Setting up all the fun today for our Basic PIO course and JIC/JIS course.
Both these FEMA courses are cornerstone classes that all external affairs professionals should take. Additionally, the emergency management/disaster response networking opportunities are outstanding.
And yes, we are going to do some on camera interviews too.
Bring your A-game.
Hope to see you in my class tomorrow.
Rolling out the State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency‘s new G0291: Joint Information Centers (JIC) / Joint Information System (JIS) Planning for Tribal, state, and Local PIOs. Luckily, we were in the Command and Control room at the Summit County Health Department.
Command Control room…aka DOC
As always, its great teaching with Sister Michael Marie. Outstanding experiences and great stories from her international work in challenging areas of the world.
Even OEMA was checking in on our progress!
#truelove for us Emergency Management Instructors.
Sister Michael showcased the importance of all-hazard PIO involvement in emergency response to a natural hazard.
Everyone was able to share experiences and help each other improve – esp thinking outside the box on various scenarios.
By the end of this in-class activity, our participants realized that there are so many parts to a “simple disaster” that it pays to build partnerships early.
It’s all hands working in an emergency – so build your relationships early before a disaster.
Remember: At 0300, you ugly, you smell, you stink – and clearly that’s not the best time to meet new people and to function in an emergency at 110%.
“As Emergency Management, we must continue to nurture solid working relationships and common response/recovery objectives with our all-hazards partners in public safety.” – @rusnivek
Best part? At the end of the class, they all applauded.
Awwww yeah!
When was the last time a class applauded your Emergency Management NIMS ICS compliant class?
Heh.
As always, it’s great to teach with OEMA Instructor and consummate professional Sister Michael Marie.
There is so much going on in this picture. I can’t even.
I’m just glad to be a part of something big.
My Ohio Emergency Management Agency G-291 JIC/JIS PIO class sharing their Aloha spirit for Aloha Friday today at Fairfield County EMA.
See, the Aloha spirit does exist in Ohio.
G-291: JIS/JIC Planning for Tribal, State, and Local PIOs
CompleteSM_291FINAL_Oct09-with Cover
Complete G0291ParticipantGuide-v2015
G0291_Student_Manual v-September 2016
As National Preparedness Month closes, my October 2015 schedule is going to be very challenging. And as you know, I have to win. Here’s the plan:
First week: I’ll be in Carlisle, Pennsylvania presenting on Social Media in disasters. Pope out, Sur in! Glad to be back in Region-3.
Second week: I’ll be headed back to the Silicon Valley area presenting on social media specifically for large event planning and monitoring (because it’s all about the L right? Wait, it’s all about the 5-0 right?) I also hope to catch up to one of the VIPs at Intel. Since retiring from Emergency Management, his pro career intrigues me – so I believe some synergies could happen. Additionally, I get a chance to brainstorm with an extremely talented colleague from the NWS Sacramento office. I rant about “building relationships before an emergency” so I assure you that I am practicing what I preach. Love love LOVE me some Region-9!
Third week: I’ll be at Fairfield County (Ohio) Emergency Management Agency popping the G-290: Basic Public Information Officers Course and G-291: Joint Information Center / Joint Information System (JIC/JIS) courses. It will definitely be great to see my friend Director Kochis and crews again – back in Region-5.
Fourth week: I’ll be presenting at FEMA HQ in Washington DC on social media. Yep, at the big house. OMG. This is a big presentation. Big. REALLY BIG. While at HQ, I am hoping to catch up with Lumpkins, Kamoie, FEMA’s Digital Engagement Team…and since we’re fresh off the heels of National Preparedness month grabbing a cup of coffee with my besties from ReadyGov and PrepareAthon. Love me some HQ preparedness action! Additionally, I am hoping to grab a few meetings with my friends at the Pentagon and NGA too. Special thanks to US Representative Fudge (OH-11) for some extra time with Congress and a stop at the White House. Yep. The White House. Again. #SURINDC NCAP region!
It’s going to be a challenge month all October long.
Get it.
I had a great time with the Northeast Ohio Public Information Officers (NEO-PIOs) who sat for a quick down and dirty (DaD) Table Top Exercise (TTE) designed around on a social media (SM) module (MOD). OMG.
Various topics discussed:
Lots of fun esp various discussions on platforms and reach.
Public Information Specialist @ThingsToShea and Public Information Officer @TomsDarren work to craft specific emergency alert messages in the preparedness phase #NatlPrep
Heavy debate on the use of mass notification systems…
@ClevelandFire Public Information Officer Gray & @LakeCoHealth Public Information Officer Cole collaborating on preparedness messages specifically for Instagram & Vine #NatlPrep
…and their true reach/effectiveness of messaging.
