an updated alert and warning framework and provide examples of how other states have gotten to where they are now.
To further illustrate the concept, Manny will be joined by representatives from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and Nebraska’s State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC), where they are currently working with state and local agencies to update their own alerting plans. Alisia La May and Jim Skinner will share their experiences and how they are overcoming the challenges they face as they work to update their alerting system. Adrienne Abbott, Nevada SECC, will also provide an update on how the state is developing public warning through IPAWS. A brief overview of some important best practices for cyber-security will also be offered.
This presentation is intended primarily for emergency manager practitioners, EAS participants and other interested IPAWS stakeholders. Please make plans to join us, and as always, your questions and comments are welcome.
Webinar Login: The following login link can be used no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled meeting time:
NOTE: The audio portion of the program will be delivered via your phone. If would like to call in for just the audio you can call in through the number below:
1-650-479-3207
Access code: 669 853 141
If you are unable to attend this month’s program due to other commitments, a recording and transcript will be accessible from the FEMA Library at http://www.fema.gov/calendar-events/integrated-public-alert-warning-system-practitioner-webinar-archive
If you have specific questions about this webinar please contact Caitlyn Stephenson by email at Caitlyn.stephenson@associates.fema.dhs.gov.
Training Information
Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher
The intent of annual fireline safety refresher training is to provide wildland firefighters, and support personnel information on current issues relating to safety, policy changes, and to share knowledge gained from the 2012 fire season.
Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) was created to provide facilitators and instructors one location to access videos, work books, and other pertinent material to conduct training that is relevant, interesting and engages the students. WFSTAR can be accessed at: http://www.nifc.gov/wfstar/index.html.
Annual refresher training has four core components to fulfill requirements for Annual Fireline Safety Refresher (RT-130) which include:
· Avoiding Entrapments
· Current Issues
· Fire Shelters
· Other Hazards and Safety Issues
What’s New in 2013?
The DVD is tentatively scheduled for release on March 20, 2013. However, all modules will soon be available on the WFSTAR website for download. End users are encouraged to use the new format as 2013 is the last year the DVD will be available.
Federal wildland fire agencies will distribute the 2013 DVD’s through normal distribution channels, with the exception of the National Park Service. The Park Service is asking firefighters to download their program from the WFSTAR website. Non-Federal agencies, contractors, and other users can order the DVD directly from Custom Recording and Sound at (208)-344-3535 or fire@crsimedia.com.
Public Information Officer and Crisis Communication Trainings Being Planned
There have been several requests for public information and crisis communication trainings in the state. Micki Trost, DHSEM PIO, is working with the Office of Preparedness Training Program to bring in several opportunities for 2013. Although locations have not been finalized for some of these we wanted you to have the opportunity to share time on your calendars. Registration for all trainings will occur through www.co.train.org when all logistics are finalized.
· G290 Public Information Officer Courses
o March 7-8 in Centennial
o October 31 and November 1
o December 5-6
· March 15, 2013 (Estes Park): Joint Information Center and Call Taker Training
· April 5, 2013 (Denver Metro Area): Public Information Officer working with Non-Governmental Organization During Crisis to Coordinate: Volunteers, Donations and Call Centers.
· April 15-19, 2013 (Larimer County): S402/ L962 All-Hazards Public Information Officer Course
· August 27-28, 2014 (State EOC): Argonne National Laboratory’s Joint Information System/Joint Information Center Training
· September or November: Social Media training offered at State EOC and Western Slope by the National Preparedness Center from the University of Hawaii.
CO.TRAIN Colorado Training Calendar
Training Calendar and Announcements
March Courses
March 4-8, 2013 (Denver), L950: Type III All-Hazard Incident Commander Training, Registration: COTRAIN, Course ID 1037708, Contact: Crystal Abeyta
March 5-8, 2013 (Eagle), SUPL S-356 & P-977: Supply Unit Leader, Registration: Email registration form to Wendy Fischer, Contact: Dwight Henninger
March 6-7, 2013 (Leadville), ICS300: Intermediate Incident Command System
March 6-8, 2013 (Highlands Ranch), L969: All-Hazards Communications Unit Leader (COML), Registration: Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Contact: Mark Hall
March 7-8, 2013 (Centennial), G290: Basic Public Information Officer, Registration: COTRAIN, Course ID 1024974, Contact: Robyn Knappe
Respond Wyoming Conference, Registration: 307-358-1920
April Courses
April 9-10, 2013 (Centennial), AWR136: The Essentials of Cyber Security & MGT384: The EOC's Role in Community Cyber Security, Registration: COTRAIN, Course ID 1037412
April 10-11, 2013 (Edwards), ICS400: Advanced Incident Command System, Registration: COTRAIN, Course ID 1006001, Contact: Robyn Knappe
April 17-18 (Denver), ICS300: Intermediate Incident Command System, Registration: COTRAIN, Course ID 1005860, Contact: Crystal Abeyeta
April 29-30, 2013 (Aspen), ICS400: Advanced Incident Command System, Registration: COTRAIN, Course ID 1006001, Contact: Robyn Knappe
April 29-May 3, 2013 (NETC - Emmitsburg, MD), E978: Situation Unit Leader, Registration: Send form 119-25-1 to Robyn Knappe, Contact: Robert Ridgeway
May Courses
May 6-9, 2013 (NETC - Emmitsburg, MD), E977 Supply Unit Leader, Registration: Send form 119-25-1 to Robyn Knappe, Contact: Robert Ridgeway
August Courses
August 26-28, 2013 (NETC - Emmitsburg, MD), E974: Finance/Administration Section Chief, Registration: Send form 119-25-1 to Robyn Knappe, Contact: Robert Ridgeway
September Courses
September 10-12, 2013 (NETC - Emmitsburg, MD), E976: Finance/Administration Unit Leader, Registration: Send form 119-25-1 to Robyn Knappe, Contact: Robert Ridgeway
Training notes
DHSEM does not pay for out of state travel to attend training courses.
