Educate Citizens
Educate citizens on basic preparedness tips like packing a kit and having a home inventory and private documents secured.
Individual/Community Preparedness : Browse Popular Ideas
How do we better ensure individual, family, and community preparedness? How can we build public education campaigns to promote personal and community responsibility?
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »16 comments for Idea: Educate Citizens -
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Beyond Basic CERT Training
8 comments for Idea: Beyond Basic CERT TrainingThe CERT curriculum is an excellent start for developing community response; there needs to be a nationally-recognized, modular set of curricula for ongoing education and skill development of CERT members.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Publish Action-based Templates
Create and publish templates for personal and organizational preparedness, response, recovery,and mitigation. There is currently no central source that can be accessed which guides a person through the process of identifying the scope of what needs to be done for their family, their business, their neighborhood, their community, etc. Laypeople who are assigned/assume emergency management responsibilities at work, at ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Publish Action-based TemplatesCreate and publish templates for personal and organizational preparedness, response, recovery,and mitigation. There is currently no central source that can be accessed which guides a person through the process of identifying the scope of what needs to be done for their family, their business, their neighborhood, their community, etc. Laypeople who are assigned/assume emergency management responsibilities at work, at church, or in their neighborhood must do extensive research to gain an awareness of what they should do and the factors to be considered in how to do it. A series of templates could greatly expedite the process and improve the quality of the work accomplished. Sample questions to be addressed might include: (1) What are the hazards that should be considered? (2) How do I assess the risk associated with each of these hazards? (3) What factors need to be considered in my Family/Church/Business/Neighborhood Response Plan? (4) What actions should be included in my Family/Church/Business/Neighborhood Mitigation Plans? (5) Who can I/we partner with in order to develop some synergy?
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Revise FEMA's IS-22 Are You Ready? course (last updated in 2004)
The FEMA "IS-22 Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness" should be revised and updated. The course was last revised in August 2004 - before the lessons of Hurricane Katrina and well before the explosive growth of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The curriculum revision should involve representation from communities across the nation, including people who have been using the curriculum to provide ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Revise FEMA's IS-22 Are You Ready? course (last updated in 2004)The FEMA "IS-22 Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness" should be revised and updated. The course was last revised in August 2004 - before the lessons of Hurricane Katrina and well before the explosive growth of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The curriculum revision should involve representation from communities across the nation, including people who have been using the curriculum to provide training in their communities.
For those unfamiliar with the course, please visit http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/is/is22.asp
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Encourage CERT teams to have Ham Radio operators
Encourage CERT members to become Amateur Radio ("Ham") Operators. This will enable CERT teams in neighborhoods to communicate with the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and provide local status updates regarding damage assessments, casualties, triage locations, etc. This would also allow CERT Incident Commanders to request assistance from other CERT teams in non-affected areas. This is occurring naturally in ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Encourage CERT teams to have Ham Radio operatorsEncourage CERT members to become Amateur Radio ("Ham") Operators.
This will enable CERT teams in neighborhoods to communicate with the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and provide local status updates regarding damage assessments, casualties, triage locations, etc.
This would also allow CERT Incident Commanders to request assistance from other CERT teams in non-affected areas.
This is occurring naturally in some locations, but ideally would be promoted and encouraged from both the CERT and Amateur Radio communities.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Repeal Restrictions on Armed Citizens
Add “Weapons for Personal Protection” to Emergency Preparedness lists. In regards to active shooter/terrorist actions, It has been demonstrated (repeatedly) that the best-case scenario is intervention by an armed citizen on the scene. The Police cannot prevent mass killings. That is the un-debatable fact of history. Even a 2 minute response is considered fast, yet over 30 people died at Virginia Tech. plus many other ...more »
6 comments for Idea: Repeal Restrictions on Armed CitizensAdd “Weapons for Personal Protection” to Emergency Preparedness lists.
In regards to active shooter/terrorist actions, It has been demonstrated (repeatedly) that the best-case scenario is intervention by an armed citizen on the scene. The Police cannot prevent mass killings. That is the un-debatable fact of history. Even a 2 minute response is considered fast, yet over 30 people died at Virginia Tech. plus many other examples.
In support of my suggestion, consider Ms. Jeanne Assam ( www.jeanneassam.com ) who was on a volunteer security team for New Life Church in Colorado when a gunman walked in with the intention of killing a lot of people. He was stopped because she was armed. Most of these attacks happen in locations where guns are banned (often by work or school policy) and the shooters often kill themselves once they are confronted (the recent workplace shooting in Connecticut is a typical example of shooters committing suicide) It is important that state laws, workplace and school rules be seriously reconsidered. Teachers (and adult students) should be allowed to keep a concealed firearm. This has worked just fine in Israel and even some US Colleges (I think in Utah). Too many people have died because honest citizens obeyed those rules that were supposed to keep people safe. Terrorists and common murderers know this and take advantage of it.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Critical assessment of Citizen Corps
2 comments for Idea: Critical assessment of Citizen CorpsMuch of CC's appeal is political but not evidence-based. Predesignated and trained volunteers are important and can be a critical asset in every phase of emergency management, but do we have realistic expectations, and are the resources allocated to CC paying off relative to other programs?
