Weekly Information and Updates 2012 Colorado Emergency Management Conference Have you registered for the conference? The registration process is quick and easy; simply visit the Colorado Emergency Management Association website to complete the registration process. Vendors, Exhibitors and Sponsors can also find information packets and registration links in the same location. Contact CDEM at 720-852-6600 with any questions about conference registration.

Emergency Management Program Guide for Colorado The DEM staff is currently in the process of writing an Emergency Management Program Guide for Colorado. The guide is intended to be used as a planning tool for those trying to develop or bolster a new or existing emergency management program, as a reference for when incidents occur, and when emergency management personnel want to ensure that they are not missing any essential steps in supporting their community. DEM staff will be presenting a session at the Emergency Management Conference in March on the guide. A final product should be available shortly after the conference for emergency managers. Updates will be provided in future Weekly Updates or on our COEmergency site.

Emergency Operations Center Specific Task Books The EOC Specific Task Books are currently posted on the COEmergency site for public comment. They will be available to view until January 31. Final changes will be made in February with the finished product ready for distribution at the beginning of March at the Emergency Management Conference.

Emergency Management Academy Participant Reminder The next in-service sessions of the academy will be February 1-3 at the CDEM office. The schedule will include: G-775 EOC Operations EOC Task Book System / Resource Ordering Process Rapid Needs Assessment Project Review IS-271 and IS-703a certificates should be emailed to Gigi at [email protected] Bring your jurisdiction ESF-7 Resource Mobilization Plan Bring your jurisdiction EOC Activation Procedures / Levels of Activation Bring your Rapid Needs Assessment for Project Review

Kudos to Share Steve Steed Teller County Employee of the Year January 12, Steve Steed, Teller County Emergency Manager, was recognized as Teller County Employee of the Year. This is not only a great accomplishment for Steve but a great accomplishment for Emergency Management. Two years ago the county had a minimal interest in emergency management and the program was struggling in the Sheriff's Department. The County Commissioners were encouraged to find a new approach and so they restructured their program. The emergency manager position was moved under the Board of County Commissioners and they hired Steve Steed. Some of you may have worked with Steve during the DNC and experienced his successful team building and common sense approach as the interim Director of OEM. Steve's leadership skills and desire to have an all-inclusive program immediately changed opinions in Teller County for the better. Steve has engaged all county employees and first responder leadership across the county to build relationships as a team. As a team they are working towards solving problems with a holistic approach. Congratulations and great job Steve. Carolyn Bluhm Honored as a Champion of Change at the White House On Thursday, January 19th, Carolyn H. Bluhm was one of the 17 local leaders who were honored at the White House as Champions of Change who help prepare their communities for disaster and build a more resilient nation. These men and women have demonstrated significant innovation and creativity in working to get their communities ready for the unexpected and embraced the approach of involving all members of their communities in emergency preparedness and response, reaching out to faith-based, tribal, non-profit, private sector and community-based organizations, as well as individual citizens. The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different issue is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to better their communities. “This past year we’ve been reminded that disasters can strike at any time and that preparedness is critical,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. “We commend the innovative practices and achievements that these individuals bring to the field of emergency management in order to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared.” Watch the presentation ceremony on this YouTube video Champions of Change: Disaster Preparedness. Carolyn H. Bluhm is the Community Relations Specialist for the City and County of Denver, Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

DEM Staff and Resource Thank You’s DEM has received several thank you letters this month regarding the assistance of DEM staff members and the Elected Officials Guide that was distributed in December. Congratulations to Lori Hodges, Jack Cobb and all those involved in the development of the “Elected Official’s Guide”. Please read the letters that were sent expressing gratitude for a job well done. Thank you from the City and County of Denver Department of Safety to Lori Hodges for her commitment to the EOC effort associated with the Region and full-scale Operation Mountain Guardian exercise. Thank you from the City and County of Denver Department of Safety to Jack Cobb for his commitment to the enormous communications effort required of the Operation Mountain Guardian full-scale exercise. Douglas County sent a letter of appreciation for the Elected Official’s Policy Guide for Disasters and Emergencies. Colorado Counties, Inc. wrote a thank you letter to DEM and the staff for the Elected Official’s Policy Guide for Disasters and Emergencies.

Denver CERT – It is Time to Grow Denver ARES District 13 and the Denver Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program are working to provide a new monthly program for the people who have attended or intend to attend a CERT program in 2012. These Face-to-Face meetings will be following the FEMA Whole Community concept . They are looking to have your input on the type of programs you would like to see grow Denver’s Community Response and Recovery Program. These Face-to-Face meetings will be held on the last Monday of each month beginning in January. The meeting details include: Date: Monday, January 30, 2012 Time: 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Location: Community Church of Christ, 1695 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village, CO Meeting Topics: o CERT classes in 2012 o What will be the next step in training o What did Denver CERT do right or wrong in the past Register: On line registration is available on the Denver Office of Emergency Management site. Contact Carolyn Bluhm at [email protected] or 720-865-7698 for more information.

