OEM Weekly Watch Report: It's all about preparedness

This week’s Director’s Message is brought to you by OEM Preparedness Section Manager Alaina Mayfield.

An integral focus of emergency management is reducing risk before an emergency happens, and preparedness is a key component of this. As part of our transition to the Department of Emergency Management, we now have a section dedicated solely to preparedness. The preparedness section houses planning, training, exercises and preparedness grants, including programs like Integrated Preparedness Planning, THIRA/SPR, Geologic Hazards, Continuous Improvement, Oregon Prepared, HSGP, EMPG, SPIRE and more.

Over the last two years, many of these programs took a back seat to the response work for COVID, the 2020 wildfires, winter storms, tsunamis and other emergencies and disasters. As we shift our focus back to developing and updating preparedness programs, we’re finding plans and courses are outdated, grant guidance has changed, and we’ve lost large numbers of our instructor cadre. We require new programs incorporating best practices and lessons learned.

While OEM has increased in capacity since becoming its own department, it’s also increased in responsibilities and continues to address decades of underfunding in emergency management and under-resourced staffing levels. We’re hiring additional positions to rebuild solid programmatic foundations and expand resources and opportunities for all preparedness programs.

Change and process improvement take time and effort. It’s not possible to meet current needs without resources while also focusing on building a foundation. We understand and relate to the challenges this poses for our partners and are committed to continuing to collaborate to identify opportunities and bridge gaps together.

We can’t improve our processes without your input and feedback. Part of modernizing emergency management in Oregon is partnering to find innovative ways to leverage existing resources while seeking forward-looking options for new opportunities. We’ll be reaching out to you directly to gather your recommendations for improvements to our programs and processes. This will start with the Integrated Preparedness Planning Workshops (IPPW) in 2023, which will identify priorities and establish the strategy and structure for preparedness programs for the next several years.

As we focus on foundations, I encourage you to work with OEM’s preparedness staff and regional coordinators to identify your priority plans and training and exercise needs in 2023 and beyond. We look forward to working together to build a culture of preparedness in all our communities.

Best,

Alaina Mayfield
Preparedness Section Manager, Oregon Department of Emergency Management

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), in partnership with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, will host the first USFA Summit on Fire Prevention and Control. The event will be live streamed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 11 and will feature presentations from the country's most prominent fire service leaders and researchers. The event is designed for the public, fire service, media, and policymakers who want a better understanding of the challenges and recommended solutions to the critical fire problem in America. Click here to learn more and register.

The Natural Hazards Center is hosting a webinar, Floodplain Buyout Implementation: Activities, Costs, and Opportunities for Improvement, from 10-11 a.m. on Oct. 11. This presentation will use the findings from two recent studies on floodplain buyout implementation practices to discuss opportunities to reduce costs, increase the speed with which buyouts are made available to prospective participants, and increase equity in floodplain buyouts. Learn more and register with Zoom.

The Local Government Emergency Management Advisory Council will meet from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 11. The council, made up of 11 members appointed by Governor Brown, provides advice and recommendations to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management regarding its emergency preparedness and response functions. Join via Zoom (Meeting ID: 853 3773 0123, Passcode: 667685).

United Way of the Columbia-Willamette is holding a webinar at 1 p.m. on Oct. 11 amplifying disaster resilience for Oregon’s frontline communities of color. At the Climate Resilience for Communities of Color webinar, five research leads will share timely reports and toolkits that address gaps, insights and recommendations. Reports presented include Disaster Communication with African American, Black Immigrant and Refugee Communities; Preparing Oregon’s Communities of Color for Disasters; Climate Change and Youth Mental Health; and Rapid Response Toolkit for Immigrant and Refugee Organizations. Learn more and register with Zoom.

OEM’s OpsCenter and RAPTOR critical applications will be down for maintenance between noon on Oct. 12 to noon on Oct. 13; and again from 10 a.m. on Oct. 22 to 10 a.m. on Oct. 23. During these outages, requests for assistance still can be made through OERS at 1-800-452-0311. Notifications to relevant partners will be made through alternate processes, as necessary, during these timeframes.