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Preparing Primay Care Providers
I suggest you...increase preparedness among primary care providers that serve in practice sizes between 1 and 5 docs. Encourage the development of focus groups among this community and determine what resources they may require to mitigate and plan for a disaster or what support role they may play when their practices will be shuttered because they are shuttered. Supporting this group is essential to increasing community ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Preparing Primay Care ProvidersI suggest you...increase preparedness among primary care providers that serve in practice sizes between 1 and 5 docs. Encourage the development of focus groups among this community and determine what resources they may require to mitigate and plan for a disaster or what support role they may play when their practices will be shuttered because they are shuttered. Supporting this group is essential to increasing community resiliency.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Support grass-roots preparedness efforts like www.do1thing.us
Support existing grass-roots preparedness programs like www.do1thing.us In Lansing, MI, a group of emergency managers created a citizen preparedness program with the intent of encouraging people to move from good intentions to taking actual action. Several studies had shown that most people were aware of the need to prepare, but few people took the first steps. One key reason for this is that the task of becoming prepared ...more »
1 comment for Idea: Support grass-roots preparedness efforts like www.do1thing.usSupport existing grass-roots preparedness programs like www.do1thing.us
In Lansing, MI, a group of emergency managers created a citizen preparedness program with the intent of encouraging people to move from good intentions to taking actual action. Several studies had shown that most people were aware of the need to prepare, but few people took the first steps. One key reason for this is that the task of becoming prepared for disasters and emergencies can be a large and intimidating. Many people don't know where to begin.
From this realization, this group of emergency managers created the www.do1thing.us program. This program breaks the large and intimidating task of preparedness up into smaller, manageable pieces and presents them as monthly themes. The www.do1thing.us program presents these themes in one-page fact sheets through it's website, calendars, and through partner agencies to the public. Participants "Do 1 Thing" each month to move themselves closer to being prepared. By following the program for a year, a participant will become very well prepared for emergencies and disasters.
This program is managed by a volunteer board of directors that creates and maintains the preparedness information and content, oversees grant funding and marketing efforts. What makes the program successful is that www.do1thing.us encourages partnerships with various governmental agencies, NGOs, volunteer groups, and the private-sector to help distribute the program content and message to the people they serve. In this way, people receive the message from people they know and trust. Additionally, this program is proving to be a cost-effective way for many emergency management agencies to fulfill their citizen preparedness education needs with minimal effort on their part. This program is also very friendly to special needs populations and other previously under-served populations.
This grass-roots campaign has gained some serious momentum of late and is beginning to engage with partners all over the state of MI as well as in many other states throughout the US. Notable partners like the Mayo Clinic, and Long Island University have shown some interest in the program. These new and varied partners should improve the depth of content and the program's reach.
We are certain that the www.do1thing.us program can provide a different approach to preparedness. This grass-roots program as well as many others should be supported to enhance existing preparedness efforts.
Larry St. George, CEM, PEM
Clinton County, MI Office of Emergency Management
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Evaucation Assistance for our Elderly and Special Needs People
This includes assisted-living, residential care homes, board and cares, adult residential and other special needs facilities. I have put a Disaster Prepardeness Task Force in place in San Diego County to represent such communities...so in the event of an evacuation, they will receive the assistance to relocate from one facility to another - with the collaborative efforts of the local, city and county emergency services. ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Evaucation Assistance for our Elderly and Special Needs PeopleThis includes assisted-living, residential care homes, board and cares, adult residential and other special needs facilities. I have put a Disaster Prepardeness Task Force in place in San Diego County to represent such communities...so in the event of an evacuation, they will receive the assistance to relocate from one facility to another - with the collaborative efforts of the local, city and county emergency services. I have been working on this project since April 2010, voluntary...speaking at events, attending meetings for providers and administrators - to raise Disaster Preparedness Awareness - and help them become proactive and self-reliant at the same time - as they are responsible for the direct, quality care of the elderly and special needs they oversee in their facilties. I would like to take this model to other cities, counties and states. I enjoy doing this and very passionate about it...a Disaster Preparedenss Evacuation system is NEEDED for our Elderly and Special Needs communities! If there are existing-like systems/task forces out there, please let me know!
