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| Quick Links |
For information regarding the All Hazards Consortium, please visit www.ahcusa.org
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| Greetings! |
Welcome to the All Hazards Consortium's first newsletter for 2010.
Many new partnerships were forged in 2009, and momentum gained on many fronts... This includes the development of a three-year Strategic Plan by the AHC states to further formalize their vision and partnerships with federal agencies and the private sector to support coordinated regional planning, exercises and training, as well as an Executive Briefing on "government/private sector partnerships" at the National Press Club, two regional workshops, merging AHC Working Group efforts and meetings with FEMA and DHS Working Groups, the development of a process for creating regional multi-state projects, and many new partnerships.
2010 promises to bring new opportunities to further the AHC mission. Many thanks to all who continue to invest time and energy into the vision of the states for improving the region's all hazards preparedness.
We invite you to share this newsletter with your peers, and welcome your participation in the AHC regional efforts to support the states.
Tom Moran
Executive Director
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| AHC Board News |
In December, the AHC Board approved a three-year AHC Strategic Plan. This plan is a culmination of Board interviews with REAG collaboration to capture goals, objectives, mission, vision etc. The AHC Strategic Plan will serve to help institutionalize the AHC as a state and federal government sanctioned and supported non-profit organization to support the state/local government within the region.
A new partnership with Safe America Foundation was also approved in December, and the AHC will be exploring opportunities to work together going forward.
Approximately 25 "regional project ideas", submitted by partners to address AHC white paper recommendations, were approved by government Working Group members and the AHC Board in 2009. Regional project ideas serve as a means for the AHC states to communicate to the federal government and other stakeholders some of the issues and possible solutions that have been raised in AHC regional reports/white papers.
The AHC Regional Executive Advisory Group (REAG) represents the Consortium's vehicle to continue extraordinary leadership, and each member volunteers their personal time to help the states in their mission to promote regional collaboration. New members include:
Ross Ashley - Former Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs Directorate, FEMA
Tom Steele - Former CIO/CTO, DE Department of Safety and Homeland Security
Board Officer elections will be held at the upcoming 2nd Annual State Border Coordination Workshop on January 25. For a complete list of Board and REAG members, see http://www.ahcusa.org/leadership.htm.
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| Recent and Upcoming AHC Events |
In September, the AHC partnered with DomPrep Journal to conduct an exclusive Executive Briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The purpose of this meeting was to brief new administration appointees, DHS leadership, congressional aides, and other federal officials representing the Departments of Defense, Energy, Health, Justice and Transportation, GSA, and the Army Corps of Engineers on the region's multi-state efforts and accomplishments.
Short presentations were made by member states, federal partners, and private sector representatives on ways in which they have collaborated over the past four years. Of particular importance was the discussion of how the AHC states are forming a new model for regional collaboration at the state level that will support regional integrated planning efforts inclusive of state, private sector and federal government stakeholders on key regional topics.
Speakers included:
· Marty Masiuk, Publisher, DomPrep Journal
· Tom Moran, All Hazards Consortium (AHC) Executive Director
· Darrell Darnell, Director, DC HSEMA and AHC Board President
· Peter Porter, Certified Client Executive, IBM
· Mike Hickey, Vice President, Government Affairs, Verizon
· Ann Beauchesne, Vice President, US Chamber of Commerce
· Mike McAllister, Virginia Homeland Security
· Mike Fischer, Maryland Department of Transportation
· David Lindstrom, Penn State University
· Larry Skelly, Deputy Director, Infrastructure & Geophysical Division, DHS
· Jonathan Sarubbi, Region III Administrator, FEMA
· Michael Moriarty, Region II Administrator, FEMA
· Jim Caverly, Director of the Partnership and Outreach, DHS
· Chris Essid, Director, Office of Emergency Communications Division, DHS
To listen to the above presentations, visit http://www.domesticpreparedness.com/ and click on "All Hazards Consortium Executive Briefing" on the right side of the homepage.
