State ECC hosts Governor Kotek during its first exercise

This week, OEM held a soft launch of the State Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) with a two-day Cyber Tabletop Exercise. This was a great opportunity to bring together folks from Polk and Yamhill counties and several state and federal partners to review Oregon’s cyber threat landscape. On day one, CISA facilitated an exercise focused on reducing risk and validating local government incident response capabilities and state assistance requirements during a significant cyber incident. There were great discussions on the varying levels of security throughout the state as we analyzed our cyber capabilities and identified gaps. On the second day, CISA summarized the findings from the previous day’s exercise and offered several recommendations to Governor Kotek and executive leadership. Strengthening these partnerships across all levels of government is so important, to not only connect the dots but also collect them and understand the various activities that are playing out during any hazardous situation. We thank everyone who took part in this valuable exercise!

I recently traveled to Bend and met with the Deschutes County and Bend emergency managers. I then joined the State Legislative Tour of CORE3, an exciting initiative to support a dedicated multi-agency coordination center and collaborative training facility for local, state and federal personnel. Redmond will play a significant role in rescue and recovery operations for major statewide disasters. CORE3 is located near the Redmond Airport and provides a central site to train for and respond to large-scale emergency incidents. I was impressed by the site and the project’s vision, and I look forward to following its progress.

This week, I also met virtually with 13 different counties and cities to discuss the Emergency Management Preparedness Grant (EMPG) distribution. We had a healthy conversation about the importance of EMPG and the historical distribution of these funds. As I continue to meet with our emergency managers across the state, I learn about their challenges seeking funding and building a program with limited resources. This venue provided a great opportunity to identify gaps and discuss how OEM can support resourcing at the local level. Next week, I look forward to connecting with more of our partners at the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association (OSSA) annual conference.

Thank you for all that you do,

Erin McMahon
Director, OEM

Oregon is expecting weather impacts across the region starting Nov. 30. Given the high-end nature of this event, the National Weather Service and NOAA are hosting a special webinar at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 30 to discuss the event and specifics on expected impacts. Join the webinar using ID 534-490-643.

Director McMahon was honored to attend the investiture ceremony of Alan R. Gronewold on Nov. 28, where he was officially sworn in by Governor Kotek as The Adjutant General of the Oregon National Guard. The ceremony took place in Salem among his family and Oregon National Guard representatives, including former Adjutants General Major General Raymond F. Rees and Major General Mike Stencel. Governor Kotek administered the oath with assistance from Brigadier General Gronewold’s spouse.

As a partner in Oregon's Emergency Response Plan for Volunteer and Donations Management, OregonServes is proud to introduce Oregon Volunteers in Disaster (ORVID), a free, all-in-one volunteer management system that brings together volunteers and essential disaster response organizations. Volunteers can create a comprehensive profile, highlighting their expertise, availability and areas of interest, and disaster response organizations can post specific projects and opportunities, detailing the skills required and the location of each project. ORVID is ideal for emergency managers and various organizations active in disaster, including government agencies, non-profits and tribal organizations. Watch this video to learn more and contact hecc.orvid@hecc.oregon.gov to learn how ORVID can benefit your organization.

The 37th Annual Oregon Epidemiologists’ Meeting (OR Epi 2024) will bring together public health professionals to explore and discuss communicable diseases, current disease trends, innovative practices and effective interventions. Public health practitioners from local and tribal health jurisdictions working in communicable disease control and prevention, assessment and epidemiology, environmental health, emergency preparedness and response, clinical preventive services and administration are invited to submit presentation proposals; abstracts are due Dec. 4.

The FEMA IPAWS team has developed a Message Design Dashboard (MDD), a new Alert and Warning tool that will help develop effective 360- and 90-character messages for many hazards. Users can develop template pre-scripted messages or “just-in-time messages” for an ongoing situation. Virtual trainings for this tool take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 7 and Jan. 18. This paper by MDD designer Dr. Jeannette Sutton and her team provides more detail.

The 2023 Energy Resilience Planning for Local Governments Workshop will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 8. This virtual workshop will connect city and county staff with funding, resources, and organizations to help with the planning and implementation necessary to make a community more energy-resilient and prepared for future disasters. OEM is pleased to join a plenary panel that will discuss incremental resilience planning and new funding sources for local governments. Other topics will cover community energy resilience; lessons from Rogue Reimagined; and facilitated regional breakout discussions. 

Come join OEM as we grow our department to bring more capacity and support to Oregonians and the Pacific Northwest. We are currently seeking a Legislative Coordinator & Strategic Communications Manager (Government Relations Manager 2). The legislative coordinator researches, analyzes and evaluates policy and program issues having a statewide impact. This position directly supervises eight subordinate staff members to develop and manage programs focused on public information, the statewide Joint Information Center, tribal coordination, office digital platform management, language access, and public and private partnerships. It reports to the director and deputy director. View the posting on Workday. This position closes on Dec. 10.

The Oregon State Interoperability Executive Council is updating the Oregon Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP), defining how it will allocate resources, establish governance, identify investment opportunities, assess potential risks, and address interoperability challenges across the emergency communications ecosystem in Oregon. Register today to join the SCIP Development Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 12 at 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr SE in Salem (and virtually, link to come), to discuss the data and input received to craft goals and objectives to include in the SCIP.