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Emergency Preparedness for out of home child care settings
Add your comment for Idea: Emergency Preparedness for out of home child care settingsI suggest you include in planning for natural and man-made disasters the unique needs of children in out of home child care facilities, both family child care homes and child care centers. In addition, children with special health care needs in these settings require particular consideration.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Sharing SME level training for volunteers
Id suggest that we work to integrate the various volunteer disciplines and organizations. The fine material and programing of the CERT program is applicable to Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and other organizations. American Red Cross has offerings that are the world standard and should be available to other volunteer groups. Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary are the gold standard in various emergency disciplines. ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Sharing SME level training for volunteersId suggest that we work to integrate the various volunteer disciplines and organizations. The fine material and programing of the CERT program is applicable to Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and other organizations. American Red Cross has offerings that are the world standard and should be available to other volunteer groups. Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary are the gold standard in various emergency disciplines.
I'd like to see some coordination of programing efforts, perhaps at the Citizen Corps level. This could allow the subject matter expertise of of the individual groups to share their unique best practices to better prepare individuals. Each type of program has its strengths but cross training could benefit all volunteers. .
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »AM/FM & Community Information Radio Stations
The fragility of the internet and methods of reaching it must be kept in mind. During a true emergency, PCs and even laptops and iPhones are vulnerable and will fail. AM & FM radio are the answer. They are robust and battery-operated receivers are cheap and reliable. Commercial stations augmented by low-powered community TIS-type stations are the answer. In our town, a reliable 10-watt station provides 24-hour NOAA ...more »
2 comments for Idea: AM/FM & Community Information Radio StationsThe fragility of the internet and methods of reaching it must be kept in mind. During a true emergency, PCs and even laptops and iPhones are vulnerable and will fail. AM & FM radio are the answer. They are robust and battery-operated receivers are cheap and reliable. Commercial stations augmented by low-powered community TIS-type stations are the answer. In our town, a reliable 10-watt station provides 24-hour NOAA weather with cutaways for urgent local announcements.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »CERT Program Support and Expansion
The CERT program like the older block watrch program really is the heart of civilian community preparedness. This program has been loosing funding over the past few years. Yet it is one of the most effective programs for community preparedness/readiness that we have in todays community. The more support it gets the better prepared our communities are going to be and survive disasters or adverse incidents. The program ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: CERT Program Support and ExpansionThe CERT program like the older block watrch program really is the heart of civilian community preparedness. This program has been loosing funding over the past few years. Yet it is one of the most effective programs for community preparedness/readiness that we have in todays community. The more support it gets the better prepared our communities are going to be and survive disasters or adverse incidents. The program could also be a good source of extra volunteers with some training to help emergency operations needs in expanding disaster situations.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Electronic signage to communicate with citizens
1 comment for Idea: Electronic signage to communicate with citizensDevelop best practices for use of electronic signage to inform citizens how to respond to a situation or incident. Signage can range from the lowly highway digital signs to electronic bill boards on highways, to signs in large venues such as stadiums, arenas, malls, schools and universities, and shopping center and pharmacy marquees and so on.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Hands on Approach to Preparedness Training
Add your comment for Idea: Hands on Approach to Preparedness TrainingA vast majority of the training opportunities is classroom based or online when it comes to preparedness. While it is important to to provide information in that manner we should begin to create a more hands on approach. People tend to learn more by doing than trying to absorb information given to them by a presenter.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Public Health Preparedness
Increase the amount of citizen preparedness material relating to bioterrorism. Include information on epidemiological efforts that will occur as a result of a bioterrorism incident. Include simple to understand steps citizens should take as a result of a bioterror event. Also, include detailed information on the investigative steps that will occur both from the criminal as well as public health perspective. In essence, ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Public Health PreparednessIncrease the amount of citizen preparedness material relating to bioterrorism. Include information on epidemiological efforts that will occur as a result of a bioterrorism incident. Include simple to understand steps citizens should take as a result of a bioterror event. Also, include detailed information on the investigative steps that will occur both from the criminal as well as public health perspective. In essence, create a new section in individual preparedness manuals for the public that contain a focus on public health related incidents.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Personal Responsibilty Rewarded
I would suggest a tax cut to citizens that have a personal preparedness plan. Too many citizens rely on their government at all levels to provide for their resiliency. Citizens need to build their own resiliency capabilities. The savings to the tax payer should be studied based on how much of a response is necessary if citizens have their own resiliency/preparedness plans thus reducing the capability needed by government. ...more »
9 comments for Idea: Personal Responsibilty RewardedI would suggest a tax cut to citizens that have a personal preparedness plan. Too many citizens rely on their government at all levels to provide for their resiliency. Citizens need to build their own resiliency capabilities. The savings to the tax payer should be studied based on how much of a response is necessary if citizens have their own resiliency/preparedness plans thus reducing the capability needed by government. take the cost savings to the goverment and disburse to those citizens that have a plan in the form of an income tax cut. The key to building resiliency starts at the individual level. If individuals can not be resilient then their community, city, county, state and finally the nation can not build resiliency.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Increase Social Capital of Vulnerable Populations
SOCIAL CAPITAL Viable support networks and social connections, which are part of the larger theory of social capital, are protective factors that decrease risk and enhance adaptation (Norris et al., 2007). Social capital theory suggests that “the more people connect with each other, the more they will trust each other and the better off they will be individually and collectively, because social capital has a strong collective ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Increase Social Capital of Vulnerable PopulationsSOCIAL CAPITAL
Viable support networks and social connections, which are part of the larger theory of social capital, are protective factors that decrease risk and enhance adaptation (Norris et al., 2007). Social capital theory suggests that “the more people connect with each other, the more they will trust each other and the better off they will be individually and collectively, because social capital has a strong collective aspect” (Mathbor, 2007, p. 360-361). Social capital encompasses the concepts of social contacts, social cohesion, solidarity, social networks, and social interaction (Mathbor, 2007). Hausman, Hanlon, and Seals (2007) indicate that communities with high social capital have strong social networks, high civic participation, and high levels of trust, which are helpful to setting norms and disseminating information.
