News Release: San Luis Valley Efforts Recognized at Annual Emergency Management Conference

Contact:
Strategic Communications Director
Micki Trost
303-472-4087
micki.trost@state.co.us

Centennial, Colo. – March 13, 2017 — Each year the Colorado Emergency Management Association (CEMA) and Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) host a large conference for Colorado emergency managers and responders. This successful event provides a host of wonderful speakers, educational break-out sessions and networking opportunities. More than 400 people attended the 2017 Annual Colorado Emergency Management Conference.

The highlight of the conference is the annual awards ceremony recognizing the efforts of emergency managers and first responders from across the state. The awards include: Emergency Manager of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Mike Gelski Award for Outstanding Service and a Public/Private Partnership Award. The San Luis Valley (SLV) Region efforts were well represented with four of the statewide awards.

Richard Wetzler from Costilla County received both the Volunteer of the Year Award and Mike Gelski Award for Outstanding Service. Wetzler is an active member of the Alpine First Response Team at Forbes Trinchera. He is a committed member of the SLV Citizen Corps almost since inception. Wetzler is a gentle, kind and humble spirit who represents a wonderful volunteer spirit.

Terry Wetherill received the Emergency Manager of the Year Award. Wetherill is the Mineral County Emergency Manager at the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office. Wetherill is part of the Search and Rescue Team, Mineral County Fire Department and Mineral County EMS. He is a retired Veteran after 29 years of Service in the Armed Forces. Wetherill works with the Town of Creede and Mineral County to improve emergency preparedness and response.

Francis Song received the 2016 Rookie of the Year Award. Song is the Alamosa County Emergency Manager and also works as a Victims Advocate for the Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office. Song is also a Veteran served as an Officer in the United States Air Force. He has set the bar very high for Emergency Management taking on many projects and initiatives in his short time with Alamosa County. Song began his career with Alamosa County in August of 2015 and is constantly absorbed in various activities.

DHSEM congratulations each of the award recipients and thanks them for representing this special region.

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Photos available on Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Flickr site: https://flic.kr/s/aHskVTfdjF.

Background Information:

Regional All Hazards Emergency Manager of the Year Award: This CEMA award is open to all of the nine all hazards regions and is based on career achievement, overall contribution, regional coordination, specialized projects or proven leadership in the field of emergency management.

Rookie of the Year: A single CEMA award available, statewide for an individual, with no more than two years in the field of emergency management (full-time career) whose work ethic, communications ability, collaborative nature or special projects achievements has shown his/her commitment to the field of emergency management.

Mike Gelski Award For Outstanding Volunteer Achievement: A single CEMA annual award for an individual who is in a volunteer position, for at least two years, supporting the tenets of comprehensive emergency management. Mike Gelski was a volunteer with the Salvation Army whom is held as an ideal example of an Outstanding Volunteer. This award honors his memory.

Volunteer of the Year Award: Award is given by Colorado DHSEM to one outstanding volunteer in each region of the state.

Call for Presentations: 2017 Colorado Emergency Management Conference

2017 Colorado Emergency Management Conference

 Call for Presentations

• Submissions due by November 1, 2016
• Conference Dates: February 28-March 2, 2017
• Conference Location:  Hotel Elegante, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

General Information

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) and the Colorado Emergency Managers Association (CEMA) are accepting proposals for the 2017 Colorado Emergency Management Conference (CEMC). This year’s theme is:“Forces of Change: Reflecting on the Past, Focusing on the Future”.

There will be four concurrent tracks composed of 60 minute sessions.

 

Topics of Interest:

The Conference Committee is interested in proposals that fit within the following categories. Creativity and innovation in topics and presentation styles is always welcome.

• Emerging Trends
• Systems and Technology
• Leadership
• Planning, Training and Exercise
• Innovation
• Whole Community
• Best Practices
• Partnerships and Collaboration
• Five Phases of Emergency Management
• Policy and Advocacy

 

Speaker Notifications

Speakers will be notified by December 15, 2016 as to whether or not their submission was accepted.

 

Submission Instructions

Please use the following link to submit a presentation idea: https://goo.gl/forms/yH4oPYjlJ117iEuj2

 

Presenter Registration

Registration fees will be reduced for presenters who attend the entire conference. Presenters choosing to attend the day of their presentation will have the daily registration fee waived and will be provided with lunch (up to four presenters per session total).

 

Contact

If you have any questions or issues please email bruce.holloman@state.co.us.

Registration Open for 2016 Colorado Integrated Emergency Management Conference

Capability and Capacity: Preparedness Isn't By Chance

Registration is now open for the 2016 Colorado Integrated Emergency Management Conference. 

Conference Logistics

Date:            March 8-10, 2016

Location:     Hotel Elegante Conference & Event Center

Address: 2886 S Circle Dr.,Colorado Springs, Colo., 80906

Conference Fee: $225 before February 1, 2016 and $275 after February 1, 2016.

Registration Information

• Registration closes on February 22, 2016.  No walk-in registrations will be accepted at the conference. 

• Conference attendees, speakers, vendors and volunteers registering for the conference please click register online.

• If you have any questions on registering for the conference please send an email to cemapresident@gmail.com (link sends e-mail)

Hotel Reservations

Reserve a room through the  hotel's reservation page.  Let hotel reservations staff know you are with the CEMA 2016 Emergency Management Conference. The CEMA hotel group code is 1421900.

Conference Hashtag and Social Media Updates

The  hashtag for the 2016 conference will be #COEM2016.  Updates will be posted on Twitter on @COEmergency and  @cemacolorado.  Updates will be posted on the COEmergency Facebook page.  Lastly, website updates can be found at www.COEmergency.com and www.CEMAColorado.com.

