In case of a local emergency, contact: Department of Homeland Security (DHS),Federal Protective Service: |
DHS Mega Center: |
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District Commander - Oregon & Western Wash. Threat Management Branch Chief |
Phone from Oregon & Washington Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): FEMA Region 10: Bothell, WA, 425.487.4600 |
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10-30-08 Vital Records Management and Recovery, Co-Chair Elections Leslie Malek, Senior Records Analyst from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Pacific Alaska Region, carefully slipped a sheet of mylar under the multiple page document, drowning in a bin of water. She lifted out the mylar with the soaked document gripped to it and held them upright, letting excess water drip from them back into the bin. She then placed the two face up on top of some paper towels, and slowly pulled the mylar sheet out from under the document. She advised the almost 20 federal emergency managers in attendance to let the document to dry in the open air or with a light fan circulating in the room. Don't use a hair dryer! Once the document has dried sufficiently, the pages can be pulled apart and paper towels can be placed between them to soak up additional water. This is part of the tedious but critical process of recovering water-damaged vital records. Malek also explained the importance of having a vital records plan, determining priorities, and backing up as much as possible at off-site locations. One of the successes that arose from Hurricane Katrina was that many of the federal agencies in the region had their vital records in electronic format, on servers that were outside of the region. However, there are still often some vital records in hard copy, and they are the ones at greatest risk when exposed to moisture. Mold can begin to set up on wet documents in 24-48 hours, so time is of the essence. Vital records management was the featured item on the agenda at the Oregon and SW Washington's Crisis Continuity Coalition (C3) meeting on October 30th, but certainly not the only one. Steve David of GSA NW/Arctic Region shared an update of GSA and FEMA regional news, including the announcement that FEMA will be bringing their Continuity Planners Workshop back to Portland March 31 - April 2, 2009. Also, Jeff Sargent of the Oregon FEB and Steve Borgen, FY08 Co-Chair of the C3, gave a recap of FY08 activities and a summary of some of the emergency preparedness program and service requirements that FEBs nationwide will be required to meet in FY09. Last, but certainly not least, elections for FY09 C3 co-chairs were held. Steve Borgen is transferring to D.C. soon to take on his new role heading the establishment of an expanded Department of Justice regional security structure. His leadership this past year has been much appreciated and he will be missed. Fortunately, our other Co-Chair, Gail Dreckman of BPA, is still with us and was willing to serve again. Anthony Ho of DHS/Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the sole nominee as for the other co-chair position. Both Gail and Anthony were unanimously approved. The Oregon FEB is grateful for their commitment, and we look forward to working with them. The next meeting will be held on December 18th, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
7-31-08 Cascadia Federal '08 Earthquake Tabletop Exercise preview, training modules
June Uson of FEMA Region X reviewed the recently released FCD-1, and briefly summarized FCD-2. June also made reference to a new continuity evaluation tool, a COOP excellence series that FEMA has developed, and a continuity communications directive released last year (this document is For Official Use Only and cannot be posted online). Steve Borgen then distributed a Guide to Security and Emergency Preparedness in the Planning Process from the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the City of Portland's Evacuation Annex. This was intended to highlight the need to consider transportation issues and obstacles when developing and implementing continuity plans. Steve also distributed a document that summarized how several metro areas around the country have been implementing the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Trasportation Equity Act of 2005, and a notice from Tri-Met about how they offer free taxi ride service to those employees with passes and whose employer participates in a transit pass program. Reference was also made to the National Level Exercise 2-08, which ran May 1-8 and involved multiple incidents. Most activity was taking place in Washington, D.C.
2-21-08 Citizen preparedness, new Education & Training Proposal Cathy Harrington, Emergency Management Coordinator with the City of Gresham, is a passionate champion of citizen readiness. She distributed several informative pieces that the city, state and/or the American Red Cross have produced to help the public get informed and motivated to be prepared for an emergency. She also emphasized the importance of having a 72-hour survival kit at home and at least a 24-hour kit at work. Her message was that if our employees and their families aren't prepared, then the employee won't be able to work effectively. Family will always be a priority. Steve Borgen, Co-Chair of the C3 Committee, also presented a new Education and Training Proposal to the membership, featuring 21 different emergency preparedness-related topics.
7-19-07 COOP/Emergency Prep meeting explores NSPD-51, HSPD-20 Summer vacationitis kept the crowd down at the latest Oregon COOP – OFEB Emergency Prep meeting on July 19th, but those present had plenty to say. They were encouraged to share their suggestions as they started the process for developing an FY 2008 group work plan. The meeting included June Uson of FEMA’s overview of the recent National Security Presidential Directive/Homeland Security Presidential Directive. It essentially establishes a single National Continuity Coordinator responsible for the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies. Layne Frambes, Area Commander of the Federal Protective Service, also provided some of his insights into what contributes to good emergency preparedness and continuity planning. His recommendations included having more than one option when it comes to both planning and communications, do the “what ifs” (worst-case scenarios), understand that not everyone can be counted on, and develop relationships/communications channels now, before an event takes place.