SOCIAL CAPITAL, RESILIENCE, AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
Research has shown that social capital reduces community distress after disasters (Mathbor, 2007). For example, Mathbor cites a 1999 study of the Red River flood in Canada, which found that communities with higher levels of social capital were “better prepared and more effective in responding to natural disaster” (p. 364). Similarly, Hausman et al. (2007) found a direct relationship between perceived social capital in the community and household disaster preparedness. Furthermore, Hausman et al. argue that a social capital perspective may indicate community forces that can help foster community norms for disaster preparedness. These studies suggest that building social capital in communities prior to a disaster, may increase their likelihood to become better prepared for disasters and more resilient after disasters.
Maximizing the participation of vulnerable populations in disaster planning and preparedness initiatives and increasing their social capital through organizational linkages and social supports appears to be crucial to increasing their resilience (Blazer & Murphy, 2008; Mathbor, 2007; Norris et al., 2007).
USING SOCIAL WORKERS TO INCREASE SOCIAL CAPITAL OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
The federal government could partner with the National Association of Social Workers to engage in a national disaster preparedness awareness campaign for social workers and social work agencies. Here are some suggested elements for such a campaign:
1. Social Workers can play a crucial role in micro, mezzo, and macro level interventions during mitigation and preparedness phases of the disaster cycle. Social Workers already work with vulnerable populations on a regular basis and during all phases. Disaster preparedness education and awareness could be integrated into agency programming or added as a goal/task in clients’ individualized service plans or treatment plans. Agencies do not have to create curriculum or hire new staff to engage in such activities; they can utilize existing local resources. In NYC, for example, the Office of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross both offer free workshops to assist people in becoming prepared for disasters and emergencies. Social Workers should be made aware of such local disaster preparedness resources. Agencies that may be especially suited for incorporating disaster preparedness curriculum into their programming are ones that address oppression, since vulnerable populations are oppressed groups, and/or ones that address trauma, since trauma may be caused by or exacerbated by disaster experiences.
2. Social Workers can enhance individual and community disaster preparedness by connecting vulnerable groups to disaster preparedness resources, assisting vulnerable groups in having their voices heard by emergency management and disaster planning professionals, advocating with and for vulnerable groups to influence policy changes that may reduce social vulnerability factors, and building social connections and community cohesion to increase resilience.
3. Social Workers and Social Work agencies should be connected to local, Regional, and Federal disaster preparedness and planning efforts, not only to be aware of such plans but also to actively provide input and advocate for the inclusion of vulnerable populations in planning efforts. Otherwise, we may miss countless opportunities to ensure that vulnerable and marginalized populations have full access to information and services during disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. An easy step to getting connected to existing disaster networks is to become a member of the local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) or Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). By joining this group, the agency gains access to disaster preparedness knowledge and resources to increase their own capacity, while the VOAD or COAD gains the unique perspective of that agency – and the Social Work perspective – as well as access to the vulnerable and marginalized populations that the agency may serve. Those Social Workers who are already involved in disaster preparedness efforts should encourage their agencies and disaster planning networks to target vulnerable populations and engage them in the planning process.
