Readiness Report: OEM Pledges Excellence in Service in 2024

Happy New Year! We are looking forward to 2024 as we continue our efforts to update OEM planning and engagement. This year’s theme is “Excellence in Service,” with a concerted emphasis on improving our delivery of customer service across the state and in collaboration with our partners.

As we focus on cultivating a service-oriented culture, I'd like to highlight the recent efforts of OEM's training team and web coordinator on their development of our new State Preparedness Calendar, dedicated to providing information regarding training opportunities, both virtual and in person.

We will continue to seek input from all stakeholders as we begin OEM’s strategic planning efforts and your feedback on our response process is valuable as we prepare for the transition of the Oregon Emergency Response System (OERS) to OEM and the standing up of an OEM Watch capability later this year.  Thank you for helping to shape the future of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

Erin McMahon, OEM Director

The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) and OEM are reminding counties that all drought declarations issued in the 2023 calendar year have expired and all 2023 drought incidents are being closed in OpsCenter. Any jurisdiction considering requesting a 2024 state drought declaration under ORS 536 should review the revised drought request guidance memo and drought request template letter from OWRD, and the revised copy of the local drought planning guide, appendix C. Contact your OEM Regional Coordinator for support.

State, local, tribal and other whole community partners can receive technical assistance and support for exercises, at no cost, from expert exercise specialists in FEMA's National Exercise Division. Exercise Support Requests are due March 1, 2024. Notifications of decisions will occur no later than June 30, 2024. Learn from FEMA’s exercise specialists about how the exercise support request process works and what information you need to submit a complete request for support by attending an informational webinar. Register for one of the following scheduled community webinars (all webinars will cover the same content, so participants only need to attend one session).

• Jan. 9 at 11 a.m.
• Jan. 11 at 8 a.m.
• Jan. 16 at 11 a.m.
• Jan. 18 at 7 a.m.
• Jan. 22 at 11 a.m.
• Jan. 24 at 8 a.m.

The USDA Forest Service has started the Community Navigators Program (CNP) to support leaders in historically underserved communities to find and access funding and partnership support. The CNP connects communities to the appropriate resources for building climate resilience when and where they need it most. Helping at-risk local communities and tribes plan for and reduce the risk of wildfire is integral to the CNP’s mission and having a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is an essential component of reducing wildfire risk. The Ember Alliance is hosting a webinar from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 10 titled, Developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Participants will learn what a CWPP is and why their community may need one, what the process involves and what the components are, what resources are needed to complete a CWPP, cost ranges for contractors versus in-house, how to use CWPPs to support funding for implementation, and more. The webinar will be offered in English and Spanish.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, also known as #WearBlueDay, takes place on Jan. 11. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking’s Blue Campaign invites the public to help combat this crime by raising awareness — and it all starts with wearing blue. Wearing blue, the international color of human trafficking awareness, on Jan. 11 states a commitment to bringing this crime out of the shadows. Participating is easy: Pick a favorite blue outfit or item of clothing, take a picture of yourself wearing it and share the photo on social media using the hashtag #WearBlueDay. Follow Blue Campaign (@DHSBlueCampaign on X, Facebook, and Instagram) for more details.

OEM is holding an open-ended series of exercise program updates. These hour-long virtual spaces are an opportunity to discuss best practices, OEM’s exercise forecast, promote partner exercises, field questions, and facilitate open discussions on all things related to the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and the exercise landscape across the state. There will be regular agenda items as well as space for guest speakers, subject matter experts, and relevant exercise conversations and presentations. The first meeting will be held from 9-10 a.m. on Jan. 12 on Zoom (Meeting ID: 882 7129 4583; Passcode: 674302).

Flood events are becoming more frequent and more severe, threatening to overwhelm state and local government agencies' available capacity to respond. There is a growing need for emergency managers to adapt to climate change and the increasing threat of flood events. Live flood intelligence and dynamic GIS solutions can help emergency managers to be innovative and adaptive at a time when a disaster strikes. Learn more at the next installment of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)’s EMpowerment e-Learning series, sponsored by FloodMapp. The webinar will take place at 11 a.m. on Jan. 10. Registration is required.

The Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday on Jan. 15 is an official day of service and celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. Reverend Dr. King was one of the most influential nonviolent leaders in world history who believed in the power of love, hope and justice for all humankind. He challenged the passivity, indifference and self-preservation of community leaders. We honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by continuing his commitment to making communities more equitable and serving others. On this MLK Jr. Day of Service, sign up for volunteer opportunities in your community. Visit MLKDay.gov to learn more.

Join FEMA Region 10 and Washington Emergency Management for a webinar from 11-11:45 a.m. on Jan. 18 on the essential aspects of 911 protocols and communication planning. The 911 Deputy of Operations will share vital information for emergency situations. Learn what to expect when dialing 911, along with discerning guidance on when and when not to make the call. The webinar will expand on creating a robust communications plan, cover out-of-area contacts, having diverse alert channels, and more. Register with Zoom.

The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) has created the Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities Resource Hub with videos, flyers, webpage links, and an updated version of the Ready Now! Emergency Preparedness Tool Kit available to download, print and hand out. Before printing, a fillable page in Section 12 includes a place to list local resources. OHSU UCEDD is hosting a webinar from 4-5 p.m. on Jan. 23 to share the Hub and Ready Now Tool Kit resources with people with disabilities and their families.

This quarterly webinar highlights ongoing efforts, best practices and lessons learned from Region 10's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs that engage within their communities. This webinar from 6-7 p.m. on Jan. 25 will be more of an open discussion and Q&A for teams to talk amongst each other. While the examples will focus on Region 10 states (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington), anyone who is interested or involved in CERT is welcome to join. Register with Zoom.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience is reminding small nonfarm businesses in Gilliam, Morrow, Sherman, Wasco and Wheeler counties of the Jan. 30 deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought that began April 1, 2023. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage. Apply at SBA.gov/disaster.

The Department of Homeland Security has awarded Oregon’s Statewide Interoperability Program with the 2023 Best of Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) Program Gold Award for Incident Support. Oregon was selected for its operational use of HSIN. The Best of HSIN Annual Awards honor HSIN communities and users who have applied HSIN in innovative ways to achieve mission success. Congratulations to Statewide Interoperability Coordinator William Chapman and his entire team!