Colorado Donations Coordination Team Receives FedEx Innovative Program of the Year 2012 Award

Award Received at the National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disasters (VOAD) Conference

Colorado's Donations Coordination Team and Volunteer Coordination Team were awarded the FedEX Innovative Program Award at the National VOAD Conference on May 15, 2012 in Norfolk, VA.  This award was issued to the team for work on the Colorado Donations and Volunteer Management Network.  The Colorado Donations and Volunteer Management Network is a collection of partners, practical tools and initiatives that aim to provide enhanced services to disaster survivors as they relate to donation management, volunteer coordination and information and referral.  Jen Poitras, facilitator for the network, accepted the award on behalf of the team.  


Core Agency Partners of the Colorado Donations and Volunteer Management Network:

  • Adventist Community Services Disaster Response
  • 2-1-1 Colorado
  • Colorado Volunteer Center Network

Supporting Agency Partners of the Colorado Donations and Volunteer Management Network:

  • American Red Cross
  • Colorado Division of Emergency Management
  • Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters
  • The Salvation Army

 

What is Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters?

Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (COVOAD) is the Colorado state chapter of National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disasters (NVOAD).  It consists of organizations active in disaster response throughout the state of Colorado.  COVOAD's role is to bring organizations together, enable them to understand each other and work together in a cohesive manner.  To accomplish these goals, COVOAD meets with its member organizations several times each year to share information and training opportunities.  These meetings also provide the opportunity to conduct business, plan, network and provide updates on current disaster relief efforts.

Information for this post obtained from the COVOAD website









Sunrise Mine Fire Update

Press Release from the Sunrise Mine Fire Public Information Officers

Sunrise Mine Fire Update
Rocky Basin 2 Incident Management Team
Incident Commander: Rich Harvey
For Immediate Release: May 30, 2012 9:00 p.m.
Fire Information: (435) 619-1651 or(208) 866-2009
Email: rockybasin1@gmail.com; subject line “Info”
(Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.)
Fire Facts:
Date started: May 25, 2012
Number of Personnel: 621
Location: SW of Gateway, Colorado
Crews: 11 Type 1 (Hotshots) and 8 Type 2
Size: 6,130 acres
Engines: 10
Percent Contained: 70%
Water Tenders: 11
Estimated Containment: June 3,2012
Cause: Under investigation
Dozers: 1
Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 1 Type 2 and 3 Type 3
Structures threatened: 10 residences,
15 outbuildings/other
Injuries to Date: 2
Cost to Date: $1,948,879


Special Notice:
An area of closure is in effect for Carpenter Ridge in Colorado and Utah, Sinbad Ridge in Colorado and Utah, Buckeye Basin to include the Buckeye Campground, and all Manti-La Salle National Forest Lands in Colorado north of Willow Basin Creek/Buckeye Creek to include forest roads 54135, 50377, 50371, 50378, 54150, 54755, 54145, 50373, 50358, 54755, 54148, 54132 and forest trail 50965.

Today’s Events:
Firefighters made significant progress today holding and reinforcing existing containment lines while at the same time other crews were constructing new line in the last remaining sections of the fire perimeter. A passing cold front at midday today produced a change in wind direction. This test of the line on the northeast sector produced only a minor increase in acreage. Crews in the southwest and northeast portions of the fire were aided by helicopter water drops and air tanker retardant drops. These drops are utilized to cool the flames for firefighter safety and improve line construction efficiency. Structure protection is in place on private lands north of the fire in Sinbad Valley and on private lands west of the fire. Light winds and slightly higher relative humidity is predicted for tomorrow which should allow for continued line improvement. As always, firefighter and public safety is the number one priority in conducting wildland firefighting operations.
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New Training Courses Available

Register Now for New Opportunities Recently Added to Training Calendar

Several training courses have been added to the Training Calendar.  If you have courses that you need to complete or are just interested in learning more about the following topics register now.  New courses are added to the calendar and to the COEmergency Training Page each day.

Courses that were added today:
  • ICS 300:  Intermediate Incident Command System
  • ICS 400:  Advanced Incident Command System
  • L 550:  COOP Train-the-Trainer Workshop
  • G 290: Basic Public Information Officer
  • Damage Assessment Workshop
If a minimum number of participants are not registered the course may be canceled.  Register today.

Contact Robyn Knappe, State Training Manager, with any questions about training opportunities or how to register at robyn.knappe@state.co.us.

Little Sand Fire Update

Press Release and Map from Little Sand Fire Public Information Officers:  May 31, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.


