The Whole of Community Approach to Emergency Preparedness

In these days of tightening budgets, over stressed taxpayers and increasing distrust in government itself we must expand the way we look at emergency management.  First, everyone must do what they can do to increase preparedness, not just public safety officials and our typical responders. This includes businesses, individual citizens, government officials and community groups.  As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate calls it, the "Whole of Community".

 

In Pacific we have been creative in our approach with this.  As a result of classes I have taken, I am working with our Emergency Preparedness Citizen Advisory Board to assess our communities capabilities, conduct a gap analysis and then create new training programs that meet our exact needs.  Combined with the Volunteer Plan created last year and the Volunteer Center Operations Plan created this spring we are well on our way in adopting this "All of Community" approach.

 

We know that in times of crisis there are spontaneous volunteers who can be counted on to show up, work long hard hours and who do so only because they care deeply about their community.  Unprepared, these spontaneous volunteers can be difficult to manage and effectively use. So our plan deals with this two ways.

 

The Volunteer Center Operations Plan organizes volunteers under ICS and creates specific jobs and duties we plan on staffing with volunteers.  This Operations Plan also builds upon the innovation of our volunteer plan itself and the creation of a tiered system of volunteers, identifies people we know will volunteer and provides them training and better prepares all of our community to face disaster.

 

Tier 3 volunteers are our spontaneous volunteers who might show up to sandbag during a flood, clean up debris following a windstorm or help our community recover from the devastation of an earthquake.  We know who many of these people are from past experience as well as many have self identified themselves.  We want to provide these people with basic preparedness, incident command and some skill specific programs such as building a sandbag wall.  We have already held classroom versions of ICS 100 and 200 classes as well as "Are You Ready" (IS-22).

 

Tier 2 volunteers will receive a bit higher level of training and take a more mid management role. Some of this training might be in volunteer management, Emergency Operations and more hands on training such as is taught in CERT.  These would be the people staffing the Volunteer Center, working as strike team leaders and taking more of a lead role in times of disaster.

 

Tier 1 volunteers will take leadership roles in both response and recovery.  Working directly under control of the Command and General Staff and closely following the Incident Command System, these volunteers will help us leverage our already limited resources.  They might work directly in the EOC or oversee critical response in our community.  When the "Big One" strikes we might not have the opportunity to request immediate assistance from our preparedness partners or fully staff our emergency operations.  By identifying, training and using these volunteers we would better be able to safely, effectively and efficiently meet the response needs of our community. 

 

We also want to include citizens and business in our normal training and exercise process.  Over this next year the city will host some training focused at and available for citizens and business community.  Next Year we will hold an exercise that will simulate a disaster, call for the activation of our EOC and the establishment of a volunteer center.  Instead of our more traditional exercises that are typically limited to staff and test small sections of our plan, we will invite all of our community to participate.  Since it is likely we will need everyone to participate during a large scale event, it is wise to include everyone when we test our plans. In early September we will hold a public meeting to discuss the training available, preparedness for this next winter and layout the concept of a community wide exercise next spring.

 

I am proud of what we have accomplished in Pacific so far in development of our Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and our Continuity of Operations / Continuity of Government (COOP /COG) plans.  I believe we have one of the best written plans in the country (and I do not just say that because I wrote it).  I believe Pacific will set new benchmarks for all communities to perform to.  This is also something I am proud of. This is why I have been so committed to participating in Emergency Management and Homeland Security training.  I encourage other Elected and Appointed Officials to do the same thing.

What is Patriotism?

As we celebrate this 235^th Anniversary of our Nation’s birth I wanted to take time to reflect on what Patriotism really is.  I am sure that dictionaries and scholars will have many definitions for the word.  I know that you can get different definitions from commentators on CNN, FOX and CNBC.  But what does it really mean to an individual?

I believe US Patriotism is a 100% devotion to our Country, our values and our way of life.  I believe that a soldier who fights for our nation because they feel it is important to stand up for our values or protect our way of life is a patriot.  I believe that a person who serves our nation as an elected official because they believe in our democracy and wish to represent all of our citizens and their values is a patriot.  I believe that those people who peacefully fight for the values of equality and justice that our nation was founded on are patriots. 