- Julianne Pannelli, NYC
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »FEMA Community Training Proposal
FEMA or (you choose) should offer a series of post-CERT Program I (Basic) classes to properly train communities to assist limited civil response agencies in a large scale disaster. Below are some ideas for the entire series of classes: CERT Program – I (Basic) Six (6) classes Introduction to disasters Structural and non-structural hazards Impacts on infrastructures Utility control, damage assessment, and hazardous ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: FEMA Community Training ProposalFEMA or (you choose) should offer a series of post-CERT Program I (Basic) classes to properly train communities to assist limited civil response agencies in a large scale disaster. Below are some ideas for the entire series of classes:
CERT Program – I (Basic)
Six (6) classes
Introduction to disasters
Structural and non-structural hazards
Impacts on infrastructures
Utility control, damage assessment, and hazardous materials.
Disaster medical operations - Part 1
Disaster medical operations - Part 2
Disaster fire suppression
Operating the CERT trailer
Terrorism
Light search and rescue
Carrying techniques.
Disaster psychology
Team organization
Exercise
Graduation
CERT Medical Program – IIA
Currently offered by Palo Alto CERT (PANDA) Triage and Treatment
One day – eight (8) hours
Triage Expanded
Rapid treatment Expanded
I would add Transport techniques
CERT Medical Program – IIB
One day – eight (8) hours
Triage Intensive
Rapid treatment Intensive
Transport Intensive
Scenario focused
CERT Medical Program – III
Offered by Stanford ITS CERT (ITS SCERTeam)
Three (3) days – twenty-four (24) hours
Urban First Aid – one day
Wilderness First Aid – two (2) days
Scenario focused Intensive
CERT Medical Program IV
“Modified” Wilderness First Aid
Five (5) classes – forty (40) hours
Triage Intensive
Rapid treatment Intensive
Extended treatment Intensive
Transport Intensive
Scenario focused
CERT Light Search and Rescue IIA
One day – eight (8) hours
Assessment Expanded
Rescue safety Expanded
Resource utilization Expanded
Rescue techniques Expanded
CERT Light Search and Rescue IIB
One day – eight (8) hours
Assessment Intensive
Rescue safety
Rescue coordination Intensive
Resource utilization Intensive
Rescue techniques Intensive
Rescue improvisation Intensive
Scenario focused
CERT Fire Suppression II
Two days – sixteen (16 hours)
Assessment Expanded
Fire attack safety
Resource utilization Expanded
Hydrant activation
Suppression techniques Expanded
Fire tactics
Hose deployment
Suppression improvisation Expanded
CERT Shelter Operations
Two (2) days – sixteen (16) hours
Expand on “Backyard Camping” offered by Palo Alto CERT (PANDA)
Animal care in disasters
CERT Communications IIA
One day – eight (8) hours
FSR radio disaster operations
CERT Communications IIB
One day – eight (8) hours
Ham radio disaster operations
CERT Safety and Security
Two (2) days – sixteen (16) hours
Principles of safety
Strategies for security
Crowd control techniques
Volunteer coordination
Disaster psychology
If FEMA, DHS or the Red Cross are not able to accomplish this due to budgetary constraints or jurisdictional issues, then we as citizens must work with our communities to create our own programs.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Community Awareness and Participation
There are resources in local and remote communities, these resources can be tapped in all level of capability and varieties of skill to assist and lead in case of nature or man made disaster. Community need to be organized, aware, educated, , practice and participated in the events. Community church, minority groups and tribals can participate by reach out to their representatives. Group representative can organize, recruit ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Community Awareness and ParticipationThere are resources in local and remote communities, these resources can be tapped in all level of capability and varieties of skill to assist and lead in case of nature or man made disaster. Community need to be organized, aware, educated, , practice and participated in the events. Community church, minority groups and tribals can participate by reach out to their representatives. Group representative can organize, recruit and coordinate within the group and linked to other groups.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »BISCO Family Emergency Plan
BISCO (Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing) developed a form after witnessing over a thousand evacuees in the shelter we organized who had no way of finding loved ones, knowing what meds they were on and other valuable info. We researched several available forms and developed one we wanted to use for just that instance. Our form is to be completed by each family and all their grown children, parents, grandparents, ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: BISCO Family Emergency PlanBISCO (Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing) developed a form after witnessing over a thousand evacuees in the shelter we organized who had no way of finding loved ones, knowing what meds they were on and other valuable info. We researched several available forms and developed one we wanted to use for just that instance. Our form is to be completed by each family and all their grown children, parents, grandparents, friends whoever they care about. Those forms once completed are sent to an out of the area contact who lives away from their area. This person keeps the forms on file incase of any emergency. You would keep their contact info on you or at least know who has your forms and what town they are in. Once seperated they are to call in to the out of town contact and report in, so anyone looking for them will know where they are. This list would also have vital info such as heatlh concerns and medication lists of each person in the family. So instead of saying I take a little red pill, they can call their out of town contact to get the info. Usually phone service away is available, even if no one locally can be reached. We do have a copyof the form we can send you if you would like. It is not copy writed and can be changed to however it works best for any area of the country and any disaster. We also made one form for individual with health issues that has more room to list appropriate medical history or concerns.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Individual/Community Preparedness »Micro Community Disaster Resilience
Please see the below information on Micro Community Disaster Resilience. Informational Paper Micro Community Disaster Resiliency A Jewish Community Preparedness and Resiliency Project By Jeffrey A. Slotnick, CSM, PSP This paper intends to present a format for micro community preparedness, response, and recovery to natural, manmade, and technological disasters. The intended definition of a micro community for purposes ...more »
Add your comment for Idea: Micro Community Disaster ResiliencePlease see the below information on Micro Community Disaster Resilience.