REGIONAL PORTS WORKSHOP AND FOLLOW-UP WEBINAR SERIES
From North Carolina to New York, the region's ports represent an economic engine and a security risk and investment that must be protected. On October 22-23, the AHC hosted a Regional Ports Workshop in Hunt Valley, Maryland that focused on the various aspects of developing a regional network of ports.
This workshop included regional briefings by state, federal and private sector partners, a keynote by Juliette Kayyem, Assistant Secretary, Intergovernmental Programs, DHS, and 3 panel discussions - state, owner/operator, and federal perspectives.
Many thanks to Sprint, CoreStreet, Cisco, Verizon Business, Verizon Wireless, ABS Consulting, Activu, Northrop Grumman, Sun Microsystems, SAIC, FirstLine Technology/AmbuBus, Ciber, CSC, GANTECH, GeoDecisions, ICF International, IEM, Morpho Detection and SecurityHunter for their support of this important effort.
A follow-up Ports webinar series will be held on January 27 and 28 at noon EST to further address discussion items and questions, and to complete the regional report to be issued in March 2010. Watch the AHC website for details. If interested in sponsorship of this webinar, contact Paula Copperthite atpaula.copperthite@ahcusa.org.
ANNUAL STATE BORDER COORDINATION WORKSHOP AND INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR
In October 2008, the AHC states hosted the first "border coordination meeting" in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This meeting was the result of a multi-state planning effort focused on potential catastrophic evacuations out of the Washington, DC and New York City areas. The upcoming 2nd Annual State Border Coordination Workshop on January 25-26 is a follow-up workshop to further develop the discussion on the following key topics:
Ø Transportation
Ø Public Safety Communications / Interoperability
Ø Mass Care
Ø Credentialing
Keynote Speaker - Timothy W. Manning, Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA
An informational webinar for all stakeholders will be held on Tuesday, January 12 at noon EST:
To join this meeting:
1. Go to https://ciscosales.webex.com/ciscosales/j.php?J=207926958&PW=NMTlkYjk0OWNm
2. Enter the meeting password: ahc
3. Click "Join Now".
4. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
To join the teleconference only:
1. Dial 1.866.432.9903
2. Follow the prompts to enter the Meeting Number (207 926 958) or Access Code followed by the # sign. |
| AHC Working Group Updates |
The Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Working Group is partnering with the SLTTGCC (State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council) Regional Partnerships Working Group on CIP related efforts within the region and nationally. Current focus areas include continued work on access and credentialing, rail and transport security and efforts related to institutionalizing the concept of regional working groups. A meeting is planned for mid-March in Newark, New Jersey.
The Public Safety Communications and Interoperability (PSCI) Working Group is very close to kicking off the Regional Capability Assessment project, a multi-state funded project to look at interoperability across the region. The PSCI group has partnered with the FEMA Region II and III RECCWG's on conference calls and meetings. A meeting is being planned for mid-March in Maryland.
The Emergency Management Working Group continues to focus on the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP). A government only meeting is planned for January 27th in Gettysburg. As part of the Resource Management project, Maryland's Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant (RCPG) Team is sponsoring a "Building Private/Non-Profit Partnerships in Disasters" conference on January 12 in downtown Baltimore. Email info@ahcusa.org for more information.
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| Federal Partnerships |
The states of the AHC CIP Working Group are now partnering with the DHS State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Government Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC) to coordinate meetings and activities. Having similar missions, the two groups will partner on key efforts that serve the states across the region/country. As an example, this partnership supported the Regional Ports Workshop/Report conducted in October that brought FEMA, DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection, Coast Guard, US Dept. of Agriculture, the states and public/private port owner/operators together on common issues facing the region's maritime ports.
The states of the AHC Interoperability Working Group have agreed to partner with FEMA Region III and their Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECCWG) on meetings and some efforts. This will result in two live meetings in 2010, the first scheduled for March 16-17 in Maryland.