News Release
May 30, 2012, 9:00 a.m. (MST)
Contact: Laura McConnell, PIO
Email: theLittleSandFire@Gmail.com
Phone: 970.444.2201 – 8am – 9pm
24 Hour - Recorded Message: 970.264.4731
*** PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED ***
Saturday, June 2nd beginning 2:30 p.m. at Sportsman’s Campground


Morning Update – Thursday, May 31, 2012
Pagosa Springs, CO – Light smoke settled in the area of Pagosa Springs this morning from the Little Sand Fire. Yesterday crews working on the southeast portion of the fire (Division Y) experienced increased fire activity late in the afternoon which put up smoke that was visible from Pagosa Springs.

Yesterday’s Progress:
The structure protection group worked on the northeast area of the fire (Division A) removing brush and trees from around structures. This work is being done as a precautionary effort to create defensible space around homes and structures in the area. Crews worked in the public fuel wood area near Sportsman’s Campground removing limbs and ladder fuels. Ladder fuels provide vertical continuity between the forest floor and tree canopy, thereby allowing fire to carry from surface fuels into the crowns of trees or shrubs with relative ease. These fuels help initiate and assure the continuation of crowning.[1]

Burnout operations were successful on the southwest side of the fire. Winds were present but were not a major factor. 

Two community meetings were held yesterday at the Sportsman’s Campground and Pagosa Springs H.S., Approximately 100 community members were present.

Div A - (upper northeast)
Crews will be in patrol status, continuing to work on and around structures. The work will include delimbing of trees and removing ladder fuels from around structures in the area of Sportsman’s Campground. Crews will also be working the spot near Trail Ridge Road (639) which is mostly a ground fire and not in the trees. Improvements and holding at Forest Service Road 639 will continue.

Div B – (southwest side)
There was growth on the southwest side of the fire, however the line is holding. Firefighters will continue to hold the line.

Div Y – (upper northwest)
This division will be monitored by air. Due to the heaviness of the tree canopy, ground observation is not possible.
Closures of roads, trails and campgrounds can be found at: www.FS.USDA.gov/sanjuan/

Fire Stats at a glance:


Start Date: May 13th, 2012
Cause: Lightning
Acreage: 3,754
Personnel: 246
Crews: 6
Cooperating Agencies: Hinsdale County, Archuleta County, USFS, CSFS
Aviation: (1)-Type 1 Helicopter, (1)-Type 3 Helicopter, Air Attack
Engines: 5
Injuries: 0
Structures destroyed: 0
Structures threatened: 40 including outbuildings
Cost to date: $1,011,000


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Get Connected:


  • Twitter - @AC_Emergency
    @RMIMT2_TeamB
  • Websites –








[1] NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology - http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/glossary/l.htm




Wildfire Ready PSA

Visit this website for resources to become Wildfire Ready: http://denver.cbslocal.com/content-vertical/wildfire-ready/

Forecast Fire Danger Map for May 30





http://www.fs.fed.us/land/wfas/fd_cls_f.png 



View the Forecast Fire Danger map at  http://www.fs.fed.us/land/wfas/fd_cls_f.png



Sunrise Mine Fire Update



Press Release from Sunrise Mine Public Information Officers - May 30 at 9:00 a.m.


Sunrise Mine Fire Update
Rocky Basin 2 Incident Management Team
Incident Commander: Rich Harvey
For Immediate Release: May 30, 2012 9:00 a.m.
Fire Information: (435) 619-1651 or(208) 866-2009
Email: rockybasin1@gmail.com; subject line “Info”
(Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.)



Fire Facts:
Date started: May 25, 2012
Number of Personnel: Approx. 552
Location: SW of Gateway, Colorado
Crews: 10 Type 1 (Hotshots) and 8 Type 2
Size: 6,017 acres
Engines: 5
Percent Contained: 48%
Water Tenders: 7
Estimated Containment: June 3, 2012
Helicopters: 1 Type 1, 1 Type 2 and 3 Type 3
Cause: Under investigation
Injuries to Date: 2
Structures threatened: 10 residences
15 outbuildings/other


Cost to Date: $1,200,000
Special Notice:
Buckeye Reservoir Road, R 1 Road and John Brown Road are closed to public access for public and firefighter safety. An area of closure is in effect for Carpenter Ridge in Colorado and Utah, Sinbad Ridge in Colorado and Utah, Buckeye Basin to include the Buckeye Campground, and all Manti-La Salle National Forest Lands in Colorado north of Willow Basin Creek/Buckeye Creek to include forest roads 54135, 50377, 50371, 50378, 54150, 54755, 54145, 50373, 50358, 54755, 54148, 54132 and forest trail 50965.

