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Emergency Management, Emergency Services, & Disaster Spox

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

Day-2 of the 2018 DHS/FEMA Master PIO

Posted on September 18, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-2 of the 2018 Master PIO program and today we talk a bit about leading the future of PIOs nationally. Starting the discussion is USFA Tom Olashanski.

Lots to discuss and help shape the pathway for External Affairs. Everyone here contributing to the body of knowledge and discussing the future.

It’s more than just tools, more than protocols, it’s about how we move the ESF15 portion along and guide others to a successful career to supplement our Incident Commander as well as our mission objectives.

Also had some heated debate on current topics including the EAS system for mass notification.

Definitely the State of Alaska playing a heavy weight on current topics.

On to the presentation part!

So many different things to talk about.

A dynamic group and solid discussion all day and all evening long.

A completely dedicated bunch of peeps for sure!

@rusnivek

Day-1 of the final week of 2018 DHS/FEMA Master PIO class

Posted on September 17, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-1 of the 2018 DHS/FEMA Master PIO final week!

And yes, don’t have to look closely, I’m wearing a tie.

Stopping by is my good friend Interim Superintendent Steve Heidecker. Also sharing how proud he is of the staff at EMI and how they are augmenting the disaster response for Hurricane Florence.

Steve is an outstanding guy!

We most definitely had some solid PIO discussions at lunch…

And as you can imagine, with our class being from a bunch of states, we are all ready to enhance the PIO position in the Command and General Staff.

Yep, all smiles as we work through some complex problems for each of our respective jurisdictions.

Lots of great relationships as we plow through Monday of our Master PIO class.

More fun stuff this week!

@rusnivek

Last week of the 2018 DHS/FEMA Master PIO class

Posted on September 16, 2018 by rusnivek

Final week of 2018 FEMA Master PIO class at EMI.

Looking forward to seeing my cohort again and finishing up and defending our paper to the leadership staff at FEMA.

Man, I better concentrate!

@rusnivek

A free app with preparedness info? #NatlPrep #EmergencyManagement

Posted on September 2, 2018 by rusnivek

So many state emergency management agencies have apps that can help you prepare. Here’s a fine example of the @scemd app that has tons of #preparedness info on #hurricane #nuclear #winter #snow #thunderstorm #wildfire #flooding #thunder #tornado #safety

No matter what part of the country you reside or work, be better prepared with these kinds of free apps available to anyone.

#FREE #NATLPREP

So many free things you can do to better prepare yourself for an emergency or disaster.

@rusnivek

The start of 2018 National Preparedness Month! #NatlPrep

Posted on September 1, 2018 by rusnivek

Guess what day it is……September 1st – the start of National Preparedness Month!

Follow along for a bunch of preparedness things you can do to for you, your family, and your friends.

Additionally, I’ll share a bunch of other posts from the home agency too!

#NatlPrep

@rusnivek

Joining the team at DuPage County OHSEM

Posted on August 15, 2018 by rusnivek

Glad to join the team at DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management leading the charge for training and exercises.

Many thanks to Director Snow and the entire team of pros at OHSEM.

Proud to be serving communities in NE Illinois and across this great country.

@rusnviek

Unidirectional mics and keeping it up! #PIO P26

Posted on July 20, 2018 by rusnivek

Hello AlohaFriday!

Mic check! Sibilance. Sibilance. Check. Check.

As part of the ongoing P26 push…I thought this quick video about field mics might help out a few public safety colleagues.

Mainly designed for PIOs, PAOs, and External Affairs Officers….I think anyone could utilize these easy tips.

Reporting live from the 24-7 SEOC…

@rusnivek

Day-2 of ICS-300 w/ our DoD assets and public safety professionals

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rusnivek

Day-2 of ICS-300 started off with some class discussion on other classes that newer Emergency Management Professionals could attend to help broaden the expertise.

As we roll into module-4, we have lots of in class exercises to help participants understand the importance of coordination in response.

Proud to see so many here from various disciplines as well as a few familiar faces in the crowd too.

And again, if you look closely, you can see participants smiling…IN MY ICS-300 CLASS!!!!!

Lotsa smiles!!!!

Again, great to see solid collaboration here in class. Sooooooo many great ideas exchanged in the room. Even more proud to see it done BEFORE an emergency or disaster.

Also, one day, someone will recognize my hand puppet skills.

Kidding.

Day-2 dunzo. Great participation from everyone in the class!

@rusnivek

Day-1 ICS-300 with strong DoD participation

Posted on July 9, 2018 by rusnivek

It’s Monday morning so lets kick off another hard core ICS-300 course…in the Poinsettia Room! 🌺

Also known as the city’s Emergency Operations Center too.

Diverse groups today with a strong showing from our Department of Defense and local public safety professionals.

This kind of joint training provides us the opportunities to build stronger partnerships and even strengthen the preexisting bonds with DoD assets including a few special teams.

Lots of group work as participants figure out priorities and challenges during the first few hours and into the first/second operational period.

But working through the issues in a calm classroom will help reduce the amount of stress during an actual emergency. Finding out strengths and gaps and addressing them so that everyone can respond better to any incident. That’s right enhancing response capabilities.

Sound familiar? That’s what HSPD-5 (Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5) is all about. A coordinated response! <heavy breathing>

That is exactly what Emergency Management is all about – build relationships for a coordinated response. <heavier breathing>

And also proof, if you teach it right, you can get people to smile in my ICS classes.

Awww yeah!

Great work from all participants – lotsa participation from everyone!

Glad to see so much collaboration from local, county, state, Federal, and DoD assets.

And as always, thank you for your service to our great country.

Happy birthday Marty. It’s a great first day.

Looking forward to the next two days!

@rusnivek