Our Nation was founded with the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. “ It is the duty then of every patriot then to support, defend and promote these values. It is also the duty of every patriot to not allow politics to sway them from these American Values.  I say this because too often in our history we have spoken those words at the same time our actions are in conflict with them, Slavery is just one example. As today we battle terrorism around this world, argue about illegal immigration, talk about securing our borders, let us keep those values in mind. As we look at our own communities, meet people from other nations or other religions let us remember those values and freedoms we enjoy in these United States.  We need to always defend and protect our Nation and our system of American Values, however we must always do so with respect to what those values say and mean.  We must remember those last words our Founding Fathers placed on that Declaration of Independence 235 years ago: “ And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

Over this past few months, certain members of the Pacific City Council have called into question both the training I have taken and if this training is in the public interest.  As I have commented on before I understand that much of this is generated for political reasons.  But I also believe that it is important for this type of discussion to take place.

Believing that citizens need to be able to trust their government, I asked the City Insurance Company to conduct an investigation to answer these 3 particular questions.

·         Is the training that I have taken appropriate for and in the best interest of the public?

·         Was any money used on this training misappropriated or wasteful?

·         Did this training follow guidelines established in Local, State and Federal Laws?

This investigation is in its final stages (so I have been told anyway) and should be made available soon.

In the interim, in the interest of full disclosure I want to make my own report to the citizens and invite Pacific residents to take an online survey discussing the need for training for elected officials.  This survey can be found at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TWK9QCZ

Now to discuss the training I have taken over these past few years while holding the office of Mayor.  In the past I have discussed the fact that much of this cost is paid for by DHS/FEMA through either direct coverage of cost or reimbursement.  Since 2008, donations have been made by local business to cover other cost.  In addition, I have made direct contributions to this travel fund from Scrap Metal Sales and other personal funds.  It was believed that all cost would not be borne by local taxpayers.  Based on a breakdown of each training and related cost, a small percentage of local funds may have been used.  Although we do not suspect or believe that any money was misspent or misused, in this process we have found some funds that were placed in wrong accounts or not properly credited.  It is our intention to bring this to the attention of State Auditors as part of our annual audit process.

It should be pointed out clearly that it is not suspected that any money was pocketed by me or anyone else.  We believe these funds are still in the general fund, sitting under a different budget number.

It has also been asked by a Council Member why I am taking this training as opposed to staff members.  When appropriate we will send staff back to classes as well.  To date Jay Bennett has gone to an IEMC class at EMI and our Police Department PIO has attended Advanced PIO training at EMI.  When staff attend training we have to pay all cost (some are still reimbursed), and we have to pay their normal wages and in some cases pay overtime to backfill their position.  When I attend we do not have the wage or backfill cost (However I personally have Thousands of dollars in lost wages from taking time off from my job as a union electrician to attend a class).  Additionally as we have a limited number of employees to perform certain functions we would need to hire additional staff to do so.

The following is a breakdown of the training I have taken, (where possible a link to what is involved in that training), cost spent and monies reimbursed by FEMA or donated. I have also added a line following this training describing why I believe this training is in the public benefit.

I will leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves if the training was appropriate.  I know for a fact that my attending this training has saved our city thousands of dollars as well as earned our city recognition for my efforts from many state and national leaders.

2007-

·         E-900     IEMC Recovery and Mitigation – EMI (August)

o   http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IEMC/

§  Airfare  4/30/07                $444.59 (Orbitz)

§  Food Ticket 9/14/07        $94.50 

§  Reimbursement  11/27/07  ($444.59)

This is a basic interactive class where, following lecture and other training, participants play a role similar to real life and can apply those lessons in disaster simulations

2008 -   

·         E-901     IEMC Planning and Response – EMI (February)

o   http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IEMC/

§  Airfare covered by AA Frequent Flyer miles  $10 fee – 11/19/07

§  Food  (cannot find entry)   $97.50

This is a basic interactive class where, following lecture and other training, participants play a role similar to real life and can apply those lessons in disaster simulations

·         Continuity of Operations Planning TTT –  Richland (April)

Similar to B/E/L 550: Continuity Planners Train-the-Trainer Workshop

o   http://www.fema.gov/about/org/ncp/coop/training.shtm

§  Hotel                                     $160.04  (Orbitz)

§  Gas (City Vehicle)            $51.62

§  Food                                 $49.24

§  Minor’s Hamburgers        $6.37

As a result of this class I wrote our initial COOP plan saving taxpayers the cost of hiring a consultant to write it.