FEMA's FRAC Technology Transfer Working Group (FRACTTWG) will also be partnering with the states of the AHC CIP Working Group to explore the access/credentialing topic during 2010. This is a complex issue that states across the nation are looking to address with FEMA.
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| Regional Project and Grant News |
The AHC worked with NY City Office of Emergency Management on the NJ/NY UASI Regional Catastrophic Planning Grant Program. The first project was to help search for candidates for their Regional Integration Center (RIC) Executive Director, which resulted in over 75 resumes being received from around the region/country for this position. Other potential efforts are under discussion, all aimed at supporting their existing efforts and stakeholders.
The AHC was engaged to scan the region for transportation related projects in government, higher education, non-profits and the private sector in support of the Washington UASI's Regional Catastrophic Planning Grant Program's regional transportation project. This effort will inform grant project leadership on existing transporation related efforts that can leveraged to reduce costs or enhance regional outcomes.
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| AHC Corporate Member Spotlight |
First Line Technology is actively engaged with the All Hazards Consortium and its members to integrate the AmbuBus into plans for special needs and hospital evacuation and mass casualty transport. The AmbuBus can quickly and easily retrofit a vehicle of opportunity, like a school or metro bus, into a mass casualty transport vehicle capable of carrying 18 litters plus caregivers and support equipment. The AmbuBus can also be used free-standing for surge capacity, staging and sheltering operations. By utilizing daily assets like school or metro buses, the AmbuBus allows for quick scalability and reduces the long term costs of maintaining a scarcely used mass casualty transport fleet. First Line works with customers before, during, and after emergencies to implement statewide AmbuBus programs in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. Similar initiatives have been undertaken by MMRS regions such as Hampton Roads (VA) and large metropolitan including Dallas and Austin. Visit www.ambubus.com to watch a 7 minute video about the AmbuBus. Demonstrations are available by contacting First Line Technology at 866-556-0517 or Randy Sakowitz at rsakowitz@firstlinetech.com.
NC4, Inc. delivers Situational Readiness (SR) solutions that empower government and businesses with the ability to help manage their risk, respond to and manage critical incidents, and provide secure communications and collaboration capability.
Private sector and government clients use our Situational Awareness solution to be made aware of all hazard incidents that could have an impact on their people, assets and operations. This early "heads up" is a must to help mitigate operational impacts. NC4's newest product offering "ActivTravel" also provides the ability to track your personnel as they travel, and deliver alerts to them while in transit.
Our industry leading E Team application has been helping Federal, State and Local jurisdictions manage incidents for over 9 years. Its comprehensive approach to all the aspects of incident management has placed E Team into the position of supporting those agencies with nearly half the population in the United States and Canada.
Our Secure Communication and Collaboration Portal has been a mainstay of Federal agencies needing a way to communicate sensitive but unclassified information across multiple communities. Communities such as US CERT, DHS SLIC, Office of Personnel Management, NCIS and others rely on our portal to share critical information with trust and confidence in our security model to meet their needs.
For more information, contact Norbert Butler at norbert.butler@nc4.us.
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| People on the Move |
Darrell Darnell, former Director, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and AHC Board President, joined the White House National Security Staff as the Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Policy in the newly created Office on Resilience, effective October 26.
Jim Spears, former Cabinet Secretary/Homeland Security Advisor, WV Department of Military Affairs & Public Safety and AHC Board Treasurer, has been appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Joe Manchin III, effective January 1.
Katie McDonald-Fox, former Deputy Director, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, is now with FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate in Washington, DC.
Steve Kral, former District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency CIP lead, is now with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as their Intergovernmental Affairs Officer.
Mike Hughes, formerly with Northrop Grumman, is now with GANTECH, Inc.
Brent Gulick, formerly with UNISYS, is now with Cray, Inc. | |
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