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Emergency Management, Emergency Services, & Disaster Spox

FEMA OEMA G0291: Joint Information Center/System class at the Cleveland EOC! #PIO

Posted on October 26, 2018 by rusnivek

Happy AlohaFriday and a great start to the FEMA OEMA G0291: Joint Information Center / Joint Information System course here at the Cleveland EOC!

So naturally, we talked a bunch of JIC stuff including our third guest VIP – day shift Cleveland JIC Manager of the 2016 RNC and the led JIC Manager of the Christmas plane crash in 2016, Beth Zietlow DeJesus!!!

Not only sharing stories about coordination amongst local, county, and Federal agencies on the recovery process, Beth was able to share a few stories about the media on controlling the message and handling mis-information.

Great experiences to share with out new PIOs!

Outstanding class this week. Proud of the work and collaboration in class shared by everyone. Great to see these new PIOs as they increase their organization’s visibility.

Now go forth, and use your new PIO skillz for good!

Also, yeah.

@rusnivek

Day-2 of the FEMA OEMA G0290: Basic #PIO at Cleveland EOC

Posted on October 25, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-2 of the FEMA Basic PIO Course in Cleveland, Ohio!!! Starting out the day with one of the best JIC Managers in the biz, ladies and gents, one of the orig FEMA Master PIOs put your hands together for ERICA CREECH!!!!!

Sharing her experiences with the class on PIOs and coordination was critical in countless EOC and JIC activations.

In a heartbeat, I’d work for Erica any day in the JIC.

Don’t worry, we jumped back on the train (FEMA’s powerpoint slides) to talk and debate about press releases.

Since Steve is from media, he loves his inverted pyramid. But are press releases valuable? Needed? Seems we had quite the spirited discussion on the necessity and timely appeal of press releases.

After lunch, we were fortunate enough to grab, IMHO, the best of the best media talent in Cleveland.

Fox8: Jennifer Steer (@jensteer)

WOIO-19: Chris Tanaka (@Chris_Tanaka)

WEWS-5: Homa Bash Ball (@HomaBashWEWS)

WKYC-3: Barry Wolf (@photowolfTV)

Cleveland PlainDealer: Ginger Christ (@GChristCLE)

These pros not only talk a good game, but their social media skills are top shelf! I submit to you Barry’s fashion selfie from the front of the room.

Solid!

These folks were able to dedicate their time to answer any I mean ANY questions that our new PIOs had.

Proud to see new relationships and transparency with all parties involved.

Why? We hear of soooo many bad interactions and exchanges with the media. This kind of engagement showcases that if we work together and we share our knowledge of ongoing issues, we can help each other out.

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see this kind of action happening in class.

Like nurturing new PIOs and helping them network…OMG THIS IS WHAT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS ALL ABOUT!!!!!!!!

Yeah yeah, I’ll get off the soapbox now.

But seriously, this media panel has been one of my absolute favorites to have because….well, because of this…

Brah, Tanaka’s got some seriously good selfie skillz. Many mahalos to all of my media panel that showcased the best of TV news media.

After the media panel left, we reviewed all of our on camera interviews.

Sharing our challenges but learning from others in a productive and positive way increases participant on camera skills.

To close out the day, we also had our second and most lauded PIO stop by. Ladies and gents, the orig filmmaker himself, raise the roof cause it’s Cleveland Fire very own PIO Mike Noooooooooooorman!!!!!!!

Glad to spend a few minutes with fire’s new PIO who jumped head first into the role for CFD. FYI-Mike was a participant in a class that Steve and I taught in Summit County Ohio so we are proud to see him flourishing in his role at CFD.

Outstanding and super fun day with everyone. Back at it tomorrow with another special guest and to talk about JIC/JIS!

@rusnivek

FEMA OEMA G0290: Basic #PIO at the City of Cleveland EOC!

Posted on October 24, 2018 by rusnivek

Outstanding start to this week’s FEMA G0290: Basic PIO course sponsored by Ohio EMA and the City of Cleveland Emergency Management!

Special thanks to CEM Alex Pellom for the invitation to hang for a few days in the Emergency Operations Center!

Guess who I get to teach with this week? Fresh off the disaster wheel, Assistant Fire Chief Steve Bosso!!!

Don’t mind his grumps face, you’d be a bit tired if you were EMACed to work Hurricane Florence too. I’m excited to hear about his experience working with South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division PIO Derrec Becker.