Job Announcements Adams County Public Education & Outreach Coordinator Adams County is hiring a Public Education & Outreach Coordinator position. Visit the Adams County Job Opportunities site for more information on the position and the hiring process. Boeing Opening on the Everett Emergency Preparedness Team Boeing is looking for a new member for their Everett Emergency Preparedness Team as a Security & Fire Protection Multi Operations Specialist 3. Contact Heather Kelly at [email protected] for more information.

Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program Update Information Shared this Week Read the CONNECT with PCAPP January 2012 E-Newsletter for information on the safety standards, upcoming events and other news regarding the Pueblo Chemical Agent – Destruction Pilot Program. This week the Utah Depot was slated to destroy all remaining mustard agent weapons held at the Deseret Chemical Depot. Read the full article from the Global Security Newswire. This leaves two remaining chemical stockpile sites in Colorado and Kentucky.

Resources Focused on Emergency Management and Education Efforts Implementing Youth Preparedness in Your Organization Workshop On February 28th, FEMA Region VIII and HQ in partnership with American Red Cross and the US Department of Education will be hosting a day-long workshop on Implementing Youth Preparedness in Your Organization. This workshop is designed to provide information to start integrating preparedness into an organization’s existing youth offering or to build a youth preparedness program from scratch. Workshop attendees will: receive live instruction and a “how-to” guide on key topics, including: engaging partners, identifying curriculum, implementing your program, promoting your program, sustaining your program interact with and learn from experts (to include youth) who have developed or delivered some of the nation’s most successful youth preparedness programs participate in a series of hands-on activities that will produce some tools and inputs needed to implement an effective program. Dan Nyquist, Community Preparedness Officer (CPO) is the lead for this event for the region. We will provide more information about the event as we get closer to February.

2012 Round Up Your Knowledge Conference This six day conference, hosted by Cheyenne Fire and Rescue, is packed with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and competencies. The conference is February 27 – March 3, 2012 in Wyoming. There will be three key note presentations for all to attend. Some of the learning opportunities available include: Fire Investigation with exam option for NAFI-CFEI Fire and Building Codes Fire Protection Systems Hazardous Materials Building Community Partnerships Strategic Planning/ Sustaining Change Efforts Organizational Performance Improvement Juvenile Fire Setter Assessment More information about the conference is available by contacting Kevin Wilson at [email protected] or Bryan Mathews at [email protected] .

Training Information January Courses 1. January 24 & 26, 2012 (Westminster), Bomb Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) Contact: Joe O'Keefe at [email protected] or 303-204-4087 2. January 24 -25, 2012 (Colorado Springs), ICS 400 - Advanced ICS Principles Registration: COTRAIN, Course # 1006001 Contact: Kim Lee at [email protected] or 719-385-7262 3. January 25-27, 2012 (Centennial), CERT Train-the-Trainer Course Contact: Cathy Prudhomme at [email protected]

February Courses 1. February 1-2, 2012 (Gunnison County), ICS 300 Registration: COTRAIN, Course #1005860 Contact: Scott Morrill at [email protected] 2. February 4-5 & 11-12, 2012 (Florence), Managing Land Search Operations Contact: Steve Morrisey, Fremont County OEM, at [email protected]

3. February 6-10, 2012 (Utah), All-Hazards Incident Management Team Unit Leader Academy Contact: Ted Woolley at [email protected] 4. February 27-28, 2012 (Gunnison County), ICS 400 Registration: COTRAIN, Course #1006001 Contact: Scott Morrill at [email protected]

Management of Financial Issues Related to a Disaster Training Please save February 13 for the training. The time will be 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and the location is yet to be determined. Registration will be on COTRAIN once a location has been confirmed. Before, during, and after a disaster, one of the major concerns for emergency management personnel is money. Questions often arise related to who is going to pay, what needs to be tracked, what should the impacted agency pay for, what is the impacted agency responsible for, what forms need to be utilized, how long will it take to receive money, and what disaster funds are available to various agencies. Many of these questions have continued to arise during the project focused on making the North Central AllHazards Region Health and Medical Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) functional. In an effort to address questions related to financial management of disaster costs and to educate participants in the MMRS MOU, the Denver MMRS is offering a day-long Disaster Finance Symposium. Objectives of the training include: Review finance components of emergencies and disasters Examine the declaration process for local, state, and federal governments Discuss recovery considerations Determine partnerships and agencies available for assistance Review local policies and procedures to ensure the best results following an emergency or disaster Discuss tools, forms and communications that will facilitate efficient utilization of the North Central Region’s Health and Medical MOU The information presented is a collaboration of a financial symposium developed by CDEM and information and best practices gathered from other states and hospitals that have successfully managed finances during a disaster involving healthcare agencies. The information is intended for hospital emergency managers, hospital financial managers, local emergency managers, local government financial personnel, purchasing and logistics staff, and any other positions that are actively involved with expenditures, financial tracking, or reimbursement related to an emergency or disaster.

Contact Melinda Johnson at [email protected] for more information. Visit the training page on COEmergency for the latest information on training opportunities. If you have a course that you would like to promote, please send the information to me at [email protected]. As always, send any other items of interest, resources or news that you would like to share with the Colorado emergency management community to me at [email protected]. Have a Safe and Fun Week, Micki