DHSEM Names Chris Sorensen Operations Section Chief

DHSEM is excited to announce the appointment of Chris Sorensen as Operations Section Chief. Sorensen was one of four excellent candidates for this position. The selection process included a number of assessments including a State EOC scenario at the EOC Manager level.

Sorensen's employment with the Division started in February 2012; he held the positions of External Relations Program Manager and Operations Officer prior to today's promotion.

Congratulations Chris!

Request for Wildfire Operations Personnel

There is an immediate need for middle management positions in the operations section including division group supervisors and heavy equipment bosses. This is due to the fire activity and fire fighting resource needs in the Great Basin area and other parts of the county. Wildfire conditions are expected to remain high or increase through the remainder of the summer according to the National Association of State Foresters.

The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control has been asked to communicate the request to make those employees with critically needed qualifications available for national dispatch.  As a reminder, ROSS is the system of use for this situation.  Available resources should already have an approved CRFF, already be in IQS, and already be in ROSS.  The resources should then status themselves accordingly.

If you have any questions, please contact Vaughn Jones, Deputy Chief of Wildland Fire Operations, Division of Fire Prevention and Control at: vaughn.jones@cdps.state.co.us.

Read the National Association of State Foresters request for assistance.

Emergency Operations Plan Templates

In a follow-up to the November Emergency Manager Academy, two different templates for Emergency Operations Plans have been provided.  These are based on the November 2010 Version of FEMA’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans.

Neither FEMA nor the State is mandating a particular template, even though we prefer the ESF format for consistency with the National Response Framework. Each emergency manager can choose the one, or create a hybrid of both,  that meets your jurisdiction’s needs.  As you will see, the information within both is virtually the same.  The only difference is how that information is organized. You can download each of the templates:

1. ESF EOP Format Template
2. Functional EOP Format Template

When using the templates you will see that each section/paragraph header of the templates is in black. Underneath each header, in grey, is a brief description of what should be contained in that section/paragraph.  Sometimes multiple items should be addressed.  For example, mass care covers sheltering, feeding, pet and service animal issues, medical support, access and functional needs populations, etc.  

For more detailed assistance, please contract your DEM Regional Field Manager. 

EOC Position Specific Task Books

The EOC Position Specific Task Books are now available for review and comment until January 31, 2012.  Ten task books have been created and available for your to view and download on COEmergency under the EOC Task Book tab.

Please direct all comments to DEM Field Manager Lori Hodges.  Thank you for your help in making this a valuable resource for state emergency personnel and partners.

Incident Command System (ICS 400)

Course Description
ICS-400 level training is targeted for command and general staff, agency administrators, department heads, emergency managers, area commanders and Mulit-Agency Coordination System/Emergency Operations Center managers.

Course Topics
Topics include ICS fundamentals review for command and general staff, major and/or complex incident management, area command, and multi-agency coordination.

Course Objectives
These include understanding how major incidents engender special management challenges and understanding the circumstances in which an area command or multi-agency coordination systems are established.

Class Prerequisites
This course requires the completion of ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-700 and ICS-800 prior to this class.

Registration
co.train.org   Course ID: 1006001
Download the course flyer for more information.

Cost
Free training opportunity.

Course Dates and Location Information
When:  November 5 - 6, 2011

Time:   8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. each day

Location:  Hasty/McClave Volunteer Fire Station
                124 S. Main, Hasty, CO  81044

Volunteer and Donations Management Course - 10/6/2011 - Centennial - G288

This class is a combination of understanding the role of volunteers (especially spontaneous volunteers) in a disaster and those of good volunteer management practices.  The class spends time addressing the special motivations and attributes of volunteer personnel.

The role of donations management is explored at length with current donations strategies and tools discussed.  The donations management function is often staffed by volunteers, so the class will discuss some ideas on how to work with volunteer teams and spontaneous volunteers in the donations function.

Where:    Colorado Division of Emergency Management
                State Emergency Operations Center
                9195 E. Mineral Ave. #200
                Centennial, CO 80112

Register: Registration will be through COTRAIN
                Course #1026686
                This course is first come, first served.  No charge.
             