Today’s Events:
Crews will be working to completely secure the north flank of the fire. A wind shift to the north is expected today which will assist firefighters on the northwest corner of the fire, but may create more difficult conditions for those working on the eastern edge along Sinbad Ridge. Firefighters will be constructing line on the canyon rim north of Roc Creek on the east flank of the fire and will work to improve and strengthen lines on the south flank. Crews will evaluate and prepare to provide structure protection for structures northwest of Buckeye Reservoir near the old landing strip.
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Little Sand Fire Update

News Release and Current Map from Little Sand Fire Public Information Officers - May 30 at 10:00 a.m.

News Release
May 30, 2012 8:00 a.m. (MST)
Contact: Laura McConnell, PIO
Email: theLittleSandFire@Gmail.com
Phone: 970.444.2201
Recorded Message: 970.264.4731
*** PUBLIC MEETINGS SCHEDULED ***
Wednesday, May 30th beginning 2:30 p.m. at Sportsman’s Campground
Wednesday, May 30th beginning 5:30 p.m. Pagosa Springs H.S. auditorium


Pagosa Springs, CO – The weather for today is calling for warmer temperatures and lighter winds. The inversion will weaken and smoke is predicted to begin clearing out earlier. Yesterday smoke drifted to the northeast, today with shifting winds it will move west and then southeast.
Fuels, or vegetation, are very dry for this time of year and low moisture levels in the pondersosa pine makes them susceptible to torching. There’s enough moisture in grasses and lighter fuels to help slow the fires movement where there is a layer of dead pine litter the fire continues to spread and readily burns.
Fire crews on the north end of the fire working near the Piedra Road above the Bridge Campground. They will be taking down snags or hazard trees for safety concerns and will scout for areas to prep in the area of Sportsman’s Campground. A dozer is being used to improve old logging roads for better access.
On the southern end of the fire, crews will monitor along the indirect fireline and take care of any spotting from embers. A portion of the west side of the fire will be monitored by air today.
Engines will return to do structure protection around the homes north and east of the incident. Helicopters will again assist firefighters with water drops when needed.
Concerns for firefighters today will include the potential for spotting and firebrands landing downslope from hotspots, falling snags and shifting winds altering fire behavior.
Fire Stats at a glance:

Start Date: May 13th, 2012
Cause: Lightning
Acreage: 3,754
Personnel: 243
Crews: 6
Cooperating Agencies: Hinsdale County, Archuleta County, USFS, CSFS
Dozers: 1
Aviation:1-Type 1 Helicopter, 1-Type 3 Helicopter, Air Attack
Engines: 5
Injuries: None
Structures destroyed: None
Structures threatened: 40 including outbuildings
Cost to date: $725,000

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Additional Notes: If you would like to receive email notices please send a message to the email address above.

· Websites:
· Twitter:
@RMIMT2_TeamB
@AC_EMERGENCY



DEM Weekly Update ~ May 29

Colorado Division of Emergency Management Weekly Update ~ May 29, 2012

The following information is included in the Weekly Update:
  • DEM Transition Update
  • CMAS, IPAWS and Mobile Wireless Emergency Alerting Capabilities?
  • Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program
  • Sunrise Mine Fire and Little Sand Fire Information
  • How is Twitter used to Share Information during a Disaster?
  • Economic Recovery in Disaster-Impacted Communities Web Seriers
  • Damage Assessment Course
  • Training Information
If you would like to contribute information to the DEM Weekly Update contact Micki Trost, DEM PIO, at micki.trost@state.co.us.

Information Sources for Current Wildfires

Little Sand Fire (#LittleSand) Information Sources

Current information regarding the Little Sand Fire can be obtained from these web resources:

  1. Inciweb:  http://inciweb.org/incident/2878/  
  2. Archuleta County Emergency Information Website: http://www.acemergency.org/
  3. Follow @RMIMT2_TeamB on Twitter
  4. Follow @AC_EMERGENCY on Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrise Mine Fire (#SunriseMine) Information Source

  1. Inciweb:  http://inciweb.org/incident/2877/
  2. See Inciweb for media contact numbers and fire update phone numbers.
The Colorado Division of Emergency Management will also retweet updates, follow us on Twitter @COEmergency, and post information to COEmergency that is received from the incident PIOs.

Are you Wildfire Ready?









The Colorado Division of Emergency Management has partnered with Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA), CBS 4News, fire officials and insurance partners on a Wildfire Ready campaign.  Visit http://denver.cbslocal.com/content-vertical/wildfire-ready/ to learn how to be Wildfire Ready.

