Doctor! Doctor! Give me the news!
It was outstanding to see one of my all-time favorite ER Docs today in the Emergency Department – ladies and gents, I give you the prestigious Dr. Larry Glaude!
Many of you know that in public safety, friendships are forged that last a lifetime…and Dr. Glaude is a great example. So many great memories and of course epic stories to tell!
That reminds me…
…I have jury duty next week. Yes, we both are serving jury duty in August. Concidence? Hmmmm. Well, I definitely won’t be arriving to the court house in a limo.
Thanks to Trump for making a spectacle of every American’s civic duty.
Related note: The picture above is TOTALLY FAKE (My friends at CNN just rolled their eyes).
Too many needless MVAs this weekend.
For the sake of all Public Safety and your family who loves you, please DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!
And feel free to continually share safety messages like this often.
IF I was ever given the chance to fly with the Blue Angels, this would totally be me.
“I was freaking out there for a second…”
Hope this brought a smile to your Sunday.
I popped back-to-back-to-back social media classes last week in Sacramento, California.
Participants from all over the west coast attended. Specifically for Thursday and Friday, FEMA reviewed our new curriculum courses. Yep, straight up evaluation. Not going to lie, I was pretty nervous.
Ongoing for course design, I will make a few more additions/changes before courses are sent to the National Training and Exercise Division (NTED) for certification. Hoping for final approval in November 2015. Hope to hear the magical words “Federally published” as my course is listed in the DHS / FEMA Training catalog. Whoa Nellie!
For the classes? We had great interaction from all participants.
Solid discussions during the breakout sessions included professionals from all Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) as well as experts from the National Weather Service (NWS), Critical Infrastructure, and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs), etc… Diverse groups make for the best discussions for sure!
As part of our continued efforts in Emergency Management, it is imperative that we address issues from the All-Hazards approach and incorporate the support of our stakeholders in solutions.
With heavy discussion, class participants had a great time engaging with others and using tools/techniques that are specific to the Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation Directorates. Obviously, I showcased the importance of a good Public Information Officer (PIO) / Public Affairs Officer (PAO) and how their interaction in the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) or the Joint Information Center/System (JIC/JIS) is imperative to a successful emergency or disaster.
Also, starting to build an online learning library that can be easily accessed from anywhere using the #NDPTC is always good reference. Free. My favorite F-word.
Special mahalos to fellow Instructors Cheryl and MaryJo in the delivery of these courses.
Also the solid smiles from fellow #SMEM Jennifer and Scott was crucial support on this delivery.
Glad to be working with partners like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC), and the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC). Truly great to see everyone working collaboratively. Thanks to the Sacramento County Emergency Management for hosting these courses.
Looking forward to the next class at the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) conference in Clark County, Nevada. See you there!
Ever wonder why we call it AMBER Alert?
In January 1996, nine year old Amber Hagerman was riding her bicycle when a neighbor heard the girl scream. The neighbor saw a man pull Amber off her bike, throw her into the front seat of his pickup truck, and drive away at a high speed. The neighbor called police and provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle, but couldn’t recall much else. Arlington, Texas police and the FBI interviewed other neighbors and searched for the suspect and vehicle. Local radio and TV stations covered the story in their regular newscasts. Four days later, Amber’s body was found in a drainage ditch four miles away. Her throat had been cut. Her kidnapping and murder remain unsolved.
Amber Hagerman
A concerned citizen contacted a Dallas, Texas radio station suggesting the idea that Dallas radio stations should repeat news bulletins about abducted children just like they do severe weather warnings. The idea was presented to the general managers of the radio stations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. They agreed that such a program would provide an important public service and might help save the life of a child.
Although the Amber Plan is named after Amber Hagerman, this national program is dedicated to all children nationwide who’ve been abducted. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, nearly 262,100 children are abducted every year. Specifically, 58,200 are non-family abductions and 203,900 are family abductions.
The Amber Alert Plan was launched in Ohio on January 1, 2003.
Ohio?
2013: 8 cases
2012: 10 cases
2011: 11 cases
2010: 8 cases
2009: 11 cases
2008: 12 cases
2007: 10 cases
Eyes up peeps, you could be the one who starts the rescue of a child.
If you haven’t figured out by now, I tend to carve different paths in life.
Keep swimming peeps!
Any questions?
My friends at @FEMA –
See, government DOES have a sense of humor.
Bonus points for the fed emoticons in the twitter reply too. #Nooice
I can’t begin to describe the amount of respect and admiration I have for my colleagues.
Clockwise (starting from top left): Elayne and Kevin (OH), Kevin and Jennifer and Ashley (FL), Elayne and Kevin (LA)and Cheryl and Kevin (CA).
Each of these individuals played such an integral part of my new Social Media Tools and Techniques course for NDPTC and DHS/FEMA.
My course. My materials. My information. OMG-this is really happening!
No joke because @rusnivek = so nervous!
NERVOUS!
Without their guidance and support, I would have easily cracked under the pressure.
More importantly, I am thankful for the true friendships I have made along the way.
At this time, my course is now in the hands of the FEMA reviewers and changes will be made for certification in the DHS/FEMA National Training and Exercise Division’s catalog. Whohoo!!!!!
Friday night SMEs review panel!
“Authored” – that sounds so nice.
Mahalos to my colleagues Elayne, Jen, Cheryl, and Ashley.
#Ermahgerd
Shhhh! This is an amazing find!
Two! Count them TWO fax machines in the wild! It’s amazing to see these two rare species of communications still alive and ready to go.
#JustTheFax
Reporting live from the caverns of the emergency operation center…
Where is @rusnivek? 