Weekly Watch: Round up of topics for the emergency management community

Last Friday was National First Responders Day, a day to honor the bravery of those whose purpose is to serve our communities. Oregon has had more than its fair share of disasters over the last several years. With every emergency, we’ve seen the tremendous collective efforts of our state first responders to provide life-saving emergency care at a moment’s notice. 

We’ve watched our firefighters battle not just home and business fires but raging wildfires for months on end. We’ve witnessed relief workers providing humanitarian care to impacted families and communities after floods, fires and storms. We’ve seen EMTs, paramedics and public health workers selflessly help patients in the midst of a life-threatening pandemic. We’ve heard 911 dispatchers assist people during their worst moments. We’ve observed search and rescue volunteer crews head out at all hours to aid those missing, lost or in distress. And we’ve watched law enforcement officers put their lives on the line daily to protect us all.

We are incredibly grateful to all first responders for their extraordinary and selfless service, and especially to those helping us here in Oregon. Thank you.

Take care of yourselves and take care of each other.
Andrew Phelps, Director, Oregon Department of Emergency Management

Seguridad y salud laboral y sus derechos en el trabajo (Safety, Health, and Your Rights at Work) is a free Spanish-language conference taking place from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Nov. 8 on the Oregon State Fairgrounds. NOTE: Nov. 1 is the last day to pre-register. This Oregon OSHA conference features a full day of sessions, lunch and exhibits. Presenters include workplace health and safety professionals, medical providers and other experts. Click here to learn more and register.

All Oregon Department of Forestry districts are out of fire season as of Oct. 29, ending the 2022 fire season and removing restrictions on ODF-protected lands intended to prevent wildfire, such as on backyard debris burning and use of certain equipment. Many structural fire departments in Oregon still require a permit for debris burning, so people should check with their local fire department before starting a burn. As Oregon transitions out of fire season, ODF districts across the state are shifting their attention to wildfire prevention efforts, including clearing vegetation, creating defensible space around homes and safely burning debris piles. For more tips on how to keep communities safe from wildfire, visit ODF Fire Prevention and Keep Oregon Green.

FEMA has published the National Continuous Improvement Guidance, which provides an approach to conducting consistent and rigorous continuous improvement activities before, during and after real-world incidents. The guidance is intended for the whole community, including state, local, tribal and territorial partners; nongovernmental organizations; the private sector; and other organizations with emergency management functions. FEMA is hosting a series of 60-minute webinars to provide an overview of the guidance and discuss revisions based on feedback from the national engagement period held earlier this year. Guest speakers will discuss the importance of continuous improvement in emergency management. Click here to learn more and register for one of the following webinars.

• 10-11 a.m. on Nov. 1, featuring FEMA Region 3 Administrator MaryAnn Tierney.
• 9-10 a.m. on Nov. 7, featuring Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director, John Benson.
• 1-2 p.m. on Nov. 17, featuring Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Deputy Coordinator Melanie Bartis
• 8-9 a.m. on Dec. 2, featuring FEMA Region 2 Puerto Rico Caribbean Area Office Lead Continuity Analyst Jose Marchand and Continuous Improvement Coordinator Michelle Ortiz *Spanish-speaking session
• 7-8 a.m. on Dec. 13, featuring District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Clint Osborn.

OEM’s OpsCenter and RAPTOR critical applications will be down for maintenance from 10 a.m. on Nov. 5 through 10 a.m. on Nov. 6 During this time, requests for assistance can be made through OERS at 800-452-0311. Communication with relevant partners will be made through alternate processes as necessary, and notifications will be sent out once they systems are back up and available.

READY22 is a virtual event for public safety taking place Nov. 9-10. The theme, Advancing Safety, will explore the future of 911 through conversations with public safety leaders and the RapidSOS team as they share insights and advancements to make communities safer. READY22 sessions will be broken out into five different content tracks: Thought Leadership, Trends, Safety Solutions, RapidSOS Products and Excellence in Public Safety. Topics will range from "Cultivating an ECC Culture of Excellence" to "Tactics for Transforming How Law Enforcement and ECCs Communicate." Learn more and register at RapidSOS.

The ADA National Network is holding a webinar at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 10 highlighting findings from research projects examining geographic differences in disaster risk for people with disabilities across the country. The webinar will share community-level data on disability and disaster risk, showcase a series of interactive maps that can be accessed by users and highlight differences in demographic characteristics of people with disabilities including race/ethnicity, gender and impairment type. It will then discuss the potential implications of the research for individuals with disabilities, their families, local emergency management agencies, policymakers and stakeholders. Register at ADA Presentations.

The VALOR Program is offering a free 1.5-hour virtual training session on casualty care to better prepare law enforcement personnel to deal with casualties during and after a critical incident. It will address the need to eliminate the threat before administering aid, the dangers posed by preventable bleed-out, the importance and use of tourniquets, and how to manage airway or breathing issues associated with trauma. Targeted to all state, local, tribal and federal law enforcement officers, this training will take place from 7-8:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. Learn more and register with the VALOR Program.

The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is offering a low-cost, 4-hour virtual training for emergency medical services, law enforcement, fire personnel, healthcare providers, first responders, emergency department physicians and nurses, and public health practitioners. Scheduled for Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the training aims to build awareness of commonly used protest-related control agents and strategies. It will describe the appropriate medical (pre-hospital and emergency department) management of chemical and traumatic crowd control injuries. Learn more and register on ACMT’s website.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently published a one-page reference aid for ECCs and PSAPs highlighting actionable steps they can take to enhance their cybersecurity posture. The document was developed by CISA’s SAFECOM and the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC). The document, Two Things Every 911 Center Should Do to Improve Cybersecurity, urges all ECCs and PSAPs to conduct a cyber risk assessment and, based on the finding, develop plans for cyber incident response and vulnerability response. The guidance includes actionable steps ECCs and PSAPs can take to bolster their planning efforts, such as exercising plans; maintaining coordination with stakeholders such as their Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC); and considering implementation of cyber threat detection and mitigation as well as NG911 for enhanced security capabilities.

The Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) and the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) for a two-hour webinar at 11 a.m. on Feb. 8 titled, Equitable Access to Affordable Earthquake Insurance: A Resilience Challenge. The webinar will discuss the key difficulties and the potential of insurance as a tool for stronger recovery after an earthquake. View panelist bios and register at Earthquake Insurance Webinars – CREW.

The Oregon Hazards Lab is now on Twitter at @OHAZ_UO. Follow to receive updates on ALERTWildfire, the ShakeAlert system buildout, new partners and resources, and upcoming workshops. A recent post informed followers the ShakeAlert seismic network is 87% complete in the Pacific Northwest and 85% complete in Oregon; the buildout in Oregon is expected to be complete by late 2023.

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) offers a monthly podcast; this month’s episode discusses diversity, equity and inclusion within the fire service, and more specifically, how to start the conversations within these organizations. The guest is Dr. Jennifer Taylor, director of the Center of Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends and professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University.