The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) are hosting a discussion on the importance of data and emergency management at 11 a.m. on Oct. 14. Think Tank:, Emergency Management and Data, How You Can (and MUST) Use It Going Forward will be a conversation between prominent data developers and local and state emergency management partners, including OEM Public/Private Partnership Program Manager Sonya McCormick, and will be moderated by Rich Serino, Senior Fellow with Harvard NPLI and the 8th FEMA Deputy Administrator. The discussion will center around examples of the use of data in state and local operations and the future of data driven efforts for streamlining, strategizing, and coordinating across sectors in disaster response and recovery operations. Register on Zoom and ask questions by tweeting #IAEMThinkTank

Many employers have DEI initiatives but often disability is not included in DEI planning and efforts or is treated as a separate issue. The ADA National Network is offering a panel discussion from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 featuring employers that have included disability in their DEI initiatives who will share their challenges, strategies and accomplishments in doing so. As a follow-up, people with disabilities who are currently employed will share what DEI and disability inclusion means to them, their perspective on how companies are addressing this issue, and thoughts on how they could be doing it better. Session participants will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions following the presentation. Click here to learn more and register.

FEMA Region 10’s individual and community preparedness team will be presenting a webinar on how earthquakes impact the community and what to do to prepare. The 15-minute webinar on earthquake preparedness best practices will take place from noon-12:15 p.m. on Oct. 20, following the Great Oregon ShakeOut earthquake drill. Register with Zoom.

Every year, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington participate in the Great Cascadia Zombie Survival Challenge, taking steps to make their zombie (aka their family and community) prepared in times of emergencies. Join FEMA from 6-6:45 p.m. on Oc. 26 for a webinar describing the Great Cascadia Zombie Survival Challenge and offering insight into how to prepare for any type of disaster. In honor of the spooky season, the event will feature an expert moulage (fake injuries and blood) artist to teach why using moulage for these types of exercises is important and offer some tips for any upcoming costume needs (feel free to have any moulage/Halloween makeup with you on hand). Register with Zoom.

The U.S. Geological Survey's ShakeAlert Social Science Working Group will host the third in a series of symposiums from noon-3 p.m. on Oct. 27.  This symposium will showcase social science research on public messaging and public perceptions of earthquake early warning systems in the U.S. and abroad, with speakers from around the world sharing their findings from focus groups and interviews. Click here to learn more and register.

The Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM is offering several opportunities to take the National Fire Protection Association's Assessing Structural Ignition Potential from Wildfire course. The two-day course covers wildfire behavior, structure exposure, and the concepts of the home ignition zone and structure ignition potential. This training is designed to increase understanding of wildland-urban interface fire mitigation, show how to assess risk to individual homes, and how to make recommendations for proper mitigation measures. Each course includes a half-day field exercise where students will get hands-on experience putting their new knowledge into practice. View the full list of course dates and register on OSFM’s website (note, registration closes 14 days before the start date of each course).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA have published a joint public service announcement stating malicious cyber activity aiming to compromise election infrastructure is unlikely to result in large-scale disruptions or prevent voting; and confirming the FBI and CISA have no reporting to suggest cyber activity has ever prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, compromised the integrity of any ballots cast, or affected the accuracy of voter registration information. The PSA also describes the extensive safeguards in place to protect election infrastructure and includes recommendations for protecting against election-related cyber threats. Click here to view the public service announcement.

Cascadia 9.0 is a video game developed by researchers at Lewis & Clark College who are studying what motivates young adults ages 18-29 to prepare for earthquakes. The team uses video games as research tools in experiments and focus groups and makes the games freely available when the related experiments are over. Users are encouraged to share the game widely during the lead-up to the Great ShakeOut and beyond. Learn more and view the project website, links to the game and the game trailer at Cascadia9game.org.

Congratulation to Harney County Emergency Manager Suzanne Settle, who was named Oregon Emergency Manager of the Year by OEMA and OEM at last week’s 2022 OEMA Conference! According to OEM Director Andrew Phelps, “Suzanne is a consummate professional who has become a tremendous advocate, not only for her community of Harney County, but for rural emergency management programs across the state. It was an honor to present Suzanne with this well-deserved honor!” Settle has worked on countless grants for emergency services, training and regional projects to build preparedness in Eastern Oregon. She also serves as the Search and Rescue president, the Red Cross coordinator for mass care and sheltering in Harney County, and on the state DEMAC for inclusive Preparedness for access and functional needs.