·         E-920     IEMC/ Haz Mat – EMI (June)

o   http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IEMC/

§  Airfare  4/21/08                $480.99 (Orbitz)

§  Hotel                                   $132.34 (Orbitz)

§  Food      7/14/08                $108.61 (Ticket + Per Diem)

This is a basic interactive class where, following lecture and other training, participants play a role similar to real life and can apply those lessons in disaster simulations.

               

·         Discussion Based Exercises (MEP) –EMI (Oct) 

o   http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/emiopt.asp

§  Airfare  9/18/08                $470.99 (Orbitz)

§  Hotel                                  $107.89  (Orbitz)

§  Food      11/06/08              $136.21  (Ticket + Per Diem)

See Below

·         Exercise Program Management (MEP)- EMI  (Dec)  ***

o   http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/emiopt.asp

§  Airfare  9/18/08                $526.99 (Orbitz)

§  Hotel                                 $102.31 (Orbitz)

§  Food      12/31/08              $128.01 (Ticket + Per Diem)

§  Baggage Fee 12/31/08   $30.00

See Below

2009 –

·         Operational Based Exercises (MEP) – EMI (March)

o   http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/emiopt.asp

§  Airfare                                  $490.39  (Orbitz) Ledger shows $471.89 ?

§  Hotel was for National League of Cities Congressional Conference (Orbitz) (Note this trip was combined with the NLC's meeting in DC saving our city the cost of Airfare.)

The Master Exercise Practioner Classes (Oct 08, Dec 08, and March 09) provided me with the credentials to write, conduct and evaluate disaster exercises for our city.  Again this has saved us tax dollars by not having to hire others to do this.

2010 –

·         ICS Train the Trainer – EMI (Jan)

o   (I could not get a clean URL as EMI is changing some courses)

§  Airfare  09/11/09              $506.40 (Orbitz)

§  Hotel     11/05/09              $85.17  (Orbitz)

§  Food      2/5/10                   $133.23

§  Baggage Fee  2/5/10       $40.00

This Class is why the City of Pacific can offer citizens and others ICS classes in Pacific.  As we progress with development of programs we will provide up to ICS 400 classes.

·         Management and Supervision of Training (MTP 601) – EMI  (March)  ***

o   http://training.fema.gov/EMICourses/crsdetail.asp?cid=E601&ctype=R

§  Airfare  10/13/09              $483.40

§  Hotel                                     $66.14   (Orbitz)

§  Journal Entry 4/8/10      $217.92 Believed to be Hotel, Food and Baggage Fees)

See comments on Master Trainer Program following “Instructional Delivery MTP 605”

               

·         Managing Civil Action Threat Incidents ( now called Field Force Command and Planning )– CDP  (March)

o   http://cdp.dhs.gov/schedules/program/k.html

§  Baggage (combined with IC Hot) 5/07/10              $75.00

§  Food (See Above)                                                           $39.12  

This course was taken to learn issues surrounding civil actions and apply to our Emergency Planning

·         Incident Command for CBRNE Incidents / HOT  (2 classes)- CDP (April)

o   http://cdp.dhs.gov/schedules/program/c.html

o   http://cdp.dhs.gov/resident/hot.html

This course was taken to learn issues surrounding CBRNE incidents  and apply to our Emergency Planning

·         Performance and Needs Analysis  (MTP 602)- EMI  (June) ***

o   http://training.fema.gov/EMICourses/crsdetail.asp?cid=E602&ctype=R

§  Airfare  5/07/10                $492.83

§  Baggage 7/26/10 (2)        $48.00

§  Food Ticket 7/26/10        $97.73

§  Food  7/26/10                    $14.48

See comments on Master Trainer Program following “Instructional Delivery MTP 605”

·         Technical Emergency Response for CBRNE events – CDP  (September)

o   http://cdp.dhs.gov/resident/tert.html

§  Baggage 10/6/10              $50.00

§  Food      10/6/10               $16.60

This course was taken to learn issues and test new assumptions surrounding CBRNE incidents and apply to our Emergency Planning.

