Technical Committee News

What have they done for you lately? The APWA Emergency Management Committee

Teresa Hon

Professional Development Program Manager American Public Works Association Kansas City, Missouri

his year’s Emergency Management Committee continues a long tradition of representing the interests and concerns of public works professionals. Did you know that the APWA Homeland Security Task Force (appointed in 2002 by thenPresident-Elect Richard Ridings) later represented APWA as one of ten key response organizations participating in the development of what is now the FEMA National Homeland Security Consortium? Even prior to the 2003 Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-8) naming public works as a first responder, we were on the ground floor of national initiatives. Since that time, there has been at least one APWA member representing public works as a member of the Consortium.

Public works’ role and position in the public safety services community continues to be more widely respected as evidenced by the May 2010 formal recognition of public works as a first responder by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Emergency Services Sector. This last year public works/APWA led the field of first responders by being the first to participate in audits with the DHS Cyber Security Division. APWA was also one of 24 national organizations that worked closely with the White House on the development of the recently released Homeland Security Presidential Policy Directive 8 (HSPPD-8).

Last summer an informal survey of first responder colleagues and organizations was conducted to determine the level of involvement in alliances and coalitions. APWA is by far the most active through our participation and representation with the following:

• DHS Credentialing Committee • DHS Emergency Services Sector

Coordinating Council • EMAC Advisory Group • Environmental Protection

Association (EPA) Disaster

Recovery Work Group • EPA Water Security Partners • FEMA National Framework

Revision Group • FEMA National Preparedness Task

Force • Flood Map Modernization

Coalition • Hazards Caucus Work Group • High Performance Buildings

Congressional Caucus Coalition • Homeland Security Advisory

Committee • Infrastructure Security

Consortium • National Advisory Council • National Committee on Levee

Safety • National Homeland Security

Consortium • National Incident Management

Consortium • National Fire Protection

Association (NFPA) Standards

Committee • National Mitigation Alliance • NFPA Technical Committee on

Professional Qualifications for

Incident Command Positions -

NFPA 1026 • SAFECOM • Stafford Act Coalition • Strategic Foresight Initiative At various times throughout the last decade, both APWA leadership and members of the Emergency Management Committee have encouraged chapters to form their own Emergency Management Committees or at the very least designate an individual within their chapter who will act as a contact person. We’re pleased that in the last year the number of chapters with a designated emergency management contact or an actual committee has risen from eight to 23. Not only does a chapter contact establish a direct link between the APWA Technical Committee and the chapters, it allows for the rapid, direct dissemination of information between local and national levels of the organization. Additionally, there is the hope and expectation that an active local committee would allow for stronger local voices for interstate and intrastate issues of emergency response and planning.

Recently APWA staff has served as a clearinghouse of FEMA news releases and notices, passing along relevant information to chapter contacts. Those chapters covered by disaster declarations will find a steady stream of notices and announcements. The committee encourages chapter contacts to bring issues and requests to the national committee and welcomes any suggestions our chapter members may have.

Your Emergency Management Committee recognizes it is imperative that we embrace social media in order to assist our members in keeping their fingers on the pulse of public works.

In recent times, we have expanded our use of social networking beyond the infoNOW Communities and have been using Twitter and Facebook to disseminate information to our members. As mentioned in President Linderman’s message in this issue, we are also encouraging members to become more involved in social media conversations taking place through the new FEMA Think Tank. Visit www.fema.gov/thinktank for more information and to find out how you can become involved.

Let’s turn our attention from communication to training opportunities. Did you know that since 2005 there have been 76 sessions presented at Congress which dealt with emergency management issues? That doesn’t include three round table/open forum discussions facilitated by the Emergency Management Committee or the 2006 full-day pre-Congress program. The 2012 Congress schedule in Anaheim will include programs on the Missouri River Flood of 2011: How to Avoid Catastrophe for 101 Days, a panel discussion on successful preparedness initiatives, and a panel discussion on working with others and building credibility as first responders.

The training doesn’t stop there either. Since 2007 there have been nine webbased training programs of interest to emergency management professionals offered through our Click, Listen & Learn programs. In 2012 the Emergency Management and Solid Waste Management Committees will be working jointly with the Center for Sustainability on an additional offering which addresses debris management in emergency situations.

The Emergency Management Committee is also extending their outreach and training by sponsoring two educational sessions at this year’s Snow Conference in Milwaukee: Public Works: A Partner in Traffic Incidents and All-Hazards Emergency Management; and Snow & Ice Operations: It’s Not Just for Winter Anymore.

Contributions on behalf of our members don’t stop there. When you look at the emergency management section of the APWA bookstore, nearly one-fourth of the publications were created, coordinated or developed by Emergency Management Committee members in the last five years. This year APWA members will be working with representatives of the National Incident Management Consortium to update their Model Procedures Guide for Highway Incidents manual, offering another resource for public works professionals.

In the recent past FEMA acknowledged that training efforts (available through EMI) to prepare public works officials for disaster response and preparedness lagged behind training efforts directed toward other first responders. The four-part series of FREE online training programs designed specifically for public works professionals is now available through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (www.fema. training.gov).

• IS-552 - The Public Works Role in

Emergency Management • IS-554 - Emergency Planning for Public Works • IS-556 - Damage Assessment for Public Works • IS-558 - Public Works and Disaster

Recovery (anticipated release later this month)

APWA worked closely with the firm that developed these programs to ensure the content is relevant and accurate for public works professionals. Each program is pilottested by APWA members (with a variety of knowledge and experience levels) prior to release.

Lastly, the Emergency Management Committee, through our Government Affairs Manager in the D.C. office, monitors legislative issues and provides input and comments. Issues the Emergency Management Committee is focusing on include:

• Continuing to advocate public works as a first responder and increased federal investment in public works agencies and activities; • Advocating that the 700 MHz

“D Block” spectrum be allocated free of charge to the public safety community (which includes public works); • Advocating for a long-term reauthorization of the National

Flood Insurance Program and particularly focusing on the full funding of the Flood Map

Modernization Program; and • Stafford Act reform.

Your national APWA Emergency Management Committee welcomes comments or suggestions from our members. The committee members are Chris Walsh, Chair (City of Beloit, WI); Kürt Blomquist (City of Keene, NH); Jeff May (City of Knoxville, IA); Harry Weed (Village of Rockville Centre, NY); Mike Sutherland (Town of Parker, CO); and Dave Bergner (Monte Vista Associates, Mesa, AZ). Cora Jackson-Fossett serves as the committee’s At-Large Director and Laura Berkey-Ames is the Government Affairs Liaison. If you’d like contact information for these individuals, consult the Emergency Management Committee web pages under Get Connected, Technical Committees at www.apwa.net.

Teresa Hon is a Program Manager in the Professional Development Department and the liaison to the Emergency Management and Fleet Services Committees as well as the Public Works Historical Society and staff contact for the MicroPAVER pavement management software. She can be reached at (816) 595-5224 or thon@apwa.net.