And yes, if you were wondering, we are holding class IN the actual City of Cleveland Emergency Operations Center!

Interviews? Heck yeah – you know we did!

Incredibly valuable time on camera.

Spent some time doing group work and communications strategy with many partners from across the State of Ohio and the State of Pennsylvania.

Showcasing partnerships and strengthening collaborative messaging during the preparedness…

…will help during response phase planning and support for ongoing operations.

Additionally the blending of resources embodying the all-hazards mentality, is critical when dealing with larger disasters/emergencies. Here’s Police, Fire, EMS, Health, Public Works, and Executive Policy working together for a coordinated message.

Steve had a few injects too…like branding. Steve is a former photojournalist so he’s got the photog eye for these kinds of things with some fancy camera work…

And not to worry, in order to share real world experiences, we had our first subject matter expert – Cleveland Police Public Information Officer Jennifer Ciaccia stop by to talk about her experiences as the PIO for CPD.

So many issues to deal with esp during a National Special Security Event (NSSE) – the 2016 Republican National Convention! And of course a whole bunch of other cases including the 3 girls missing for 10+ years (Castro case), Facebook killer, CJ Saves CLE, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, etc….

Whew – full day! Great dynamic class.

Solid first day. Looking forward to day-2 of the Basic PIO!

@rusnivek

SURprise visit to my favorite Social Media class #NDPTC

Posted on November 5, 2016 by rusnivek

Who just shows up at a brand new social media class?!?

Glad to see the newly FEMA certified, NDPTC Social Media Tools and Techniques Course (PER-344) to Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Also glad to see so many fellow peeps as well as public safety professionals who are willing to utilize technology to better their agencies.

Great engagement especially during classroom activities by instructors too.

Seriously, I’m proud to see that this class can help shape the way government and public safety agencies use social media in planned events as well as before, during, and after a disaster.

Super proud.

@rusnivek

PIO-ing Cleveland’s Public Square during #PrideInTheCLE #ClevelandPride

Posted on August 14, 2016 by rusnivek

Yesterday, I supported Cleveland Police on the #PrideInTheCLE #ClevelandPride event in Public Square.

Much different from the Republican National Convention.

Lots of families out and about (and enjoying) the new cool fountain in downtown Cleveland.

Everyone was having a great time.

Lots of speculation and talk about public safety not being around to support the LGBT community – all totally false. Public Safety will be there to support any community.

Trust me, lots of public safety was on hand to support our entire community.

Cleveland Police Bomb Squad and K9 teams…

Cleveland EMS…

..even the Cleveland Police bike patrol was out supporting the day’s events.

Lots of areas to cover.

Partnerships with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department and Cleveland Police Department are key in providing safety for everyone who attended the event.

It was a relatively hot day so I am glad that many of the participants dressed appropriately for the event.

Some not so much.

Fun entertainment and friendly people staying cool out in Public Square.

While waiting around, we had some time for a quick PIO selfie…

Cpwr_0TWgAA6wOa

Also had time for a few interviews with local media.

Also happy to run into a long time good friend Mark Zinni who is the anchor for the Channel 3 Eyewitness News in Hartford, Connecticut. Great to see him again.

Thanks for the picture Zinni!

Can’t wait to see him again in Cleveland.

While out there, we even made a few new peeps into Junior Police Officers.

Thanks Ken!

We were fortunate enough to do a few live interviews on Periscope from Public Square.

We highlighted the event and gave a status report of the operations using Periscope.

Ever wonder what it’s like to hang with onscene PIOs? Here’s a behind the scenes shot of us doing some live interviews on Periscope.

Thanks for the action shot Zinni!

Trust me, it’s harder than it looks.

Overall, it was great to see so many people out on a Saturday afternoon in Cleveland.

As always, I had a great time working the PIO magic with Jen!

We make a pretty good team huh?

Hope everyone stayed dry while the rain hit.

Great safe event everyone!

Have a great weekend!

@rusnivek

Programming my new national weather service radio

Posted on April 16, 2016 by rusnivek

Saturday Training: New National Weather Service portable Radio for rapid evacuation.

NewPortWxRadio

Along with the correct frequency, don’t forget to program the exact SAME code so that you can get county specific information

If you live in NE Ohio, you can find your frequency and SAME code here.

