Weekly Watch: We are Better When We Work Together

One of my favorite quotes to share is by Margaret Mead who once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

OR-Alert is an example of what a community of committed people can do when they work together to serve others. In 2019, the State Interoperability Executive Council, adopted an objective in the State Communications Interoperability Plan to improve public emergency alerts and warnings throughout the state. In 2020, because of this effort and with Governor Brown’s support, the OR-Alert program was authorized by the Oregon Legislature and created within the Statewide Interoperability Program. Two short years later, I’m proud to announce that 34 counties are live on the system today and our last committed county has begun its implementation and is scheduled to go live in early 2023. In addition to our county partners, two sovereign tribal governments are utilizing OR-Alert.

OR-Alert’s mission remains to ensure access to timely and informative alerts, warnings and notifications (AWNs) through the implementation of a statewide system that enables state, county, city and tribal governments to issue AWNs — providing people in Oregon with meaningful opportunities to make life-saving decisions in the face of emergencies.

Since its inception, OR-Alert’s tools have been used more than 3,000 times to alert people in Oregon to life-threatening hazards, including wildfires, flooding, acts of violence, hazardous weather, heat emergencies and other incidents. At least 2,800 alert originators have been trained to use the system and OR-Alert now has contact information for more than 3.7 million of Oregon's 4.1 million individuals. Additionally, with Oregon Emergency Management’s support and the community’s input, 21 statewide templates have been developed and professionally translated into Spanish, reviewed for cultural competency and accessibility, and distributed across the enterprise. These templates make it easier for system users to quickly send alerts with clear and consistent messaging, even during times of great stress.

OR-Alert was created based on the idea that we are better when we work together. The business of public alerts and warnings is and must always be a team effort. OR-Alert is governed by a diverse committee made up of emergency managers, public safety leaders, state agency and tribal representatives, and other stakeholders from across the state and all levels of government who share a vision of saving lives through timely alerts, warnings and notifications. It’s this collaborative governance model that makes Oregon and the OR-Alert program so effective.

Best,

William Chapman, Statewide Interoperability Coordinator

The National Weather Service Medford office has forecasted a winter storm from Nov. 30 into Dec. 1. The agency is holding a virtual open house via Google Meet at 11 a.m. on Nov. 29 to discuss anticipated impacts. NWS Medford is expecting a large turnout for this video/audio call and asks participants to please remember to mute their microphone unless asking a question.

Oregon’s 2021 Legislature invested nearly $195 million to address Oregon’s wildfire crisis through Senate Bill 762. Of this $195 million, $20 million created a two-year Landscape Resiliency and Mitigation Grant Program, administered by the Oregon Department of Forestry, to make Oregon’s landscapes more resistant to the threat of wildfire by treatments done through partnerships with private landowners and other local, county, state and federal agencies. More than 200,000 acres of Oregon landscapes are planned to be treated by June 2023 when the program ends. These projects in some of the highest-risk landscapes will greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in those treated areas while also encouraging forest health, resiliency, ecosystem health and shared stewardship. Learn more about the project at ODF’s Landscape Resiliency Grant Program website.

As seasonal illness and the threat of winter weather ramp up this holiday season, the American Red Cross is asking people to provide help and hope for those in need during future emergencies by making a financial donation or by giving blood or platelets. One in seven patients entering a hospital will need a blood transfusion. Donating blood or platelets can be a lifeline for car accident victims, parents with complicated childbirths, individuals battling cancer and people with sickle cell disease. People can book a time to give at RedCross.org. All donors who come to give blood Nov. 28-Dec. 15 will receive a $10 Amazon gift card by email.

The National Weather Service Pendleton office recently held a presentation for the 2022-23 Winter Season Outlook across eastern Oregon and south-central Washington, including a review of the Winter Storm Severity Index and Probabilistic Snowfall Forecasts. A recording of the presentation is available to view on YouTube.

Drones can be used as first responders to help emergency responders gain situational awareness before arriving on scene. Drone as a First Responder (DFR) programs are starting to make their way across the U.S. The International Public Safety Association (IPSA) is hosting a webinar at noon on Dec. 14, titled, DFR: How public safety can leverage drones for any type of incident. The webinar will discuss the number of calls answered using the DFR program, case studies on how these drones are being used and who used them, and how other departments can take advantage of the technology. Learn more and register at IPSA’s registration page.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) SAFECOM has published First 48”: What to Expect When a Cyber Incident Occurs. Based on a series of conversations with public safety officials who have experienced cyber incidents, this document presents common themes, insights and best practices in the order in which a cyber incident unfolds within the first eight hours, the first day, and two days and beyond. Expectations, indicators of suspicious activities and examples of essential actions for incident response are presented throughout the document, which is available to download from SAFECOM’s Technology Resources page.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) have released a new operational training guide for firefighters. Training Volunteer Firefighters to Be Combat Ready is designed to help fire departments develop a training program that meets the needs of the community and the individual firefighter with safety and relevancy at the forefront. The IAFC will host a virtual workshop from 3-4:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 to discuss some of the training topics covered in the new publication, including scheduling, personnel assessment and determining what to train firefighters based on risk. Learn more and download the training guide at NVFC’s website and register for the webinar on IAFC’s website.