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Director's Message
March is Women’s History Month, and while we honor the vanguards and pioneers of the industry – women like First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the first woman in Homeland Security/Emergency Management; Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross; and Deanne Criswell, the first female to head FEMA – it is the women in Oregon emergency management that we celebrate today.
These women are directors, planners, responders and communicators. They are managers, coordinators, dispatchers, and policy makers. They are administrators, trainers, officers, researchers, liaisons and implementers.
Working in a field that was once dominated by men, each of these women is history in the making and is paving the way for our sisters, daughters and granddaughters to excel and lead in this field. These women are a testament to how far our profession has come and a reminder of how far we still need to go to ensure an equitable and diverse emergency management workforce. OEM is committed to furthering gender equity by ensuring our interview and hiring panels include female representation, and for OEM-sponsored events, any panel discussion or presentation with three or more panelists will include female representation to help elevate these important voices in our community.
Today, we share this tribute by featuring the above video on our social media pages to recognize all the incredible women serving Oregon from their hearts in emergency management positions. Thank you.
Take care of yourselves and take care of each other.
Andrew Phelps, Director, Oregon Office of Emergency Management
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COVID-19 Update
The Oregon Health Authority communications team has created several documents and resources that provide clear guidance and updates on recent news. If you are looking for any OHA resources (including the very valuable translations), please refer to this link: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-covid-resources. If after reviewing this website you still have questions, please contact the media/PIO questions inbox: orCOVID19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Debris Management Task Force By the Numbers
The majority of all Debris Management Task Force-led work from the September 2020 wildfires is complete as final close-out steps continue through the spring and into the summer. This is the first time that the By the Numbers update shows checkmarks for all fire areas and reflects a significant milestone accomplished in partnership with so many Oregonians — and especially with wildfire survivors and fire-impacted communities. Continue tracking and revisiting the news blog for questions, information and community stories.
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ShakeAlert Updates
March 11 marked the 1-year anniversary of the Oregon ShakeAlert Rollout, in which the state successfully launched public earthquake early warning alerts via WEA, Android, and the cell phone apps MyShake and QuakeAlertUSA. Since then, the USGS has approved Everbridge as a Licensed Operator under a new class of partnership – Situational Awareness. Currently, Everbridge is approved to deliver situational alerts, not earthquake early warnings, to PSAPs at CalOES and OEM. This means that Everbridge is not required to meet the 5 seconds or less delivery standard that EEW Licensed Operators must meet.
The USGS has also approved a published list of all the ShakeAlert Licensed Operators and their delivery products. This list, hosted on the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and on the shakealert.org Licensed Operators page, will help interested organizations determine which Licensed Operator is a best fit.
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Conservation Innovation Grants
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon has announced up to $300,000 of funding available for eligible individuals, local and state government, non-governmental organizations and tribes through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. CIG encourages the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Projects must be within Oregon; proposals must involve Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) eligible producers and should demonstrate the use of innovative technologies or approaches to address a natural resource concern. View the grant announcement on Grants.gov. Complete application packets must be received by 8:59 p.m. on May 13 through Grants.gov. Interested parties can attend a Zoom CIG webinar at 1 p.m. on March 29 (meeting ID: 161 030 4826, Passcode: 338216).
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Global Terrorism Index 2022
The Eastern European conflict has produced a bumper crop of bulletins, articles and reports on various topics on global terrorism. The Global Terrorism Index 2022 measures the worldwide impact of terrorism as compiled by the Institute of Economics and Peace. This is the ninth edition of the report. The source for this document is the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), out of the Naval Postgraduate School.
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FEMA National Exercise Program
FEMA is accepting requests for exercise support through the National Exercise Program. State, local, tribal and territorial partners can request no-cost assistance for exercise design, development, conduct and evaluation to validate capabilities across all mission areas. This is a great program for communities looking for support to run an exercise; the last round, Lincoln County and the Eastern Regional Exercise were both awarded NEP exercises and are currently in the planning process. Spring 2022 requests for support are due April 1. To submit a request for exercise support, download the support request form and email the completed form with supporting documentation to NEP@fema.dhs.gov. Awardees will be notified by May 6. FEMA will hold additional exercise support rounds in fall 2022 and spring 2023.
Andrew Jahier, Oregon FEMA Integration TEAM, is happy to talk about the program and help with the application process. One of the requirements is to coordinate the request with the Region 10 Exercise Officer; Jahier can help facilitate that part of the application. Reach out to him at Andrew.Jahier@fema.dhs.gov.
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State Evacuation Layer Updates
OEM has made significant updates to its statewide wildfire evacuation layer, with it now becoming an all-hazards solution. To depict this, a new field has been added into the data to indicate the type of hazard. Non-technical users within the emergency management community can now use a survey form to upload new evacuation boundaries; this is accessed via the secured OpsCenter crisis management application. This solution is specifically for those jurisdictions that do not have an existing GIS capability and may be using other solutions, such as SARTopo or Everbridge to define boundaries outside of an Esri ArcGIS environment.
This new dataset also includes a regularly populated field for depicting the number of addresses within the boundary, number of structures within the boundary, and estimated population based off the 2020 census housing factor multiplied by number of addresses. OEM offers a training/testing service available for use. If you have any questions or would like more information on this updated evacuation solution, reach out to Daniel Stoelb, GIS Program Coordinator at daniel.stoelb@state.or.us.
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Drought Outlook Summary
Over 90% of Oregon is classified as experiencing moderate (D1) to exceptional (D4) drought conditions according to the US Drought Monitor. With the exception of some slight changes, drought depiction has remained largely unchanged over recent weeks. The very dry and warm period from late January to late February stalled improvement of drought conditions over much of eastern Oregon. Since March 1, there has been a pattern change with more frequent weather systems. Some improvements are expected through the spring months, but total removal of drought conditions is not likely. For March through May, near normal temperatures and precipitation are expected for most of Oregon. Report any drought conditions and or impacts in your area to WFO Pendleton, via email to marilyn.lohmann@noaa.gov or through the National Drought Mitigation Center at https://droughtimpacts.unl.edu.