Summit County Public Information Officer @jamesp501 discussing multi-platform information dissemination for preparedness & evacuation #NatlPrep
Discussion on simplicity and concise messaging for those we serve before, during, and after an emergency.
BAM – solid Tuesday afternoon with my peeps!
Yups, I can’t thank these ESF-15 characters enough.
(From L to R): Pollack, Cole, Sur, Gray, and Toms.
Mahalos my friends!
It was great to spend some time with Ohio EMA leadership yesterday.
Discussion on community resilience, task force deployments, Presidential Declarations, key initiatives, outreach, training, EMAC deployments, stakeholder engagement, public information officer, Emergency Management visibility, social media, Public Assistance, SBA loans, documentation and reimbursements, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Public and Private partnerships…heck-we even touched on the buzz words for 2015: Climate change and Cyber.
For sure, lots of notes!
It is so great to hear OEMA Executive Director Sima Merick passionate about all facets of Emergency Management.
Also got a chance to hang with my Ohio EMA Training and Education peeps Lisa and Susan too. Solid discussion about the upcoming Mass Fatalities course (G-386), PIO Courses (G-290), JIC/JIS Courses (G-291), Intermediate Incident Command courses (ICS-300), and the Recovery from Disasters Course (G-270.4).
Lots of good free stuff upcoming from Ohio EMA!
BTW-If you did a double take on that first picture, yes sir Sur, #AlohaFridays are made for an Aloha shirt. Period. Also a historical note, Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959.
Don’t worry peeps, look closely as I had my Ohio pin on.
Have a great weekend!
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!
A fine day to teach the Ohio Emergency Management Agency’s JIS / JIC Planning for Tribal, State, and Local PIOs (G-291) course in Medina County!
A classic start with The Who.
One of the big points emphasized in this class is the differences between a Joint Information Center (JIC) and a Joint Information System (JIS). Both have merits in daily operations and each have strengths and weaknesses in disaster operations.
Sometimes PIOs don’t understand that a JIC or JIS activation is just like a normal activation. If you can’t figure out the differences between the two, take the class from those who have actually worked a JIC or a JIS.
On Tuesday/Wednesday in the Basic Public Information Officers’ Course (G-290), we talked about training and readiness efforts for any PIO. Go Kits were a hot button topic as everyone’s PIO kit would most likely be different. Resource manuals are great to have, but difficult to keep updated. Just maintaining a PIO contact list is a tedious task.
Much discussion about food in the kit. This was obviously NOT a good example of what you should be eating during an JIC activation.
Prob not the best lunch.
Healthy body = Healthy mind. Period.
As the day progressed, we facilitated several in-depth discussions on teamwork, joint efforts in responses as well as some pre-scripted messages that can be used by everyone. Planning now will reduce the amount of white hair during an incident.
Establish relationships now with local health departments, local and regional hospitals, local Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Teams, Special Technical Rescue Teams. Easily rely on your state staff and resources to support your actions. A great wealth of information is available to bring to the table. Just establish that connection before that awkward 0300 hit.
Additionally, tapping into local resources from other Federal Agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives(ATF), National Weather Service (NWS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs Border Patrol (CBP), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), etc…so many options to establish relationships!
“Building relationships now can only increase our response effectiveness during a disaster.” – K. Sur
Looking outside government agencies, public and private partnerships can support our safety and response initiatives – so we need to make a concerted effort to make those connections now. Build relationships before a disaster!
Sur and Mo!
So how can you bring all these resources together? Consider these actions to explore in your jurisdiction:
And if you were wondering, class participants did well on their post-tests.
Psssst…the answer is “C” #not
We had a great time teaching this week. Much thanks to the Medina County Emergency Management Agency and EM Director Christine Fozio for their hospitality. Super fun time.
So much ducking fun (duck face reference)
Special thanks to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency for sponsoring this all-hazards class for our partners in public safety.
(L to R): PIO Instructor Kevin Sur, Medina County Emergency Management Director Christine Fozio, and PIO Instructor Monique Witherspoon.
If you are looking to attend OEMA’s free PIO courses:
**coordinate through OEMA State Training Officer Susan Traylor.
As always, I’m looking forward to the JIC / JIS activation calls. I am excited for these new PIOs to put their new acquired PIO skillz in place. And yes, I said skillz with a Z.
Time is short so do good stuff!
Another great morning here at the State of Ohio Emergency Operations Center.
Various agencies from all over the state in attendance at today’s social media class.
Special thanks to Ohio EMA Assistant Director Sima Merick for the welcome message.
Now to break down more info and tools on how effective PIOs (Public Information Officers) or PAOs (Public Affair Officers) engage on social media.
Excited to be instructing a bunch of PIOs today.
Where is @rusnivek? 