2016 Emergency Management Conference Needs Silent Auction Items

Colorado Emergency Management Association Silent Auction Benefits the Colorado Emergency Management Association’s Scholarship Program

A unique piece of the Colorado Emergency Management Conference is the silent auction. The proceeds provide scholarships for emergency managers and others in public safety whose budgets may not allow them to attend the conference.

The silent auction relies on contributions from emergency managers, first response agencies and conference vendors. A wide variety of items is offered in the auction: art work, ski tickets, jewelry, tickets to sporting events, food baskets, books, preparedness kits – the list goes on.

The fund-raising silent auction will be held during the conference, March 8 – 10, 2016.

Here’s how to participate

1. Donate any item, group of unrelated items, or a ‘theme basket’ that you think other conference attendees would like to own. 
2. Vendors and business owners: Your donation may display organization labels, business cards, and other marketing materials. 
3. Browse the silent auction tables at the conference.  There will be lots of fun items that are sure to catch your eye.

A direct result of the generous donations over the past few years is the number of people receiving scholarships: 21 in 2012, 17 in 2013, and 37 in 2014. During the 2015 conference, the silent auction raised $3,070 which will fund an additional 15 scholarships for the 2016 conference.

Please help us continue this success by donating to the silent auction today.

To donate, or if you have questions, please contact Scott Morrill at 970-275-1370 or smorrill@gunnisoncounty.org.

View the Silent Auction Flyer. 

2015 Conference Presentations Available to Download

The presentations from the 2015 Colorado Integrated Emergency Management Conference are available on our website to view or download.  They are posted to the CEMA Conference tab.

Please keep in mind that not all of the presenters provided their materials to the conference committee to share.  If there is not a hyperlink associated with the title the presentations is not available.

There are two presentations that are large and do not allow you to utilize the preview function.  You will need to download the presentation to your computer in order to view it.

If you have any problems or questions please contact Micki Trost.

2015 Colorado Integrated Emergency Management Conference Program

View or download the 2015 conference program.

CEMA15 Conference Program

Call for Presenters: Colorado Emergency Management Conference

Comprehensive Emergency Management:  It Takes Remarkable People

 

2015 Colorado Emergency Management Conference
 

Request for Speakers

Planning for the 2015 Colorado Emergency Management Conference is underway. The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Colorado Emergency Managers Association (CEMA), have joined forces with public health and medical, fire, law enforcement, local and county government, EMS, Non-governmental organizations, and private citizens to develop a comprehensive conference agenda with a focus on “Comprehensive Emergency Management – It Takes Remarkable People.” The 2015 Emergency Management Conference Committee is dedicated to improving the Colorado Emergency Management Conference by building on past success and we need your creativity and subject matter expertise.

We will host the conference February 24–26, 2015. This three-day conference will feature speakers from across the state on a range of topics from health and medical, emergency management, to emergency medical response, law enforcement and fire, designed to empower all emergency support functions to become better integrated risk managers in our fields. Although the conference is several months away, preparations are underway. This year’s call for speakers is one step toward producing a vibrant and educational conference.

Download the Request for Speaker Form.

Colorado Emergency Management Conference Scholarship Application

Purpose:

The purpose of this scholarship is to provide funding to pay the registration fee ($175.00 in 2014) for an emergency manager (EM), an employee or volunteer working with a voluntary organization involved in emergency response, or a student to attend the Colorado Emergency Management Conference. This scholarship program is funded by proceeds derived from the silent auction held at the Colorado Emergency Management Conference and/or contributions from the Colorado Emergency Management Association (CEMA).

Procedure:

To be eligible for this scholarship, an applicant must be:

• Working EM in Colorado or staff
• Working with a voluntary organization – e.g. members of VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters)
• Student enrolled in an EM or Homeland Security program in Colorado
• Others retired or interested in the field of emergency management

Applicants must provide all requested information, follow all directions in the application, meet all time lines, and write an original essay.

Priority for awarding the scholarships will be as listed above with working EMs receiving highest priority. The CEMA Board of Directors will determine the number of scholarships that will be available each year.

If more applications are received than we have funding for, scholarship awards will be based on a random drawing with working EMs receiving priority.


Download the CEMA Scholarship Application.

Save the Date: 2014 Colorado Emergency Management Conference February 25-27

Planning for the 2014 Colorado Emergency Management Conference is underway. We are developing the conference agenda with a focus on “Partner Integration – Your Piece of the Puzzle”. The 2014 Emergency Management Conference Committee is dedicated to improving the Colorado Emergency Management Conference by building on past successes and opening the door to new ideas that will attract all of our partners to participate.

The conference will be held February 25-27, 2014 in Loveland Colorado at the Embassy Suites. This three-day conference will feature speakers from across the state on a range of topics from health and medical, emergency management, to emergency medical response, law enforcement and fire, designed to empower all emergency support functions to become better integrated risk managers in our fields.

Our conference is more than emergency management based (although this remains an important topic). We are committed to integration, all-hazards community risk reduction, instructional methodology and program improvement. Colorado has faced unprecedented disasters in the last few years. These disasters have highlighted the need to improve coordination and collaboration through multidiciplinary, integrative preparedness activities. We are looking forward to providing exciting learning opportunities that will attract participation across our whole community.

If you are interested in speaking at the conference, please submit your proposal here: https://docs.google.com/a/state.co.us/forms/d/1f57SzGnvGFSjJclXFTWQqyS-jGzD7XkCK1YXXt7x2Ac/viewform?edit_requested=true

For more information, please go to: www.cemacolorado.org