Emergency management resources & news

When public and private sectors work together, they can make a huge difference in disaster recovery. As OEM’s Public/Private Partnership (P3) Program Manager, I serve as a conduit between the private sector, state Emergency Support Functions, and local and tribal partners​. I also work closely with my counterparts in Idaho, Washington and Alaska emergency management -- as well as partners across the U.S. -- to promote and engage the private sector in emergency planning, response and recovery efforts​.

Recent events like COVID, the 2020 wildfires, ice storms and even a regional chlorine shortage have highlighted the critical significance of the alliance between the private sector and the state. My colleague, Jon Hanian, P3 Program Manager at the Idaho Office of Emergency Management, has also seen a groundswell of interest from private sector partners looking to become more resilient and better prepared in the face of ongoing active shooter type events.

In response, Jon and I, along with the P3 program managers of Alaska and Washington, and in partnership with CISA and the private sector, have developed a nine-session, virtual seminar series designed for companies and organizations interested in enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the impact and recovery of an active shooter or other mass casualty event. Launching March 16, “Mass Casualty Impact and Recovery” will include subject matter experts from business and the government sharing critical infrastructure best practices, valuable lessons, and planning resources and tools to assist with mass casualty impact and recovery.

The topics covered in this series are important and timely. The recent rise in active shooter events, including last August at a Bend grocery store, has underscored the need for resources to help our private sector partners respond to these tragic situations.

The series will be held every third Thursday from March through November on Microsoft Teams live events. Sessions will cover addressing immediate needs; crisis communications for media response; providing immediate crisis support; reopening and resuming operations; negotiating short-, mid- and long-term recovery; post incident scams and fraud; and civil and criminal judicial processes. Seminars are not cumulative and may be taken individually. Each seminar counts toward continuing education with CEU credits through IACET Accredited Provider G&H International, Inc. All PSPR2 sessions will be recorded, but registration is required to receive all materials and recordings.

I encourage you to register for one or all seminars through Eventbrite and share this information with anyone who may benefit from the series.

Have a great week,

Sonya McCormick
OEM Public/Private Partnership Program Manager

Despite multiple laws requiring the provision of equitable care, research repeatedly demonstrates that Americans with disabilities experience disparities and inadequate care. Join the ADA National Network at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 for State of Equitable Care for Persons with Disabilities: Fifty Years after Civil Rights Laws. The presenters will discuss major areas in which these disparities persist, including data gaps, effective communication, physical access to care, competency training for healthcare providers and staff, and nondiscriminatory health insurance benefit design. In each of the areas, the presenters will discuss the current status of the field and promising future directions or solutions. Register at ADA Presentations.

The U.S. Forest Service’s SCIENCEx webinar series brings together scientists and land management experts from across U.S. Forest Service research stations and beyond to explore the latest science and best practices for addressing large natural resource challenges across the country. An upcoming SCIENCEx Fire Week is scheduled for 11 a.m.-noon daily from Feb. 27-March 3. While the SCIENCEx webinar series covers a broad range of topics related to land and natural resource management, SCIENCEx Fire Week will focus exclusively on wildland fire topics, including fire history and fire ecology; fire weather and smoke; wildland fire behavior; fire modeling risks and trade-offs; and the outlook for future wildland fire behavior and risks across the United States. These webinars are recorded and archived for viewing on-demand. Learn more and register at the SCIENCEx webinar page.

The Cascadia Coastal Coalition promotes disaster readiness, response, recovery and resilience in support of Pacific Northwest coastal communities. The coalition is launching its 2023 speaker series from 10 a.m.-noon on Feb. 28 in person at Three Rivers Casino Resort Event Center in-person in Florence and virtually via Zoom (Meeting ID: 874 3193 3784, Passcode: 067920). The event will feature presentations by two speakers. Clatsop County Emergency Manager Tiffany Brown will discuss, Disruption and Innovation on the Oregon Coast: Leveraging Partnerships and Programs to Increase Cascadia Resilience. She’ll be joined by City of Albany Emergency Manager Chuck Perino, who will present, My Labor Day 2020, the Trials and Tribulations of Evacuation. RSVP at cascadiacoastalcoalition.org.

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will resume accepting new applications for the Oregon Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program on March 8. The program offers federal temporary COVID-19 emergency mortgage relief intended to support homeowners who have experienced severe financial hardships due to the pandemic. It provides funding for past-due mortgages and other housing expenses, as well as ongoing payment assistance, to a limited number of homeowners with low to moderate incomes. OHCS is accepting new applications submitted by housing counselors on behalf of homeowners who are in a judicial action or have a verified foreclosure sale date. HAF will reopen with a focus on homeowners in active foreclosure and those traditionally underserved by mortgage markets. Learn more about eligibility requirements at oregonhomeownerassistance.org.  

