Emergency Management Performance Grant Update

EMPG Update Letter from Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director

This is an update on the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) and other
grant contracts and reimbursements for Fiscal Year (FY) 12. To begin, I apologize for the
time taken to get the contracts finalized and your reimbursements processed. I realize
this caused hardship for many jurisdictions.

With the transition to the Department of Public Safety, all the contracts needed to be
revised to reflect the reorganization and undergo a review and approval process through
the State Controller’s Office. In addition, we were unable to issue the EMPG contracts
until we received the actual FY12 Award from FEMA, which happened in August, during a
disastrous fire season, putting us further behind. The Division is making progress on these
issues and refining our processes to be better able to turn the contracts and
reimbursements around in the much shorter time. I assure you that all reimbursement
requests received by November 30, 2012 that have fully executed contracts in place, will
be processed and payment sent to the local jurisdiction prior to December 31, 2012.

I understand we still have work to do and we will improve and streamline our operations
and administrative processes. I appreciate the work you do in your communities and our
partnership in serving the people of Colorado.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Kevin R. Klein
Director
kevin.klein@state.co.us

View EMPG letter

OEM Weekly Update ~ November 23

Colorado Office of Emergency Management Weekly Update ~ November 23, 2012

The information included this week includes:

• Summary of Findings:  Waldo Canyon Fire Forum for People with Disabilities
• 2013 Colorado Emergency Management Academy
•  DOLA's New E-Filing Portal Provides Convenience for Local Governments
• Kudos and Congratulations to OEM's Tony Reidell and San Juan County
• Open Position Announcements
• Are Your Preparedness Messages Reaching Your Community Members?
• Flu Season Safety Messaging from CDC
• Colorado OEM Social Media Sites
• READY, SET, GO! Free Webinar on Wildland Fire Best Practices for Delivering Messages
• Training Information and Updates

If you would like to submit an article for inclusion in next week's update please email Micki Trost at micki.trost@state.co.us.

Training Information: Updated Administrative Guidelines

Updated and Revised Administrative Guidelines for the NIMS ICS All-Hazards Position Specific Training Program

 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released the revised guidelines for the NIMS ICS All-Hazards Position Specfic Training Program.  Some of the highlights of the revised guidelines include:

• Totally rewritten section on scheduling of off-campus Position Specific classes

• Changes in qualifications for acceptance into train-the-trainer classes including:

• ICS 400 will be a required class for Command and Control TtT’s effective October 1, 2013

• Other entrance requirements have been clarified as well

• The ICS 400 class will continue to be a ‘recommended’ class for Unit Leader TtT classes

• As of October 1, 2013, all students who wish to sign up for TtT classes will be required to have taken the class before they’re allowed to enroll in a TtT version. Exceptions are allowed for personnel who are qualified in a Command & Control class and wish to sign up for a TtT for a Unit Leader class. Example: an instructor who is qualified to instruct the Operations Section Chief course may sign up for the Division/Group Supervisor TtT and/or the Task Force Strike Team Leader TtT.

•  A section has been added on the removal of instructors

•  Appendix material has been added on how to obtain a Student Identification Number (SID) and a Tip Sheet for hosting regional Position Specific class offerings

•  Clarification on the application policy for offering Communications Unit Leader classes; these classes will now be offered through the states and overseen by the Federal Office of Emergency Communications (OEC), but will still be registered through and credit will be given by EMI.

 

As with other All-Hazards Position Specific course materials and information, these guidelines will be posted on the Position Specific website, replacing the previous version.

 

Appointments to Homeland Security and All-Hazards Senior Advisory Committe Announced

Colorado Department of Public Safety Announces Appointments to H-SAC Committee

Colorado Department of Public Safety Executive Director James H. Davis has announced the appointments of 21 committee members to the Homeland Security and All-Hazards Senior Advisory Committee (H-SAC).  Executive Director Davis is the H-SAC committee chair and the State Homeland Security Advisor. 

H-SAC Committee Members

Internal Colorado Department of Public Safety Appointments

• Director Kevin Klein, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (non-voting member)
• Chief James Wolfinbarger, Colorado State Patrol
• Director Paul Cooke, Division of Fire Prevention and Control

Colorado State Agency Appointments

• Director Lyle Moore Jr., MPH, REHS, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Michael Hunt, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
• Peter Bangas, Public Safety Communications Network Manager
• Executive Director Reeves Brown, Department of Local Affairs

External Agency Representatives

• Commissioner Peggy Littleton, Colorado Counties Inc., El Paso
• Jim Lancy, President, Colorado Emergency Management Association
• George Heinrichs, President, Intrado Corporation
• Meghan Storrie, Legislative and Policy Advocate, Colorado Municipal League
• Scott Field, Director, Office of Emergency Management Homeland Security, City and County of Denver
• Ann Terry, Executive Director, Special Districts Association
• Mike Gavin, State All Hazards Advisory Committee
• Bill Tolbert, Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
• Scott Kellar, Homeland Security Coordinator, North-Central Region
• Kathi Gurule, Risk and Emergency Manager, Southern Ute Indian Tribe
• Sheriff Bruce Hartman, County Sheriffs of Colorado
• Cheif Randy Lesher, President, Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado
• Chief Dwight Henniger, Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police
• Chief Joseph Bruce, Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association

The Homeland Security and All-Hazards Senior Advisory Committee's mission is to assist the state in becoming better able to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover from those threats and hazards posing greatest risk to Colorado.  Other committee responsibilities include:

• providing advice and counsel to the the State Homeland Security Advisor;
• formulating recommendations on the State Homeland Security Strategy;
• reviewing grant funding applications; and
• providing policy guidance to the new Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.  

The H-SAC committee was established pursuant to Colorado Revised Statute 24-33.5-1614.
 

Training Updates Posted

Several course opportunities are now available.  Course flyers and additional information are available on the Training Page:

• January 19-20, 2013, ICS 300 in Hugo, Colorado
• January 26-27, 2013, ICS 400 in Hugo, Colorado
• February 11-12, 2013, ICS 300 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
• April 9-10, 2013, AWR136 and MGT 384:  Cyber Security in Centennial, Colorado.

Contact Robyn Knappe at robyn,knappe@state.co.us for questions related to training courses or registration using the COTRAIN site.