·         Instructor Training Credentialing – CDP (Dec)

o   http://cdp.dhs.gov/resident/itc.html

The ITC program is a one week Instructor course to fine tune my course delivery and development skills

2011 –

·         Instructional Design (MTP 603) – EMI (Jan)  ***

o   http://training.fema.gov/emicourses/crsdetail.asp?cid=E603&ctype=R

§  Airfare  12/22/10             $195.80 (Combined with $200 AA Voucher)

§  Baggage 2/8/11                                $25.00

§  Baggage 3/8/11                                $25.00

§  Food  2/8/11                      $10.96

§  Food Ticket  2/8/10         $97.70

See comments on Master Trainer Program following “Instructional Delivery MTP 605”

·         Hazard Assessment Response Management – CDP (Feb)

o   http://cdp.dhs.gov/resident/harm.html

§  Food     3/8/11                   $14.04

This course was taken to learn issues surrounding CBRNE events and apply to our Emergency Planning

·         Enhanced All Haz IM /UC  - TEEX  (February)

o   http://www.teex.org/NERRTC/documents/E%20IMUC%20POI.pdf

§  Airline Rebook  3/8/11  $139.00

§  Food  (2)             3/8/11   $10.06

This course allowed me to test out my performance during large scale simulated events and recognize personal gaps in training

·         Course Development (MTP 604) – EMI  (March 21-25) ***

o   http://training.fema.gov/EMICourses/crsdetail.asp?cid=E604&ctype=R

§  Airfare 3/08/11                $242.80 (combined with $300 Delta Voucher)

§  Change Fee  4/05/11      $150.00  (class following week was canceled)

§  Hotel /Car 4/05/11          $101.97  (Rebook did not have flight on Fri – had to stay over)

§  Food Ticket  4/05/11      $97.70

§  Baggage (2)  4/05/11      $50.00

See comments on Master Trainer Program following “Instructional Delivery MTP 605”

·         Instructional Delivery (MTP 605) – EMI (June 27-30)  ***

o   http://www.training.fema.gov/emicourses/crsdetail.asp?cid=E605&ctype=R

o   NOTE:  ALL Cost Paid UP Front by Critical Times Consulting (my company) Pending Audit Completion.  FEMA reimbursement for 604 class ($242.80) was used to partially cover these cost

o   Airfare - $543.30

o   Food Ticket - $97.70

o   Baggage Fees - $50.00

These 5 classes must be taken in order but not as part of a specific series (as well as E-606 which is online and submittal of a Practicum).  Originally I would have taken 604 this June and 605 next Feb.  This program is switching from the 5 classes (+ the online) to 9 classes starting Oct.  This restructuring of the program required me to complete all coursework by Sept 31^st and submittal of my Practicum by March 2012).  I am now qualified to develop and teach training programs such as we are developing for our citizens as part of our volunteer plan.  In 2010 we spent $12,000 of EMPG funds to pay for a consultant to write our volunteer plan.  Because of training I have received, we will not have to pay a consultant to implement the plan we now have.

Total Cost (Training Only) through 6/01/11                                                                          $7800.44

Reimbursements by DHS/FEMA               (EMI)                                                                 <$3432.76>

Donations by local business                                                                                                   <$2850.00>

               

Note: I have received the $242.80 from EMI for the E-604 and used that for partial payment of my airfare for E-605 (June 27-July 1) of $543.30(paid by personal funds).  As soon as this investigation is complete, reimbursements will be made as appropriate. (Reimbursement of $543.30 by FEMA should be in mid August timeframe)

EMI =   Emergency Management Institute – Emmitsburg Maryland – Participant pays Airfare upfront and FEMA reimburses  to participant (See Pg 6 of Handbook)– Food ticket required – Per Diem on Travel Days.  Occasional hotel cost due to flights available

CDP = Center for Domestic Preparedness – Anniston Alabama – Airfare, food, Lodging paid upfront – Only cost would be a Meal(Breakfast usually) and Baggage Fees

TEEX = Texas Engineering and Extension Service – College Station Texas – Airfare, lodging paid upfront – lunch provided,  Small per diem to be reimbursed (also had change fee from Continental Airlines – also reimbursed) Most of cost paid for out of pocket.