The Oregon Statewide Interoperability will be facilitating a free virtual AUXCOMM (AUXC) course April 27-29. This class is specially designed for amateur radio operators who provide radio communications support to public safety and emergency management agencies. The course will focus on auxiliary communications interoperability, the relationship between the Communications Unit Leader (COML) and the AUXCOMM/AUXC, emergency operations center (EOC) etiquette, on-the-air etiquette, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations, auxiliary communications training and planning and emergency communications deployment. The course is intended to supplement and standardize an operator’s experience and knowledge of emergency amateur radio communications in a public safety context. The course has a maximum capacity of 15 students, and all seats will be reserved for experienced amateur radio operators that have a close working relationship with emergency management agencies; will make every effort to complete the associated AUXC Position Task Book; and will seek state certification as an AUXC. Click here to fill out a nomination form; the deadline is March 9, but seats will fill up quickly.

Starting April 1, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) will be reviewing and determining member eligibility. OHP renewed its coverage automatically during the last three years, but members may have changed their address or contact information. It’s critical OHP has current contact information to reach members. Things to know about OHP’s renewal process:

• All 1.4 million people in Oregon who have health insurance through OHP will receive renewal notices between April 2023 and January 2024. OHA will guide members through the process and tell them what they need to do to keep benefits. 
• If someone is no longer eligible, their OHP benefits will continue for another 60 days. OHA will help members transition to other coverage by providing information. This may include information about financial help available for Marketplace health plans.
• The large number of OHP redeterminations is expected to cause longer wait times when calling the Oregon Eligibility (ONE) Customer Service center, delays and possible interruptions to OHP benefits.
• Members can update their contact information here.

GCAP, Oregon Emergency Management (OEM) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are offering Disaster Contracting 101, a comprehensive training for businesses wanting to understand how disaster contracting works and how to compete before during and after times of disasters. Disaster Contracting 101 will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 29 at Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry. The training will feature presentations from city, county, state and federal experts to help businesses understand the phases, necessary registrations, and how to be ready to contract with the government when a disaster strikes. The training costs $35. Click here to register.

Save the Date for three Serve Washington CERT events this year:

The Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference (PIEPC) will take place April 4-6 at the Marriott Tacoma Downtown. Click here to learn more and register.

The 2023 Citizen Corps Leadership Summit and Training Day will take place June 16-18 at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. Registration will open in May, visit Serve Washington to learn more.

Northwest Citizen Corps Expo is scheduled for Sept. 15-17 at Edmonds College in Lynnwood, Wash. Registration will open in June, visit Serve Washington to learn more.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management is seeking contractors to develop tsunami guidance documents to help coastal communities model and plan for a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami. The documents include Tsunami Debris Toolkit and Guidance Documents for California, Oregon and Washington local tsunami debris planning and mitigation; a Tsunami Evacuation Drill Guidebook and Toolkit; and a Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Structure Guide. Learn more at OregonBuys.

The Blake Ranch community has become the first Firewise USA community in Morrow County. The Oregon Department of Forestry, along with other federal, state, local and community partners, helped Blake Ranch become recognized as a Firewise USA community starting Jan. 19. Prior to applying to be a Firewise USA community, Blake Ranch residents were beginning to see the changes in wildfire behavior in their area. Their remote location, prone to lightning-started wildfires, makes it difficult to get firefighting resources to the scene quickly. This, along with the dangers posed by continuous buildup of fuels and forest health concerns, began the conversation among neighbors. Several residents attended ODF and local fire department classes to become more educated on wildfire resiliency and be able to help inform fellow residents. In December 2022, after a lot of work between community and interagency partners, Blake Ranch applied to become a Firewise USA community. Click here to learn more about the Firewise USA program.  

The Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO) created the Emergency Toilet Project to provide information to the public about how to stay healthy after a disaster. KOç University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey, has translated the RDPO Emergency Toilet Guide into Turkish to be distributed among the people affected by the February earthquakes. They’re sharing the information through a social media graphic that includes a QR code leading to the guidebook. Kudos to RDPO for providing such an important and useful resource.

OEM’s State Preparedness and Incident Response Equipment (SPIRE) Grant Program provides practical equipment that can save lives and property during emergencies by allowing for a more efficient response at the local level. OEM administers the grant and purchases the equipment, and the awardee is responsible for all costs involved with the operation of the equipment, including maintenance, insurance, repairs, staffing and response.

Sometimes, an awardee may decide they no longer have a need for the equipment. Such was the case with North Sherman County, which received a Jet Ski from SPIRE Grant round one. They notified OEM Grants Coordinator Carole Sebens and she provided them with their options, one of which included loaning the equipment to anyone who wanted it. Curry County happened to be in the market for a jet ski and heard one may be available. Working through Sebens and its regional coordinators, OEM was able to make the connection and work both counties through the loan process. North Sherman and Curry counties entered into an agreement for the jet ski, which will be used by Curry until the next granting process. This was a great example of emergency managers and partners working together to share resources for the safety of the community!

(Pictured are (l) Luke Martinez, Curry County Aquatic Safety; and (r) Dave Lapof, Fire Chief, Siletz Valley Fire District)