Recommended Prerequisites:  NIMS IS 100, NIMS IS 700, NIMS IS 800
For more information contact:  Robyn Knappe, 720-852-6617

Course Announcements - Rapids Needs Assessment - Longmont/Highlands Ranch

The Division is hosting two Rapid Needs Assessment (G.250.7) courses in the near future.  The first course will be held February 22, 2011 at the Southwest County Service Center in Longmont, Colorado.  The second course will be held on April 7, 2011 at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

For more on the Longmont RNA Course, see the Course Flyer
For more on the Highlands Ranch RNA Course, see the Course Flyer

The G250.7 Rapid Needs Assessment Course is a required course in the Advanced Professional Series.  The course teaches the need and development of plans/procedures for rapidly and efficiently collecting disaster intelligence (lifesaving) following a disaster.  This intelligence can rapidly be used to develop response prioriteis, allocate available resources and specifically requrest resources from other sources to save and sustain lives.

Registration for both of the courses will be through http://www.co.train.org Course ID: 1024910 and for more information, contact DEM's Training Officer, Robin Knappe at robyn.knappe@state.co.us or at (720) 852-6617.

Colorado Amber Alert Page on Facebook

As you are no doubt aware, the Colorado AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement, media, transportation and others to send bulletins about child-abduction cases.  A new resource in this alert system was added today through the establishment of the Colorado Amber Alert page on Facebook.  To receive alerts in Colorado, become a "fan" of the page and alerts will be posted to your news feed in Facebook.  In addition, the page has the option to also "subscribe via sms".

2010 Incident Command System Forms

The Incident Command System is the backbone upon which all-hazards incident response by local, state and federal entities is accomplished.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains a robust site that provides first responders, incident management teams and emergency managers with resources to support an efficient ICS operation including job aids, forms, position checklists and additional resources.

New, updated ICS 2010 Forms are now available online.  You can download/view the suite of forms online here.

ICS training is available from the State's Division of Emergency Management.  To see upcoming training opportunities, you can either visit the DEM Training Tab (top of this page) or also visit http://co.train.org for a list of upcoming emergency management, homeland security and public health training events across the State.  For specific questions or to request training in your area/region, contact the State's Training Officer, Robyn Knappe at robyn.knappe@state.co.us.

All-Hazards Incident Management Team Training and Education Conference - 12/7-9 - Denver, CO

The All-Hazards Incident Management Team Training and Education Conference will be held December 7-9th, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency at the Denver Convention Center.  The conference is designed to provide policy and decision makers, IMT members, training coordinators and team managers with concise and detailed information regarding the continuing development of All-Hazards Incident Management Teams.  Training and education will include best practices and lessons learned from other IMT members.  For more information about the conference, download the All-Hazards Incident Management Team Training and Education Conference Flyer or go to http://www.ahimt.net or contact dana.hays@imtcllc.com or at (559) 683-7800.

Day Two - Colorado Integrated Emergency Management Course

If we only had four words to summarize today's course subject areas, they would be (in order):  planning, planning, resources, planning.  We did have a healthy situational awareness module, but most of the effort of the presentations and the two tabletop exercise modules rotated around planning and resource identification/allocation.

Successful Planning

Drawing from both the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 and the Comprehensive Preparedness Guidelines - 101, the facilitators led discussions on planning considerations and process.  Rotating around the model of successful planning, which includes acceptability, adequacy, completeness, consistency, feasibility, flexibility and inter-operable collaboration, participants discussed the top-level of planning methodologies.  While we did not get into the specifics of the Colorado Emergency Operations Plan, the basic scenarios were used as catalysts for participant discussions on particular roles, responsibilities and capabilities of involved agencies.  One of the more interesting discussion threads was the need to move the trigger point of private sector involvement further up in the planning process than where it sometimes normally resides in emergency management, at the point of "I need".  While there is some work in this area going on in Colorado, such as the collaboration accomplished through the Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership and the resource initiatives being led by the Division of Fire Safety, this was generally agreed as an area in which to expand efforts.

Situational Awareness/Common Operating Picture

In wonderful simplicity, situational awareness was described as "my perception," while common operating picture was identified as "our collective perception."  Regardless of an incident's cause or scale, situational awareness is always a complex issue.  Establishing sources and flow of information and understanding which actions are taking place where is a responsibility of all involved in the response effort.  The critical key, of course, is to ensure the information flow process on how information is taken in and to whom it is provided in a standardized fashion is understood and implemented in a standardized, regularized manner (It is something we have been working within our EOC and we are looking forward to testing our new procedures during the exercise tomorrow!)  Gaining information is only half of the challenge, however.  The second challenge is in rendering that information into an easily understandable and accessible format that provides all agencies - which can include hundreds in a major response - can access and put to use.  If you are involved in emergency management and interested in some useful tools available to help spur consideration and improve these two aspects of response, check out the Lessons Learned Information Sharing tool, run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Table Top Exercise

Several hours of the day were dedicated to a group tabletop exercise where small groups tackled a series of questions (largely planning-based) rotating around an improvised explosive device scenario.