Informational Paper
Micro Community Disaster Resiliency
A Jewish Community Preparedness and Resiliency Project
By Jeffrey A. Slotnick, CSM, PSP
This paper intends to present a format for micro community preparedness, response, and recovery to natural, manmade, and technological disasters. The intended definition of a micro community for purposes of paper is a grouping of citizens which share a religious, ethnic, or cultural commonality as a basis for communal organization, preparedness, and resilience.
These groupings can be small such as an ethnic neighborhood or large and well developed religious communities which span several Cities in a County. Many existing micro-communities have leadership, social support agencies, and community facilities which can be leveraged to better prepare them for the eventuality of a disaster.
Additionally this paper will document a recent community project where this concept was applied the project is titled Safe Washington a Jewish Community Coalition to Keep Seattle Safe
This successful project is unique as it leverages existing Federal, State, County, and City programs, at no additional cost to the community. The only commitments from the community are dedication to the concept, an apolitical attitude, a willingness to collaborate, and an investment of time.
Background
The impetus for this project began with the shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on 28 July 2006 at 4:00 PM and is presently ongoing. Shortly after the shooting community leaders met to discuss how we might prevent, prepare, respond, and mitigate a similar event in our community, this lead to a much wider discussion on disaster resiliency as concept.
The Seattle Community and the Pacific Northwest has significant potential for a manmade, technological, or natural disaster. Below are some of the recent historic events;
Manmade
In December 1999, Algerian terrorist Ahmed Ressam was caught trying to cross the Canadian-American border at Port Angeles, Washington, with explosives in his car. Ressam belonged to a Montreal-based terrorist cell thought to be linked to both the Algerian terrorist group Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and Al Qaeda. The cell was apparently planning a millennium terror attack at Los Angeles International Airport. In April 2001 Ressam was convicted in Los Angeles of conspiracy to commit terrorism, document fraud and possession of deadly explosives.
The August 1999 Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting occurred on 10 August 1999, at around 10:50 a.m. local time, when white supremacist Buford O. Furrow, Jr. walked into the lobby of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills and opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon, unloading 70 shots into the complex. The gunfire wounded five people: three children, a teenage counselor, and an office worker. Shortly thereafter, Furrow murdered a mail carrier, fled the state, and finally surrendered to authorities. Buford O. Furrow was raised in Lacey, Washington there were many who believed he would flee here.
Natural Disaster
Throughout its history, the Pacific Northwest has been battered by devastating earthquakes, catastrophic volcanic eruptions, massive tsunamis and windstorms that can reach near-hurricane force. And in 2002, the largest wildfire in the region's history burned more than 400,000 acres. The following natural disasters are of primary concern as this paper is being prepared;
• H1N1 Flu Virus
• 9.0 Subduction Mega Quake
• Flooding caused by failure of the Howard Hansen Dam
• Seasonal flooding and closure of Interstate 5 in 2007 and 2009
• Cyclonic windstorms similar to 1993 and 2006
In concert with the above are the upcoming 2010 Olympics which bring their own concerns to the Pacific Northwest. Once potential events were identified a core team was created to consider specific requirements. This team is represented by the following individuals;
• Kim Greenhall, Community Activities Director, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
• Amy Wasser-Simpson, Vice-President for Planning & Community Services Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
• Larry Broder, Executive Director, Temple De Hirsch Sinai
• Hillary Bernstein, Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League
• Jeffrey A. Slotnick, PSP, Regional Director for the Secure Community Network and President Setracon Inc.
Start Up
The Core team had several preliminary meetings and identified the following shortfalls;
• No process existed for communicating with the entire community and responsible individuals in City and County government in an expeditious manner during emergencies, times of heightened awareness, or disaster.
• The community from the Director level down is not organized to prevent, prepare, respond, and mitigate a potential disaster.
• Training of constituent agencies in critical skills for prevention, protection, and response is inadequate or nonexistent.
• The quality of policies and procedures addressing disasters varies from organization to organization from very well written to informal spoken procedures.
• The level of organizational preparedness varies from institution to institution
• A formal list of responsible individuals for the various synagogues, religious schools, charitable institutions, parochial schools, and support agencies does not exist.
