June 2016

June is shaping up to be a moderately laid back month.

First week:  Beginning a Learn to Hunt program sponsored by Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Wildlife.

Second week: TEEX NERRTC will be in town teaching MGT-315 – Critical Asset Risk Management (part of their infrastructure protection program).  Applying my new HSEEP training to serve as an Evaluator for a Functional Exercise.

Third week: At Ohio EMA for four days learning to be a NIMS / ICS All-hazards Ops Section Chief (which will help me to end up on a Type 3 Incident Management Team (I hope!).  Teaching a supplemental unit for my CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) on how to do a proper Head-to-Toe assessment and giving our responders time to practice in a supervised setting.

Fourth week: Mostly a low-key week.  I will be leading a Full-moon hike at one of the parks I volunteer at and presenting a program on fireflies early in the week then taking a CERT supplemental training on Fire-Fighter Rehab.

Final week: Burying myself in networking and outreach before heading to Emmitsburg!

HSEEP – Day 1

I had the pleasure of spending today at the Ohio Department of Health ~ Office of Health Preparedness for the first of three days of HSEEP (Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program) training offered through the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

The class has a number of people from various health departments, a couple of LE personnel, a handful from Department of Rehabilitation / Corrections, and a surprising number from Battelle Memorial Institute.

I feel kind of alone as an Emergency Management guy and even moreso as a volunteer!

This is a much more in-depth course with a gaggle of activities (I think there’s 15 in all) that allow us to learn from our colleagues and their experience, far beyond the doctrine taught in the IS-00120 & IS-00130 courses ~ but a lot of the lessons are the same: If you have a good team, that is knowledgeable and can commit resources, your exercise planning / evaluation process can be far more beneficial and instructive than if you try to attempt it with the wrong team.

~Never Stop Learning / ~Never Stop Preparing

~JVittieMPA