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The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) ends July 12. All Reservists, onboarded as of Oct. 1, 2018 are encouraged to complete the survey today.
Reservists, CORE and temporary-full-time employees should look for an email from USASurvey@opm.gov with the subject line “FEMA 2019 Stafford Act Employee Viewpoint Survey.” Reservists will be compensated for up to 30 minutes of their time to complete the 2019 FEVS.
Your participation in the survey is voluntary and individual responses are confidential. Please take advantage of this opportunity to make a difference and have your voice heard.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact the OCCHCO Help Desk or follow the instructions contained in the email you receive from OPM.
To celebrate FEMA’s 40th anniversary, The Buzz sought to find the FEMA reservist with longest tenure.
This month, we celebrate two of our longest serving Reservists, Charles “Chuttie” Senn and David Hart. Together, they have decades of experience serving disaster survivors. In their articles, they share what excites them about with working at FEMA and most importantly, why they remain. We thank them for their continued service.
Charles “Chuttie” Senn
Charles “Chuttie” Senn has a long history of serving the country. His initial introduction to federal disaster response was as a member of the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) in 1976-78 when VISTA managed Disaster Assistance Centers.
Chuttie served as a “When Actually Employed” (WAE) FEMA member with Logistics in the summer of 1980 at Fort McCoy, and with External Affairs in the early 1980s. He later became a Reservist with the Office of Chief Counsel in 2008, was a CORE from 2010 until 2018, and is a Reservist again. As member of the Legal Cadre, Chuttie currently supports the Federal Coordinating Officer by offering advice, or working to resolve eligibility questions to speed the delivery of assistance to survivors. “I am there for the survivors,” he added, “and will do whatever I can to support FEMA’s mission.”
You could say he’s hooked. Chuttie jokes, “It is an adrenaline rush, similar to that I experienced as a volunteer firefighter-EMT.”
Chuttie continued, “I love my work with FEMA because of the people. The survivor’s spirit, resilience and commitment to respond, rebuild and recover better than ever is amazing. Federal, state, and volunteers who respond because they want to be there to help show an amazing commitment to service, and I enjoy being part of that effort.” He also feels “it is a unique opportunity to aid survivors in their time of need. This is one of those times when government can respond positively and quickly to assist in time of need. It is personally rewarding to be able to deliver that support.“
Two events stand out for Chuttie. His most memorable impression was his first visit to Joplin, Missouri. There was not a building for many blocks that had not been damaged or destroyed. It was humbling -- and haunting.
The second one was as part of the FEMA team supporting the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 2015 when FEMA provided its first permanent home construction in the continental United States. “Building a positive relationship and supporting the tribe is work I am very proud of.”
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David Hart
David Hart started as a Reservist with FEMA Region II when Hurricane Hugo struck Puerto Rico in 1989. When he started, FEMA was primarily using paper for registration, inspections/inspections review and combined verification (CV). The only people with computers were Information Management who used CV data to provide financial determinations for survivor assistance. He began disaster work doing contract inspection reviews and a few months later was in the field doing inspections for FEMA.
Around 1993, David was promoted within Inspection Services when a select number of FEMA staff set up and opened the National Processing Service Center at Mt. Weather. He then moved from Inspection Services into Individual Assistance (IA) and has held every position in IA including IA Branch Director. David said, “I love helping people and I love the FEMA family I have come to know and rely on over the years.”
His most memorable moment was when he was chosen to represent the Agency at the July 2002 introduction of the Department of Homeland Security by President George W. Bush. Upon his arrival to Washington, DC from New York City, where he was working with survivors of the 9/11 attacks, he had to borrow a suit from someone at Headquarters because he didn’t own one. What a day! He flew down in blue jeans, jumped into a suit, met the President, attended the speech, returned to 500 C Street, got back into his jeans and went back to work in NYC.
David noted, “I have seen many good things, and many sad things over the years, but wouldn’t trade a second.”
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FEMA’s Publication 1 (Pub 1) is the agency’s capstone doctrine. It identifies the Core Values that guide FEMA’s behavior and how we relate to others. Those values are: compassion, fairness, integrity and respect. Within the Office of Response and Recovery (ORR), the ORR Core Values team created four initiatives (policy, employee listening, training and communications) to encourage every ORR employee to embody FEMA’s core values to disaster survivors, colleagues.
The Reservist Advisory Board (RAB) represents FEMA reservists by providing field expertise, insight and program recommendations to the ORR Core Values team. For example, the RAB voiced the need for Pub 1 to highlight the importance of demonstrating Core Values not just to disaster survivors, but to colleagues in the field in times of crisis and stress. In addition, the RAB provided feedback to the team on messaging strategies highlighting and encouraging full incorporation of Core Values into field operations. Products include posters, Federal Coordinating Officer Core Values Announcements, and other messaging from field leadership. The RAB also works with onboarding training for new FEMA Reservists to identify and exemplify the Core Values for those about to join the FEMA workforce.
The RAB has been an integral part of providing feedback and knowledge to the ORR Core Values team, and will continue to represent Reservists and their effort in FEMA’s mission.
A new FEMA-wide publication will merge FEMA’s two monthly newsletters, The Buzz and FEMA Forward, along with the weekly :30 Second Thursdays and Mission Support announcements to enhance the timeliness of employee communication. The new FEMA Weekly will include leadership insights, program news, an employee spotlight, administrative updates and reservist-focused features.
Employees are invited to submit articles and information to the new weekly. Information on how to do so will be provided in the coming weeks.
This is the final edition of The Buzz. Archived editions of The Buzz, from November 2017 to July 2019, can be found on the FEMA Intranet homepage..
A Cadre Coordinator oversees all aspects of day-to-day cadre management including staffing, equipping, training, qualifying and performance of the cadre and its members. Here is a list of FEMA’s Cadre Coordinators:
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