• Past attempts to organize had been hampered by perceived political and personality issues.
Once shortcomings were identified the group took each item and determined a course of action for each item. Simultaneously in Washington State two projects were coming to fruition. The Pacific Northwest Economic Regions Center for Disaster Resilience had great success with its Northwest Warning, Alert, and Response Network (NWWARN) www.nwarn.org with the Adjutant General State of Washington declaring NWWARN as the official communication tool for public/private information sharing and analysis which would work in conjunction with the Washington State Fusion Center. Additionally, the Seattle Police Department was establishing its Critical Infrastructure Protection cell inside the fusion center complete with analysts. The convergences of these three events lead to NWWARN defining a critical infrastructure protection sub-sector titled Jewish Religious Community.
With access to NWWARN we assigned a gatekeeper to vet participants of our constituent agencies permitting the registration of up to three individuals per organization in positions of leadership such as a Executive Director, Security Professional, Clergy, or Board President with an organizational E-mail address. With access to NWWARN and all its capabilities we were now able to send out an emergency on non emergency email, text message, automated telephone call, or page to our forty plus constituent agencies. Additionally, NWWARN provided a means for members to send a suspicious activity report directly to the Fusion Center. This in itself provided a significant tool. The resultant successes will be detailed later.
The end picture of this process is to have a robust capability to for;
• Communication of emergency information
• Two way Information Sharing within the community and with supporting City, County, and State agencies.
• Developing community wide best practices, policies, and procedures for preventing, preparing, responding to, and mitigating potential disasters.
• Cross leveling of community supplies during a disaster.
• Having one voice in requesting critical supplies and support from supporting City, County, and State agencies. Which serves two purposes;
o To relieve pressure on those agencies from individual requests.
o To fully utilize all community resources before additional assistance is requested.
o To insure those agencies understand when the request is received we are close to exhausting existing community resources.
• Provide opportunities for training and exercises of value.
The below presented graphic shows the interrelationships of the various agencies leveraged in the creation of Safe Washington.
The concept for the graphic above was conceived by Dr. Jeffrey Stiefel, PHD Senior Science Advisor, Department of Homeland Security Office of Medical Readiness, during a presentation at a Pacific Northwest Economic Region Exercise on the H1N1 Virus.
The below graphic was provided by Dr. Jeffrey Stiefel, PHD Senior Science Advisor, Department of Homeland Security Office of Medical Readiness, during a presentation at a Pacific Northwest Economic Region Exercise on the H1N1 Virus.
The efforts of this group and the concept fall firmly under what he titled “grassroots resources”
In order to address these and other items of preparedness the community leveraged the following programs
The Washington State Fusion Center provides us with a two way communication process. Constituent agencies provide suspicious activity reports to the Fusion Center by way of the NWWARN reporting mechanism. In turn the Fusion center has provided unclassified threat briefings pertinent to the Jewish Community.
Secure Community Network provides us spot reports, best practices, advisories, and global information which may have a local impact in addition they provide DHS training opportunities, and informational products specific to the Jewish Community. In turn we provide similar products from the Pacific Northwest which have impact on the United States Jewish Community.
Northwest Warning Alert and Response Network (NWWARN www.nwwarn.org) provides the community a robust means of emergency communication, a SharePoint like repository for working documents, suspicious activity reporting, and access to a home page panel which contains a wealth of information.
Local Law Enforcement/National Shield Program provides information and education pertinent to the Jewish Community at regularly scheduled meetings. Additionally they provide community briefings from industry experts.
FBI Community Engagement Committee provides timely briefings and information products which support the safety and protection of the Jewish Community.
DHS/FEMA Emergency Management Institute and the online training courses were used as the basic format for an apolitical organization. This allowed us to use our best, brightest, and most qualified in the various positions identified by a basic ICS structure. Certification in courses IS100, IS200, IS700, and IS800 are required for all participating agencies. G300 Incident Commander is required for all community leaders and agency directors. G400 Unified Command is required for participation on the core team which also forms as an incident command team in times of emergency.
An additional benefit of the ICS structure is the seamless integration with City, County, and State Emergency Management, Fire, and Police agencies.
Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program and LLIS.GOV allows us to create valuable exercises utilizing existing resources without having to reinvent the wheel and expend valuable organizational capital.
DHS Travelling Courses periodically DHS has courses which come through Seattle. In the recent past we have had courses on Surveillance Detection and Soft Target Terrorism Awareness.
Washington State Funded Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Training periodically courses are scheduled which have some seats available to owners and operators of Critical Infrastructure. When we are notified of available seating we get word out to our constituent agencies in a timely manner and usually fill all available seats.