4-26-07 COOP/Emergency Prep meeting summary
Despite the rough weather in the Northwest during the week of Jan. 15th, The Oregon FEB, in partnership with FEMA and the General Services Administration, pulled off their pandemic flu tabletop exercise without a hitch. Almost forty federal and local government employees braved the ice and cold to learn from each other how to better prepare for a potential pandemic flu outbreak. Special guest Dr. JD Malone of the Pacific NW National Laboratory in Washington opened with some fascinating background into the nature of pandemic flu, the research being done to combat it and several preventative methods. Matthew Smith from FEMA then facilitated the scenarios and points of discussion, which delved into everything from evaluating planning assumptions to how agencies return to normal operations once the pandemic is actually over. Some experts predict that absenteeism rates could be as high as 30 - 40% during the peak of an outbreak. For additional information or a copy of the CD containing the exercise documentation, please contact Jeff Sargent at 503-326-3030 or jsargent@pcez.com.
10-19-06 COOP/Emergency Prep meeting highlights - TOPOFF 4 Bill Webb, FEMA Region X, presented a planning update for TOPOFF (Top Officials) 4, the national emergency exercise that will be held in Portland, October 2007. Portland will host the only full-scale, real-time exercise, which will allow government agencies and private sector organizations to practice their response to the explosion of a Radiological Dispersive Device (RDD), or “Dirty Bomb,” that hypothetically detonates in the Portland harbor. While a COOP exercise is not a formal part of TOPOFF 4, FEMA will encourage local federal agencies not directly involved in TOPOFF4 to exercise their COOP plans during the same time. June Uson of FEMA proposed that the local federal community exercise a new pandemic flu tabletop that just been developed by FEMA, “Determined Accord.” The target audiences of the tabletop are agency leaders and emergency managers.
7-27-06 COOP/Emergency Prep meeting focuses on pandemic flu planning "Who gets the vaccine, and who decides?" This was one of the critical questions raised at the summer quarterly meeting of the the Oregon FEB Emergency Preparedness Committee and FEMA/GSA Oregon Interagency COOP Partnership, held July 27th at the Green-Wyatt Federal Building in Portland. The primary topic of discussion was pandemic flu planning, as federal, state and local governments are rushing to meet deadlines and get their organizations ready should an outbreak strike the U.S. Thanks to June Uson of FEMA and Larry Raaf of BPA for their pandemic planning updates. Thanks to Bill Pennebaker from the Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, for sharing his building Occupant Emergency Plan. If you would like an electronic copy of this plan and their Emergency Team Handbook, please contact Jeff Sargent at jsargent@pcez.com. Additional presentation and support documents can be found below:
4-20-06 COOP/Emergency Prep meeting features essentials of NIMS & ICS The Oregon FEB's Emergency Preparedness Committee and FEMA/GSA's Oregon Interagency COOP Partnership held their quarterly meeting April 20th. Featured was an overview of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS), essential components of effective emergency response.Thirty six attendees packed into the room at the Airport Radisson Hotel to hear guest presenters Andy Hendrickson of FEMA, Mike Spencer of the Forest Service/BLM and Chief Petty Officer Robin Klarmann, Coast Guard Sector Portland, share the fundamentals of NIMS/ICS and discuss practical applications in the field. Meeting minutes and the PowerPoint presentations are below:
TOPOFF 4 National Emergency Preparedness Exercise Portland was the primary host of the largest national emergency preparedness exercise ever conducted, TOPOFF 4. Top Officials (TOPOFF) is the nation’s premier terrorism preparedness exercise, involving top officials at every level of government, as well as representatives from the international community and private sector. TOPOFF 4 took place October 15-19, 2007, and included the involvement of thousands of federal, state, territorial, and local officials. They engaged in various activities to test the nation's response to a multi-faceted threat. The exercise simulated a "dirty bomb" going off near the Steel Bridge in downtown Portland. Simulated incidents also occurred in Guam and Phoenix, Arizona. Federal officials at the highest level managed and monitored the exercise from Washington, D.C. TOPOFF 4 addressed policy and strategic issues that mobilize prevention and response systems, required participants to make difficult decisions, carry out essential functions, and challenged their ability to maintain a common operating picture during an incident of national significance. The Oregon FEB was directly involved in observing and participating in the exercise, including the testing our emergency communications systems. The T4 After Action Report has not yet been released. When it is, a link to it will be posted here.
You are on your way to work, and suddenly the ground beneath the bus begins to tremble. It continues for almost four minutes. The bus is stopped and all passengers are evacuated. Someone says they just heard on the radio that there's been a massive earthquake off the Oregon coast. What is your agency's plan for how you and other employees are to inform the agency of your status in the event of such an emergency? This was just one of the many questions that 40 local federal agency leaders, emergency managers, human resources officers, facilities managers and other staff considered on September10th at the Oregon FEB's "Cascadia Federal" tabletop exercise, held at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest headquarters in Vancouver. The exercise took participants through a series of modules with questions focused on the management of short and long term human capital issues in the event of a catastrophic quake. The scenario was based on the same one being used next April for the State of Oregon's "Cascadia Peril" statewide full-scale exercise. It proposes that a 9.0 earthquake strikes the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which runs along the Pacific coast from northern California to British Columbia. History indicates that about every 300-500 years a major earthquake occurs along this zone, resulting in significant earth movement and tsunamis. Primary areas for improvement identified in the hotwash and after action report included the need for:
As the exercise documentation and after action report are designated For Official Use Only, they are not posted on this site. For a copy of the exercise materials or additional information, contact Jeff Sargent at jsargent@pcez.com or 503-326-3030.