Resources

The most Colorado-specific portion of today's activities was the presentation and discussion over the Division of Fire Safety's efforts to improve our resource mobilization tools in the State (pic right).  This system, still in development, will help dramatically increase our state capabilities to identify, request, mobilize, track, monitor an demobilize people and material being applied to an incident.  From the presentation, it is clear it will include nonprofit and private sector resources, mapping capabilities and more.

Tomorrow is the main exercise day (tornado response scenario), followed by another exercise on Friday that will focus on recovery efforts.  Should be fun!!!

State Planning Officer - CO Hazards Briefing

Kerry Kimble's (State Planning Officer) Colorado Hazards Briefing - including the notes pages - provided during the State Integrated Emergency Management Course has been posted for online viewing or downloading.

Day One - Colorado's Integrated Emergency Management Course

Alright, so we made it through the first day of our State-level Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC).  With nearly 60 students and instructors occupying a windowless basement training room, each presented with an impressively heavy course material book (pictured), first impressions were that the day had the potential to be an uncomfortably long slog.  Ask anyone in the room at the end.  It wasn't!  It was a great first day!

If you are not familiar with the IEMC, it is a class offered by the federal Emergency Management Institute and is designed to provide a structured training environment and realistic exercise(s) for emergency operations center (EOC) staff at the local and, in our case, state-levels.  Unlike a normal emergency management course where personnel collect in one room from various backgrounds who often do not work together, this course is a specifically-formulated and targeted for a unique EOC and its operating staff, using hazards those staff are likely to face and which is tailored to the EOC's operations environment.

With just the right number of State Emergency Operations Center and Field Staff and with a number of partner agencies - including from transportation, health, nongovernmental and private sector - the room was well-balanced for a Colorado team training exercise.

Like any training course, the initial modules introduced the participants and covered the broad, overview information related to the National Response Framework and the National Incident Management System.  What made the training unique was that, between an active senior-level direct participation (the State's Emergency Management Deputy Director Bruce Holloman is both a student and presenter at the Colorado Course - pictured) and  an EMI instructor cadre who was both incredibly personable and whom had clearly done their homework on Colorado, the material bridged the gap between doctrinal structure and on-the-ground implementation.  Example? One of the more handy, one-pagers distributed was an org/information flow chart that provided a birds eye view of incident information flow during a large-scale incident (embedded below) that involves local, state and federal resources.



For each big-picture concept there was specific discussion, presentations or material then provided that were Colorado-specific.  The above chart was quickly complimented by understanding how Colorado's Emergency Operations Center basic structure is organized.  The intent of the course is clear.  The intent is to explore and evaluate how Colorado's system integrates into the National Response Framework to improve leadership, management, efficiency and communication.  I have embedded a copy of the EOC structure chart for the Thursday exercise below.  These two documents give a solid understanding - even to the rookie field - of the basics of our organization, lines of communication and where to go for information when responding to a growing or large-scale incident.

While we covered the "how" of incident management via the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the "who" of incident management articulated in the National Response Framework (NRF), the Emergency Management Institute instructors did so in a manner that made the terminology, with which many in the room were familiar, in a new light.   By using specific examples of instructor participation in past, large-scale events they were able to relate in a personal manner how the concepts spelled out in both the system and framework were developed, refined and are currently being implemented.  If you are not as familiar with these concepts, a quick run-through of http://fema.gov/NRF is highly recommended.

In addition to the instructors, a representative Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 8, which is located in Denver, also provided a history of emergency management legislation.  Using the context of the recent Colorado fires, this presentation spilled into an opportunity to discuss how decisions, such as damage assessments that factor into individual and public assistance, factor into the planning, response and recovery process.

The afternoon is where the course became really interesting.  As a way of reviewing material and testing, the instructors used a TV-style, quiz-show game - complete with on screen interactive displays of status - to review material.   With categories focused on Roles and Responsibilities, Response Actions, Response Organizations, Planning, the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System, the interactive style worked and had everyone engaged.