State, County, and City Emergency Management interfaces with our emergency operations team and provide us with support and information before, during, and after an emergency event. Most recently were telephonic briefings on the H1N1 virus from the United States and Washington State Department of Health. These briefings provided timely information in to our agencies allowing them to institute protective measures and best practices to minimize the impact of an H1N1 outbreak.
Community Professionals within our community are a number of professionals who are not associated with a religious congregation these professionals many times belong to Jewish Community Support Agencies who during times of disaster can staff our Community EOC. EOC positions are determined based on the type of the event and the person best qualified to staff the positions for that emergency. Different emergencies require different skill sets.
Washington State Interfaith Disaster Recovery Organization (WIDRO) WIDRO was established at the urging of Governor Christine Gregoire, during the many emergencies we have had in Washington State it was discovered most people would go to a religious institution for assistance before they engage a State or Federal assistance office to that end WIDRO was created. Washington Interfaith Disaster Recovery Organization (WIDRO) is a network of faith-based groups committed to collaboratively maximizing the deployment of our respective resources when responding to Washington State disasters.
WIDRO provides an essential and primary link for communicating key information and guidance among faith-based groups / individuals / communities following a disaster event. WIDRO also engages in disaster related education, preparation and mitigation efforts between disaster events.
WIDRO maintains a network of people and organizations from faith based and secular organizations willing to share information, experiences, resources and strategies.
During an active disaster event and recovery activities, WIDRO will contact network partners providing services within impacted area and assess their potential capacity to respond.
Safe Washington Accomplishments
During the past year Safe Washington has had a number of successes which include operational responses, training sessions, table top exercises, briefings, grant awards, development of policies and procedures.
Training Sessions
During the past year many member agencies and the core team of been trained in the Incident Command System.
Training sessions have been held on Improvised Explosive Devices, Earthquake and Earthquake response, surveillance detection, terrorist planning cycle, H1N1, identifying Suspicious Behavior, and Soft Target Terrorism Awareness.
One table top exercise was held on a subduction zone earthquake which was based on the Sound Shake 08 exercise.
A table top exercise and full blown exercise on the subject of Active Shooter planning and response is scheduled for the first quarter 2010.
Fourth Quarter 2009 a workshop on Business Continuity Planning will be held.
Briefings have been provided by the Washington State Fusion Center, Washington National Guard, and the Department of Health. In November 2009 we are scheduled to have a briefing from Seattle Police Department on identifying signs of suspicious behavior and surveillance.
Through the efforts of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle a large number of Jewish organizations received UASI grants to upgrade security systems and conduct baseline risk, threat, and vulnerability assessments.
A direct result of the Table Top exercises was the sharing of policies, procedures, and best practices. Some agencies are better prepared than others. The better prepared agencies are more than willing to share their documents as templates for other less financially able organizations.
Recent Operational Successes
Through the ability to communicate through NWWARN;
• Two active surveillances were detected
• Two individuals who made threats and trespassed were charged and arrested
• During several instances critical situational information and reports were communicated within 60 seconds of notification.
• Real time H1N1 information brief by DOH was conducted
• An organized community effort to counter the danger posed from recent protests by the Westboro Baptist Church was accomplished.
• 30 seconds after the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Museum all our constituent agencies were on modified lockdown.
Next Steps
• Seek and provide additional training opportunities
• Increase organizational membership
• Continue Incident Command Training
• Conduct a briefing and tour of our County Emergency Operations Center
• Conduct and Active Shooter Workshop, Table Top, and Full Blown Exercise
• Develop Comprehensive all hazard plans, policies, and procedures
• Conduct a workshop on Business Continuity and Develop Business Continuity Plans
• Create a situation where all agencies can meet Director Napolitano’s voluntary organizational resilience standards.
• Conduct Public Information Officer (PIO) training
Closing
Although this concept and plan of action was developed following a significant heartbreaking event in our community, by taking responsibility for our own needs we have successfully reduced the burden to municipal agencies resulting in a community which is better prepared to confront adversity and survive.
This could not have been done without the support of our dedicated core team, the Secure Community Network, NWWARN, and the various Municipal, State, and Federal agencies that have provided us training, support, and information.
The purpose of this paper is to document our process to date as it is repeatable in any community.
Please direct any questions or requests for additional information to Jeffrey A. Slotnick, PSP Secure Community Network and Setracon Inc. 253-538-9848, Jeff@setracon.com.
Thank you,
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Add your comment for Idea: phulseI suggest that you work cooperatively with local emergency service providers on preplanning efforts. Most local fire departments already have a preplanning process in place.
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Add your comment for Idea: Increase everyone's awareness of the post disaster brainWork to increase the coping resources for the population by increasing the population's understanding of what emotions are in the hours, days and weeks after a traumatic experience. The harm from disasters can be maximized by people not understanding the source of their anger/impulsiveness.