Serve Washington is hosting a free workshop on Access and Functional Needs (AFN) from 10 a.m. to noon on Dec. 13. Learn about Disability and AFN best practices, including definitions, etiquette, regulation, and inclusivity practice. This workshop is ideal for people who work or serve within non-profit or community-based organizations, governments, tribes, emergency management or other field with a major focus on service and volunteerism. 

Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) are trusted agents and gatekeepers of local communities. Additionally, they create a valuable workforce multiplier-role in disaster response and recovery as well as other key national mission areas in preparedness, mitigation, prevention and protection. FEMA's Third Thursday webinar at 11 a.m. on Dec. 14 will cover topics including equitable and inclusive community engagement before, during and after disasters; improving engagement through learning communities; cultural humility; and field skills on inclusive community engagement.

Experiencing a disaster is often a life-altering event for many reasons. This educational session from 5-6 p.m. on Dec. 13 will focus on what specifically happens to the brain and mental status before, during and after a disaster. This webinar will also take a specific look at how younger children and teens react differently to disasters compared to adults, and how everyone can take steps or find resources to mentally prepare for this kind of event, including how to support friends or family members who have experienced disasters recently. This webinar is being hosted by Nandika Devarajan, a 10th grade student and FEMA Region 10 Youth Preparedness Council Member, with expertise from Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt, behavioral mental health specialist.

The National Weather Service (NWS) will launch a new National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) in spring 2024, replacing the legacy Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS). When launched, NWPS will be the one-stop shop for critical NWS water resources information, including river observations, forecasts, site data and data services. A preview of the new system is available for public testing through Dec. 15. Feedback can be provided through SurveyMonkey or your local or regional NWS office.

The Oregon Commission for Women (OCFW) is seeking nominations for the Women of Achievement Awards honoring trailblazers and emerging leaders who are working to establish economic, social, legal, political and health equity for women and girls in Oregon. Nominations are open to Dec. 15. The awards recognize women in Oregon who have achieved leadership and success in their personal lives, professional endeavors, civic engagement, volunteer efforts and activism. The awards also promote equity and inclusion through the recognition of diverse Oregon women who are typically underrepresented in race, ethnicity, gender identity, occupation, income and geography. 

While the QuakeAlertUSA app is no longer available, there are still several ways to receive ShakeAlert earthquake early warning alerts on your phone. The MyShake app is available for free download in the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Alerts are also sent through the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) System automatically to most cell phones like an AMBER Alert. Google has also integrated ShakeAlert into its Android Operating System. QuakeAlertUSA was decommissioned on Nov. 6 by its parent company, Early Warning Labs, which will focus on providing ShakeAlert-powered integrations to businesses and lifelines.

Since the publication of the third version of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in 2017, FEMA has received stakeholder feedback indicating that some organizations may be facing challenges with implementing the resource management component of NIMS, particularly the typing, inventorying and tracking of response assets. The 2023 NIMS Resource Management Survey offers jurisdictions an opportunity to recommend enhancements for NIMS programming. This includes the National Qualification System (NQS), resource typing, mutual aid, emergency operations center (EOC) skillsets and tools, and more. The survey will remain open until FEMA collects 1,000 responses.

Congratulations to Kelly Jo (KJ) Craigmiles, who recently celebrated 35 years with Oregon Emergency Management! KJ joined OEM in November 1988 as the Exercise Training Officer in charge of developing, conducting and evaluating disaster exercises and overseeing the state emergency management training program. She has also served as the NIMS Coordinator, EMAC Coordinator (which she still oversees), Emergency Management Performance Grant grants manager, Coordination Section Chief, State Individual Assistance Officer for damage assessment, and in the Joint Field Officer (JFO) during Presidentially declared disasters. Since 2014, her role has been the Operations and Emergency Program Coordinator for the Response Section, where she's responsible for daily monitoring of requests for state resources, coordination with state agency partners, and the operations coordination section in the State Emergency Coordination Center.

(Personal note: The best advice this author ever received was, "If you don't know something, ask KJ!" and it has served me well!). 

Michelle Lovejoy (she/her)
Finance and Compliance Division Director, Chief Financial Officer, Designated Procurement Officer, Compliance Officer
Cell: 971-719-1220
michelle.lovejoy@oem.oregon.gov

Michelle joined OEM in September 2022 and assumes multiple financial roles, including Chief Financial Officer, Designated Procurement Officer and Compliance Officer. She also serves as Director of OEM Finance and Compliance Division, which is responsible for budget execution, grant accounting, procurement, invoicing, travel coordination, subrecipient financial risk monitoring, audit responses, and ensuring compliance with all state and federal laws, rules, policies, protocols, procedures and regulations. The division supports tribal and local partners with Requests for Reimbursements for all federal grants and helps with the calculation and distribution of the Emergency Communications Tax (9-1-1 tax) and purchasing for the State Preparedness and Incident Response Equipment (SPIRE) grant program. English is Michelle's second language.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management hosted instructors from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) for a three-day Basic Inland Search and Rescue (SAR) Course Nov. 14-16. The course teaches entry-level SAR management to federal, state and local SAR responders (such as Incident Command leaders and planners) who are responsible for planning, coordinating, or conducting air and ground search operations in the inland environment. The class of 31 students included members of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, state SAR representatives, county sheriff SAR coordinators, and local SAR responders from Oregon, Washington, and Guam. Course attendees learned about the federal SAR architecture overview, AFRCC overview and mission types, SAR resources, an introduction to search theory, and mission coordination. The course culminated with a scenario-based tabletop exercise and provided attendees with the opportunity to network and share experiences.