Always #SafetySur

@rusnivek

P.S. This is my third weather radio as I already have a desk version and another portable.

A strong EF-1 tornado that hit Pepper Pike

Posted on March 22, 2016 by rusnivek

Yes it is 2016 National Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Back in 2013, a strong EF-1 hit Pepper Pike (Cuyahoga County, Ohio) in 2013 at 3am.

Luckily, there were no deaths associated with this tornado. Trust me, the damage was unreal.

TornadoPepperPikea

Yikes is right. But now is the time to review your preparedness kits and double check your family communications plan.

On Wednesday 03-22-16 at 0950 EST, Ohio will have a statewide test of the tornado sirens. This is only a test.

Test your tornado plans by:

Taking shelter in a safe location on the lowest level of a sturdy building
Keeping an emergency first aid kit in your shelter location.
Having a copy of your family communications plans.
Putting on boots (for post tornado debris).

These simple tips could help you survive a tornado strike.

More weather info can be found 24/7 by my trusted partners at NWS-CLE.

I hope that you can participate in our statewide tornado drill tomorrow. #SafetySur #NatlPrep #OHWx #severeprep

@rusnivek

Voted today?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by rusnivek

I hope you voted today.

I sure did.

While I care for favorite candidates and choices, I ultimately care about your participation with your voice in American government.

People across this world are denied the right to vote.

But here in the US, everyone deserves freedom.

For the people, by the people.

Please go vote.

@rusnivek

Day-5 with an alternate juror, puppies, and ongoing deliberations! #JuryDuty

Posted on August 28, 2015 by rusnivek

Day-5 of my Jury Duty! Bueller? Bueller? Hello?

Jury Assembly Room

As you can see, almost all the jurors were excused for the week. Many have served and are done with their assigned cases. Some potential jurors didn’t even get called. It’s all random. So there is a strong possibility that you will get sent home if there are no cases to be had.

Aside from the typical 12 jurors needed to serve, judges will normally have two alternate jurors. This is done just in case one of the 12 jurors are unable to fulfill their duty to the courts/case.

Jury box action shot

This is exactly what happened to us this morning. Juror #3 was out so Alternate juror #1 dropped right in the slot. Alternate jurors listen to the entire case and can easily slide into a main juror slot at anytime assigned by the judge.

Also, I couldn’t pass up a grand view of Tower City Center looking so stately in the sunny Cleveland daylight.

Tower City Center – 2015

If you get assigned to Jury Duty, bring your camera. Chances are, you’ll see some spectacular views of downtown #CLE.

BTW-Yesterday, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Courts’ Cleveland APL Mobile Unit Program to bring puppies every other week so that jurors can play with them during their lunch break on Thursdays. Superb idea! Sadly, I had to catch up on a few emails so I didn’t have time to play with the puppies.

For our specific criminal case? Deliberations are still ongoing so it’s not over yet!

Shhhhh! Trying to deliberate!

Main question in the deliberation rooms are guilty vs not guilty. That’s it. In these courts, the jury does not decide punishment – that’s only grand jury cases.

The judge explained in detail, the laws pertaining to the case. He reviewed all four counts in detail, gave definitions, and reminded us again that for our criminal case, we only decide guilty or not guilty on each of the charges.

So yes, if you can register to vote, you do possess the skills to be a juror!

Gotta get back to deliberating. I’m definitely earning my keep this week doing my civic duty!

Reporting live from the deliberation room…

@rusnivek

Spin the wheel for #JuryDuty!

Posted on August 27, 2015 by rusnivek

On entering the Justice Center from Lakeside Avenue, look to your immediate left.

Back in the day, this all wood contraption was how the courts choose you for jury duty. Yep – a simple spin of the wheel gets you assigned. C’mon Vanna! Heck, I’m even more impressed that someone hasn’t smashed this thing out of frustration.

In all honesty, it’s really amazing how the judicial system has progressed over the years…esp the random population of the pool. From our initial court briefing, they pull potential jurors from voter registration stats because they feel that those who are responsible to vote truly care about the community.

Since we are stuck indoors all day, the view out from the justice center is quite nice.

I wish Amtrak made more daytime stops in Cleveland.

For those that work downtown, Cuyahoga County has done a ton of work with increasing green space.

And since I know all of you want to know, our courtroom is relatively quiet.

Well, it is almost lunch time.

Reporting live on day four in the Jury box!

@rusnivek