“My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend brother’s girlfriend, heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night…”
Numerous government agencies are constantly trying to engage with the general public in every community. Keep up the good work ESF-03 and PIOs!
It must be serious.
Reporting live from the highway – #SaveFerris
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.
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!
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!
Great weekend ICS class!
Good mix of participants from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Alabama (serving FEMA Region-5, Region-3, and Region-4).
Building all-hazards partnerships early and planning together is a defining factor for success…esp in HAZMAT emergencies.
Special thanks to Antero and Belmont County Emergency Management Agency for the hospitality.
Glad to be a small part in facilitating the new partnerships.
Teaching ICS-300 on Monday. So final preps today and Sunday.
Calm down everyone. My Saturday afternoon and evening is just full of excitement huh?
If you are getting started in taking a few National Incident Management System (NIMS) / Incident Command System (ICS) classes, you’ve come to the right place! Best part about the classes below? They are all online, available 24/7/365, and can be done for free.
Here’s a list of recommended Incident Command System (ICS) classes according to the 2008 requirements.
1. ICS-100.b: Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
2. ICS-700.a: National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction
3. ICS-200.b: ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action Incidents
4. ICS-800.b: National Response Framework, An Introduction
After you complete the courses above, let me know so I can recommend the next steps in training.
BTW-You even get a certificate when you successfully complete the above class and post tests.
No Tonka, according to the FEMA NIMS Typing, this is a Tender.
Ahem.
**Truth be told, I’ve mistakenly done this over the statewide radio. #oops
| 14-002: Precise Emergency Messaging | |
| Agency: Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Topic(s): Emergency Messaging |
| Date: Summer 2014 | Platform: General |
Mass notification and public messaging about dangerous inbound weather is the latest hot button topic in emergency management because no matter the location, everyone is susceptible. This year has been especially deadly with numerous tornadoes.
You can argue the use of automatic Emergency Alert System (EAS), Integrated Public Alert & Warning System’s (iPAWS) messages, and public address systems are good enough, but successful delivery still comes down to basic messaging.
On May 25, 2014, this message was put up on the main billboard on the field during the Indianapolis 500, which had 300,000+ fans during race time. The National Weather Service (NWS) declared a Tornado Warning before the start of the race.
Race Fans? C’mon, you have a captive audience at the motor speedway. And you are addressing everyone there, not just race fans. Most likely, your audience is saying “Great, now what is a Tornado Warning?”
Clear and concise messaging is incredibly important because seconds will matter in an immediate evacuation or leading others to shelter…especially with large, open, and unprotected public venues. This particular message was unclear, poorly worded, and definitely not concise.
A more effective messaging and follow-up post should have read:
DANGER! TORNADO WARNING NOW – SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!
Safe SHELTERS are located at AREA X and GATE X
By phrasing it this way:
1. Your message is short, sweet, and to the point.
2. Capital letters will grab the attention of your audience and convey urgency.
3. Have clearly identified safe locations IN CAPITAL LETTERS will assist those reading your message.
4. Shorter messaging could allow your followers to retweet/repost and amplify your emergency messaging.
5. It is still tornado season so make sure you are prepared by having pre-scripted messages on “what is a tornado warning” and messaging on how to “shelter-in-place”.
All concurrent Tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram posts, etc. should reflect this messaging. If a Tornado warning is issued, timing is of the essence. Do not be lax when it comes to emergency messaging because you don’t want to ruin the fun. For the sake of your constituents, it is better to error on the side of safety.
Time is valuable, so post good stuff.
***To download this as a single-page printable format, click this: Safety-PIO-SM-14-001
Had a solid day teaching ICS-300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents to various public safety professionals at Washington County EMA.
Solid group hailing from several different functional groups.
I really enjoy classes that have a good mix of participants. It makes the class WAY more interesting and allows more input into exercises during class.
Remember: At 0300, I’m not pretty. At 0300, you are not pretty. Best time to get to know each other is under bright lights and calm setting…like now. Learn what is important to each agency so that you can better support their mission and goals during a disaster or emergency.
@rusnivek
Where is @rusnivek? 