In addition to the quiz show, there was a comprehensive presentation made by our State Planning Officer to the group on Colorado-specific hazards.   I think the briefing was one of the better presentations I have seen on the subject of which hazards we face here, be they a wildland fire, avalanche, rockslide or tornado.  I have asked our Planning Officer for an electronic copy and will post it as soon as I get in here on our COEmergency site, probably tomorrow.

As for tomorrow, the plan is to progress from the big picture and get into all-hazards emergency planning, situational awareness and common operating pictures, a couple of tabletop exercises.  Keep checking back!  Our intent over the next few days as we progress from the introductory briefings and into the tabletop and exercise(s) scheduled for later this week is to provide an informal look-in on what our experience is with the course.  We will be posting photos, resource links and other materials as we go along!

2010 Annual Demography Meeting - 11/5 - Arvada, CO

Presented by the Department of Local Affairs' State Demography Office and the Northwest Council of Governments, the 2010 Annual Demography Meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on November 5, 2010, at the Arvada Center for the Performing Arts.

I can feel some of you now thinking... demography?  I am in emergency management... so...

Understanding demographics is critical for emergency managers and first responders and, in particular, planners and communicators.  The 2010 Annual Demography Meeting will focus on Colorado-specific population and economic trends and forecasts, provide an update on the 2010 Census and demonstrate hands-on tools to access Census information, and will discuss how immigration issues are developing across Colorado.  The meeting will be an opportunity for emergency management personnel to directly connect with State and local demographers and experts to understand how forecasts are made and how these trends will facilitate or complicate emergency planning and response efforts across the State.

These issues are the foundation upon which effective emergency management planning and response are built.  Emergency management exists to serve populations potentially or directly affected by disasters.  In its simplest form, there are two key elements to planning for and accomplishing this mission effectively:

• Understand the affected/potentially affected population.  Emergency managers must understand their population's size, makeup, communication needs and challenges and over-the-horizon trends.  This meeting will provide better tools and contacts to facilitate your size-up/planning efforts locally and in your region.
• Understand the financial landscape impacting emergency planning and response.  The current economic climate is affecting both populations and government/emergency responders.  Understanding how these trends are influencing needs and service provision is critical. 

These two issues are intimately related to demography and will serve as the basis for presentations/discussions at the 2010 Annual Demography Meeting.

Registration is $65 per person.  For registration information, download the 2010 Annual Demography Meeting flyer or visit the Department of Local Affairs Demography site.  For questions regarding the meeting, contact barbara.mason@state.co.us.

Loveland Fire Information

INCIWEB Fire Information - http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2123/

City of Loveland Info Line:  (970) 262-2020
City of Loveland - Incident Information - http://cityofloveland.org/
City of Loveland Emergency Contact #/Sources - http://cityofloveland.org/beinformed.htm
Safe and Well Contact Information - 211 or (866) 485-0211
Emergency Notification - Phone/Emal/Txt Alert System for Larimer County - http://www.leta911.org/
City of Loveland Twitter - http://twitter.com/cityofloveland
Loveland PIO email - hillea@ci.loveland.co.us

Larimer County Emergency Info - http://www.larimer.org/emergency/emergency_detail.cfm?nam_id=66

Colorado Emergency Management "Sources"

Notice a new tab up top right of this page called "Sources"?  Check it out.  The idea is simple, if a bit long and scroll-inducing.  We have attempted to post a consolidated list of Colorado Emergency Management-related County (and City/Town) level sms/txt alerts system, emergency management government website, office/24hr telephone, and email contact information to help you stay informed.  While a bit scroll-heavy, the list posted at http://www.coemergency.com/p/sources.html is accessible via your mobile device and is certainly viewable on a larger screen.  We hope this helps provide an emergency management resource for you to get local emergency preparedness and response news and information.  See something that needs to be updated/changed?  Let me know - Brandon Williams - brandon.williams@state.co.us.

DEM Multi-Year Exercise Calendar

DEM's Exercise Training Coordinator, Tony Reidell, has updated the Division's Multi-Year Exercise Calendar.  It is available for download or viewing online.  It is, of course, subject to updates, but we will update this document as necessary.  If you have any questions about the calendar or DEM Exercise activities/support, contact Tony at tony.reidell@state.co.us or at (720) 852-6615.  You can always check the latest DEM Exercise News and announcements on the DEM Exercise tab, as well.

