Colorado Division of Emergency Management Weekly Information Report

First and Foremost... "Hi"

I am Brandon Williams, the new Public Information Officer here at the Division of Emergency Management. I have cold-called or cold-emailed many of you to introduce myself, but am am still working my way through all the contacts I inherited from Polly, have solicited from Operations or have acquired... but, if you want to jump the gun on that process, feel free to call me at (303) 472-4087 or email me at brandon.williams@state.co.us.

Not only am I excited to join the team, but I am also excited about many of the horizon projects here at CDEM. After spending the first week of my new job assigned to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to pitch in on the H1N1 outbreak effort, I found my office in Centennial and dove into the historical metrics on the CDEM web site. I wanted to know how you are using the site, how the wider public is using the site and if our online structure, products and messages match the site traffic patterns. While we already had in mind significant enhancements to our online presence, such as rss feeds, a twitter feed and multi-media content, the data clearly demonstrated a need to reorganize the site structure to become more user-friendly to the audience and types of information being sought. The blunt research finding was -- the site has good information that could be easier to find. So, starting with the old school pen-and-paper initial design, I am actively soliciting your input on what you would like to see on a new CDEM site. Obviously, our goal is to serve as an information resource for emergency managers, our partners and citizens on incidents, general hazards, training, coordination opportunities and directives but both professionally and as a taxpayer the site is, ultimately, yours. So, the question is - what would you like on a site to make your life easier? We may not be able to meet every request, but let's make a run at it...

So, I look forward to working with you and helping in any way I can... even if it is just another set of eyes on a routine release! Don't ever hesitate to contact me! Too... want a sneak peak of some of the things we have in store? - www.twitter.com/COEmergency and stay tuned for the new WebEOC coming this summer! As a heads-up, the reference "COEmergency" will be our identification name across the social media spectrum, so as we move in this direction, look for us to roll-out sites on Facebook, YouTube and others...

Emergency Manager - Job Announcement!!!

Montezuma County, Colorado, is seeking a new Emergency Manager. The Emergency Manager will be responsible for developing local goals and objectives, establishing and maintaining emergency operations plans, responding to incidents and engaging in multi-jurisdictional management of incidents, managing the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and staff coordinating mutual aid responses and requests, organizing trainings and exercises for member agencies preparing the budget, securing grants and, of course, "other duties as assigned".

Get more info on the Emergency Manager announcement and other employment opportunities on the Montezuma County Job Openings page.

Application deadline - June 30, 2009

2009 Colorado Emergency Planning Commission (CEPC) Conference

The 2009 CEPC conference will be held September 10-11, 2009 at the Manor Vail Lodge in Vail, CO. The conference is intended for Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) members, first responders and local, state and federal partners who are responsible for hazardous material response planning. Registration is required by August 20, 2009

For more information, email or call Cindy VonFeldt - (720) 852-6628.

CDEM Training Opportunities

There is still time and spaces available to take advantage of some of the upcoming CDEM training opportunities throughout Colorado. Although the latest training info and registrations can always be found on the CDEM web site, some new classes scheduled include:

Basic Public Information Officer Course - Pagosa Springs - August 29-30, 2009

Exercise Design Course - Denver (Federal Center) - June 9-10, 2009

Incident Command System Forms Class - Delta - July 7, 2009

Incident Command System Forms Class - Pagosa Springs - August 15, 2009

Larimer and Weld County Tornado - One-Year Later

This past May 22 marked one-year since the tornado struck Larimer and Weld Counties. For emergency management personnel, despite the hardships and always-present lessons learned, that event and the subsequent recovery effort stands out as an example on how communities can take ownership in the aftermath of a disaster to rebuild.

On the evening of May 22, the communities faced two choices: 1) to sit back and wait for money and assistance or 2) to assume an active, directive role in managing the recovery effort. Across the board, the communities chose "option 2" and the result has been a more efficient recovery process that provided targeted assistance and enhanced capabilities to meet the next challenge. The response by state, federal, private and non-profit entities was comprehensive, as well. While one might expect that CDEM played a role in response and recovery, the effort from the Department of Local Affairs included not only CDEM, but personnel from the Division of Local Government, Division of Housing, the Property and Taxation Office and many others. From grants to post-disaster planning to simply providing an ear or a shoulder, the response to the tornado is one which we can all be proud.

Several CDEM responders, recovery personnel attended the anniversary at Chimney Park and some of their pics can be viewed via a sneak peak of the CDEM Twitter feed

For more on the comprehensive nature of the response, looking back one year after, check out the joint release between state, local and federal agencies on the one year anniversary.

Any comments, additions, or other suggestions you have for this report or on the CDEM site? Don't hesitate to contact me at (303) 472-4087 or at brandon.williams@state.co.us