Colorado SAHAC Website

A new website has been established for the Colorado State All-Hazards Advisory Committee (SAHAC).  The address for the new site is http://coloradosahac.blogspot.com/.



Hewlett Fire Update

Daily Wildfire Update from Colorado State Forest Service

The Hewlett Fire is now 100 percent contained. A Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team has begun gathering information and conducting field observations to determine what steps to take on the burn area.

DEM Weekly Update May 22

Colorado Division of Emergency Management Weekly Update ~ May 22, 2012

Items included this week include:
  • Transition Update
  • Kudos 
  • Smoke Alarm Recycling or Disposal
  • PIOs Needed for Operation Vortex
  • Job Opening
  • State leagues and the Nationwide Safety Broadband Network
  • Summit County's Ready, Set, Go! A Wildland Fire Action Planning Event
  • Indian nations Emergency Management Conference
  • The Colorado Briefing:  A National School Safety Leadership Symposium at Columbine
  •  Resource Network for Anyone Providing Safety Education
  • Denver CERT: Disaster Preparedness Response Training
  • One Year Anniversary of Joplin Tornado
  • Training Information
Contact Micki Trost, DEM PIO, with any questions or to share information in next week's update at micki.trost@state.co.us.  

The Colorado Briefing: A National School Safety Leadership Symposium

On behalf of The "I Love U Guys" Foundation, The Jefferson County School District and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, I am inviting you and your colleagues to The Colorado Briefing: A National School Safety Leadership Symposium.

When:      June 25-27, 2012
 
Where:    Columbine High School, 6201 S. Pierce St., Littleton, CO 80123
 
What:      Targeted for law enforcement, school administrators, faculty, safety teams and other first responders,  the symposium is designed to deliver a number of takeaways that districts, departments and agencies can implement immediately.

Speakers include school safety stakeholders and professionals ranging from school administrators and teachers to first responders, criminal justice and psychology professionals, all of whom were involved in the response and/or recovery of one or more of the Colorado school shootings. 
In a total of 12 presentations and four panel discussions, attendees will learn how best practices for school safety are changing, the challenges that face school administrators after a violent event, some trauma reduction techniques and more. Some of the topics to be covered have been publicly discussed rarely or not at all, making this an extremely unique opportunity for the audience.
People can learn more, and register at www.coloradobriefing.org or download The Colorado Briefing flyer.
If the attendance fee is prohibitive, interested people may call They "I Love U Guys" Foundation office and request a rate reduction. The primary goal of the hosting organizations is to share this information with as many people as possible.
Thank you!
Ellen Stoddard-Keyes
The "I Love U Guys" Foundation
Office: 303-838-1188
Mobile: 303-902-2392

Managing Spontaneous Volunteers: Lessons learned from Decent Disasters Workshop Presentations

On May 15, 2012 the Managing Spontaneous Volunteers:  Lessons Learned from Recent Disasters Workshop was held in Colorado.  The three presentations are available here for viewing or for download:

Brushy Mountain Fire Update






Brushy Mountain Fire Update

Contacts:   Lee Ann Loupe, Fire Information Officer, 970.874.6717; cell: 970.596.0246

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Grand Junction, CO (May 15, 2012) – Firefighters continue to work toward containment of the Brushy Mountain Fire.  The fire has grown to approximately 170 acres in size and is about 80% contained.  Full containment is estimated for Friday, May 18, pending weather and burning conditions.  A “Type 3 Incident Management Team” lead by Incident Commander  Jeff Phillips is managing the fire and the resources working it.  Fire officials say communications to and from the fire are difficult, as it is located in a fairly remote area and there is no cell phone coverage.

The fire is burning between Delta and Whitewater (Colorado) at the bottom of the North Fork of the Escalante Creek and north of Forest Road #421.  No homes or structures are nearby, or threatened.   A total of 56 persons are assigned to the fire and this includes two engines, a fire crew and various overhead (team) members.  A helicopter has been assisting as well. 

The Brushy Mountain Fire began on Friday, May 11 on private land in the area and was caused by a lightning strike.  The fire burned onto National Forest System Lands on the Uncompahgre Plateau..  Weather forecasts call for a dry, cold front with gusty wind over the next few days. Fire officials will continue to monitor the conditions and work toward containment and control of the fire.
 
Members of the public are cautioned that ground and vegetation conditions are dry and local winds and the lack of moisture make for conditions that are ripe for wildfire.  Please be careful.
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