Over 75 local federal employees gathered at the Doubletree Hotel Lloyd Center in Portland on the morning of June 3rd to hear local federal experts share their insight on an issue none of us hope to face: workplace violence. The Oregon Federal Executive Board organized and hosted this Executive Forum event. Understanding that it was impossible to thoroughly cover such a topic as workplace violence in a single morning session, the objective was to emphasize the importance of sound workplace violence policies and procedures, and of training managers and general staff on how to recognize the signs of potential workplace violence. Bill McNamee, Director of the local Citizenship and Immigration Services office and Chair of the Oregon FEB, opened the session. Dr. David Drummond of the Portland VA Medical Center followed with his observations on the myths and actual trends in workplace violence. Steve Borgen, U.S. Attorney’s Office, then shared advice on legal issues to consider with respect to the hiring and retention of potential problem employees. Dr. Drummond returned to address the challenges of risk assessment, followed by Steve Reinbrecht of the Dept. of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Toni Albano, U.S. Postal Service, offering their perspective on plans, programs and policies. The tight agenda continued with Layne Frambes, Federal Protective Service, offering advice on incident management and Toni Albano highlighting key issues with respect to 'the aftermath" of an incident. A 20 minute question and answer session with the panel concluded the morning. Attendees left with a packet containing a CD of all presentations and a wide variety of additional documents and resources for further study. Evaluations from the session were overall quite positive, although several attendees suggested that they would have welcomed even more time on the subject. The FEB is considering future training that would focus in on one or more aspects of workplace violence prevention, such as the establishment of a threat assessment team or how to evaluate an agency's capabilities to respond to an incident. To obtain a copy of the presentation CD, contact Jeff Sargent of the Oregon Federal Executive Board at jsargent@pcez.com 503-326-3030.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Fire Administration's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is an excellent information and online training resource for emergency managers. Through its courses and programs, EMI serves as the national focal point for the development and delivery of emergency management training to enhance the capabilities of federal, state, local, and tribal government officials, volunteer organizations, and the public and private sectors to minimize the impact of disasters on the American public. There are online courses in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command System (ICS) and much more. Click on the EMI name above or go to http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/.
The following text is from PandemicFlu.gov A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in very short time. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Countries might, through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, delay arrival of the virus, but cannot stop it. Health professionals are concerned that the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 virus across eastern Asia and other countries represents a significant threat to human health. The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because:
Since 2003, a growing number of human H5N1 cases have been reported in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. More than half of the people infected with the H5N1 virus have died. Most of these cases are all believed to have been caused by exposure to infected poultry. There has been no sustained human-to-human transmission of the disease, but the concern is that H5N1 will evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission.
Pacific Peril Website and Documents Over 350 emergency officials and observers from throughout the western U.S. and Canada converged on Warrenton, Oregon for an unprecedented earthquake and tsunami recovery drill from May 23rd - 25th, 2006. “Pacific Peril” was a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional exercise hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The exercise simulated the impact of a 9.0 earthquake along the 800 mile fault known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, followed by a tsunami, and addressed emergency operations beginning at least 12 hours into the disaster. The purpose was to coordinate federal, state, and local emergency operations for initial damage assessments of transportation systems, staging areas for air, land and water operations, and support the delivery of mass shelter and care for the coast. For an After Action Report and additional presentation materials from the exercise, go to www.nw.faa.gov/peril.
After months of intense collaboration among its partners and more than 100 practitioners, policy-makers, and technical experts, The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) launched its "Guide for an Action Plan to Develop Regional Disaster Resilience." The Guide provides a strategy to develop the necessary level of preparedness for communities to manage major disasters in today’s complex and interdependent world. It is intended for all organizations with specific missions in assuring that the regions in which they reside can withstand catastrophes and respond and recover rapidly after the event. The Guide offers key definitions and a set of common assumptions that support regional disaster resilience. Using a simple, practical "how-to" approach, it lists twelve categories of typical "needs" gleaned from lessons learned in previous deliberate and accidental catastrophes. The Guide further recommends short and long-term activities to address any preparedness gaps. Many of the suggested activities are time efficient and low cost. The Guide can be downloaded from the TISP website, at www.tisp.org/rdr_guide (PDF, 1.2 MB).
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Emergency Guides These guides provide basic information to supplement the efforts agencies have already taken to make their employees aware of agency-specific measures already in place. One is designed primarily for managers, the other for employees. For more information, go to www.opm.gov/emergency. Please download them and share them with your employees!
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Oregon Federal Executive Board 1220 SW 3rd Ave., Suite 1776 Portland, Oregon 97204 503.326.2060 |
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Last Updated:
11/7/08
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