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Virtual Disaster Preparedness Workshop for Teens
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Weight Restriction Enforcement Effort on Van Buren Bridge
In 2021, ODOT posted a 12-ton weight restriction on the Van Buren Bridge in Corvallis, but overweight vehicles are still using it. In an effort to raise awareness and change driver behavior, ODOT is starting a weight restriction enforcement effort on the bridge this week. Vehicles violating the 12-ton weight restriction will be fined based on a scale of how much the vehicle weighs over the posted limit. Heavy vehicles cause additional stress to the pavement and speed up the deterioration process; the bridge pavement is already in poor condition and it needs to last until the bridge can be replaced. ODOT has a signed detour route for vehicles headed east on OR 34 that are over the weight of 12 tons. The detour route will be in place until construction begins on the project to replace the bridge, which it estimated to start in 2023.
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Career Opportunities in Emergency Management
Douglas County Emergency Services Manager: Apply at governmentjobs.com. Manage the planning, organizing and directing of the county's emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs related to natural disasters, catastrophic events, public health emergencies and other community and county wide crisis. Full time, permanent position located in Roseburg.
Metro Senior Policy and Engagement Strategist for its Waste Prevention and Environmental Service (WPES) department: Apply at governmentjobs.com by March 15. Raise awareness and build trust with multiple audiences around greater Portland. We are a diverse team looking for a passionate and emotionally intelligent teammate to join us as we promote Metro council initiatives that highlight Metro's role in managing and delivering equitable and efficient services within the garbage and recycling system.
OEM 9-1-1 Program Support & Compliance Coordinator (Program Analyst 2): Apply at Workday by March 16. Serves as a customer point of contact for 9-1-1 center senior leadership associated with the statewide 9-1-1 system. Responsible for the coordination of statewide 9-1-1 compliance and policy related guidance required to ensure reliable and secure statewide 9-1-1 services. Full-time, permanent position in Salem.
OEM Procurement & Contract Specialist 2: Apply at Workday by March 17. Performs public purchasing and contracting duties to procure goods and services and prepare and track contracts and agreements using the full range of purchasing and contracting methods and supporting central agency activities. This position develops, negotiates, and administers contracts, agreements, and leases with government agencies and the public to obtain and provide goods and trades/ professional services. Full-time, permanent position in Salem.
Multnomah County Drainage District (MCDD) Emergency Planner & Project Manager (Project Manager II): Apply at MCDD by March 18. Manage projects and coordinate efforts to prepare for, respond to and recover from flood emergencies and other regional disasters affecting the districts’ flood infrastructure and services. The selected candidate will be required to serve as a member of the Command and General staff within MCDD’s Incident Command System (ICS) during emergency activations. Full-time position in Portland.
TriMet Manager, Employee Communications: Apply at governmentjobs.com by March 18. Work to promote employee awareness, safety, morale and productivity by engaging TriMet’s staff in topics of greatest importance to them, the agency and the community.
RDPO Managing Director (Manager I): Apply at governmentjobs.com by March 21. Provides an extraordinary opportunity to effectively lead disaster preparedness efforts in our region. The Managing Director will lead the update and implementation of a multi-year strategic plan, direct and cultivate a talented team of RDPO staff, and work to advance collaborative partnerships between a diverse group of member organizations and multi-disciplinary stakeholder groups.
OEM Grant Accountant (Accountant 2) - 2 POSITIONS: apply at Workday by March 23. Collaborate with the Mitigation Accountant and Public Assistance Accountant to administer and coordinate financial services relating to FEMA Grants to ensure accurate and proper use of federal, general and other funds OEM receives. Additionally, the Grants Accountant answers inquiries during audits and prepares corrective actions to any audit findings. Full-time, limited duration position in Salem.
OEM Exercise Officer (Program Analyst 2): Apply at Workday by March 24. The Exercise Officer works under the supervision of the Operations and Preparedness Section Manager to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the State exercise program. Full-time, permanent position in Salem.
RDPO Senior Planning (Coordinator III): Apply at governmentjobs.com by March 28.Manages the annual Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Report (SPR) project. Ensures data on regional hazard risks is up-to-date, and the information on capabilities and gaps are accurately captured to satisfy federal, state and local requirements and planning purposes. Provides input to RDPO strategic planning and project pipeline development. Limited duration.
OEM 9-1-1 Program Analyst (Information Systems Specialist 5): Apply at Workday by March 30. Serves as a point of contact for the State 9-1-1 Program Section for technical and 9-1-1 related issues and assists with the coordination of the daily technical operations of the 9-1-1 program and the program’s statewide role in emergency communications. Full-time, permanent position in Salem.
OEM 9-1-1 GIS Database Analyst (Information Systems Specialist 3): Apply at Workday by March 31. Works directly with the 9-1-1 GIS staff to coordinate statewide 9-1-1 spatial data acquisition and maintain the statewide 9-1-1 digital map library; coordinate the documentation of information; and provide customer service in the use of GIS to public safety agencies and organizations both familiar and unfamiliar with the technology. Full-time, permanent position in Salem.
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Training Opportunities
New courses have been added to the Oregon Training Calendar, click the button below for the most up-to-date information.
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Total Federal Share of Public Assistance
Disaster Funds Obligated to be Spent in Oregon
DR4499—COVID-19: $374,912393
DR4519—2020 Flooding: $2,751,834
DR4562—2020 Wildfire: $356,736,781
DR4599—2021 Ice Storm: $5,662,257
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