Job Announcement - Northeast Colorado All-Hazards Region Regional Homeland Security Coordinator/Contractor

The Northeast Colorado All Hazards Region is requesting proposals from qualified individuals to fill the position of Regional Homeland Security Coordinator/Contractor. The Regional Coordinator responsible for administering and managing State Homeland Security Grant Programs and is the central point of coordination for programmatic issues within the region. The Northeast Colorado All Hazards Region consists of Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma Counties. For more information on this request and to receive a bid package contact Steve Enfante, Morgan County Office of Emergency Management at 970-867-8506 or senfante@co.morgan.co.us proposals deadline is September 15, 2010 at 5:00 pm.

WebEOC Training - 9/2 - Centennial, CO

Just a note from our Operations Officer, Richard Vangilder, that the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is "booked and ready" for WebEOC Training for this coming Thursday, September 2, 2010.  The training will be open to anyone who uses WebEOC in their local jurisdictions, state agencies or provides direct response support to the State EOC. The training is scheduled from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and will be informal, allowing for detailed question and answer and scenario walkthrough demonstrations.  The workshop will also be be a great opportunity to catch up on WebEOC developments and new tools.  If you are interested in attending or have general questions about WebEOC, contact Rich at richard.vangilder@state.co.us or at (720) 852-6627.

DEM Training Registration and Tracking Moving to CO.TRAIN

Per Robyn Knappe, DEM Training Officer, to build partnerships make training participation and scheduling more accessible for students, the Division of Emergency Management is centralizing all its training registration, search and tracking activities to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's CO.TRAIN.org system.  There are some great opportunities ahead as many state agencies are moving in that same direction.

The biggest advantage will be the calendar function, which allows statewide visibility of training activities across Departments, agencies and subject matter criterion.  Rather than having to search for emergency management, health preparedness and homeland security classes on multiple websites, nearly all state emergency management-related agencies will be using CO.TRAIN. Another function is the ability for students to input information on previous classes and to start to consolidate their training records in one place.  Of course, all this will not happen overnight but we have begun the work.  If you have questions at any time during this transition phase, contact Robyn at robyn.knappe@state.co.us.

Starting with the class Incident Command System (ICS) class in Montrose, “Situation Unit Leader” Sept. 27, 2010, DEM is starting the registration for all future classes through CO.TRAIN.  We will continue to make training information, news and announcements available on COEmergency's Training Page, which includes the DEM Training News Feed.

What does this mean for me?
If you do not have a CO.TRAIN account, you will need to spend 10 minutes creating a profile and password.  The nice thing is that you only create the profile once.  And the password, is a self-regulating system, so if you forget your password, you can get on the site and change it without administrator assistance (most of the time, anyway).

What is CO.TRAIN system?
It is a training management system with easy to use features and efficient processes.  You sign up once at the co.train.org website and you can easily register for classes.  There is a super calendar and a course search function.

Where did it come from?
The TRAIN system is a free service of the Public Health Foundation, www.train.org is part of the newly expanded TrainingFinder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN).  CO stands for Colorado in the CO.TRAIN acronym. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has been using the system since 2004 and has offered it to other departments as a no fee service to state agencies.

Who else is using it?
Many other states have adopted the site for registering for public health classes and some have adopted it for all-hazards emergency/disaster training management.  For example: the State of Kansas (KS TRAIN)and Utah (UT TRAIN) utilize the all hazards approach and use the TRAIN system for most all emergency management, ICS and homeland security classes.

What are some enhancements in the CO.TRAIN features over the old DEM system?
For example, you can print past certificates for yourself if you lose a certificate. The biggest enhancement is the super calendar which will show all classes. There are also automated function for building class rosters and notifications. As a course administrator, all the students registered in a class can be sent an email with the click of a button. You can also make a training plan for yourself in the system.  In the future, DEM will highlight some of the features in future training activity updates on COEmergency.com.

What are the challenges?
DEM will have to hand key input for past student training records.  We are not certain how long this will take nor how far back our records will go.  We are trying to evaluate this now so stay tuned.

Future enhancements
The Governors Office of Homeland Security (GOHS) will be making some upgrades to the system some time in 2011 to upgrade to the calendar function so that courses may be classified by region and sponsor rather than by discipline code. GOHS courses cross so many disciplines that to use those codes no longer provides us with an accurate view of courses throughout the state. GOHS is already using the web based CO.TRAIN system.

Thank you for your patience as we move to the CO.TRAIN system.  For more information, please email robyn.knappe@state.co.us or call (720)852-6617. Or for more technical issues with the CO.TRAIN site, contact Greg Schlosser at cdphe.co.train@state.co.us or at (303)692-2683.