September, 2009 Jefferson County Homeland Security & Emergency Management October, 2009 Quarterly Partnership Meeting on October 27th Jefferson County Commissioners: Dale Manuel, President James Surkamp, V. President Frances Morgan Patricia Noland Lyn Widmyer Jefferson County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Steering Committee: John Sherwood, Chair Bill Lingenfelter, Vice Chair- Eastern Panhandle Chapter, American Red Cross There will be a JCHSEM Quarterly Partnership Luncheon on Tuesday, October 27 at Noon at The Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown. Lunch is $15 per person, payable to The Bavarian Inn at the event. Attendees need to provide their choice of entrée and dessert when you make your reservation so that the restaurant can be given a count. Choice #1: Field green salad, Chicken piccata, dessert, drink. Choice #2 Field green salad, Pasta tossed with fresh veggies in a red pepper cream sauce, dessert, and drink. Dessert choices are Black Forest Cake or Apple Streudel. RSVP to tmehling@jeffersoncountywv.org or call 304-728-3329 no later than October 20th. Katherine Dunbar, Good Shepherd Inter-Faith Caregivers Mason Carter, Jefferson County Department of Engineering Jeffrey Polczynski, ENP, Jefferson County Emergency Communications Center Dale Manuel/Jim Surkamp, County Commission Representative Kelly Parsons, Nichols, DeHaven & Associates Jay Watson, Jefferson County Fire Association Bobby Shirley, Jefferson County Sheriff Sue Lawton, Jefferson County PSD Jane Peters, Jefferson County Development Authority Pamela Holstein-Wallace, Region 3 Homeland Security Planner Holly Morgan-Frye, Shepherd University Service Learning Program Amy Jones, Jefferson County Department of Health Staff: Barbara Miller, CFM Director Terri Mehling, Planner/ Program Manager/Deputy Director Jennifer Maggio, Administrative Assistant, Public Information Officer and Volunteer Coordinator Each October, the National Fire Protection Association encourages the nation to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire; a two-day blaze that killed than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, and destroyed more than 17,000 buildings in 1871. That tragedy inspired reform across America, spurring new fire safety codes and public awareness campaigns. Each October, the NFPA sponsors a fire prevention campaign to highlight the importance of fire safety education. This year s theme is Stay Fire Smart! Don t Get Burned! JCHSEM is participating in Fire Safety Month with volunteers going to area schools and pre-schools to teach fire safety to children. Age-appropriate storybooks, DVDs and activity books are used to teach children about fire safety awareness. Some of this year s favorites are Elmo Teaches Fire Safety and Sparky the Fire Dog s ABCs of Fire Safety. JCHSEM s program is for area children pre-school through second grade. To arrange a program for your school group, contact Jennifer Maggio at 304-724-8914 or email her at jmaggio@jeffersoncountywv.org This year s JCHSEM Fire Safety Program is being funded through a Citizens Corp grant from Volunteer WV!
Pics from LEPC Propane Exercise, Sept. 22, 2009 Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Page 2 LEPC Exercise on Propane Incident Response On September 22, the Jefferson County LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) and Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Management held a Propane Tabletop Exercise in the Jefferson County EOC. Participating in the exercise were: JCHSEM, Jefferson County Emergency Communications; Jefferson County Sheriff s Department; Ranson Police Department; WV State Police; Ranson Public Works; Jefferson County Board of Education; Jefferson County Schools REMS; Jefferson Memorial Hospital; Amerigas; Jefferson County Emergency Services Agency (fire and ambulance); Eastern Panhandle Chapter, American Red Cross; the Spirit of Jefferson Newspaper; and Exercise facilitators from Stantec, LLC. John Sherwood and Pamela Holstein-Wallace served as observers. Volunteer Opportunities Volunteers are needed to assist with the JCHSEM booth at Bark In The Park at Sam Michael s Park on Saturday, October 17th from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. For further information, contact Terri Mehling at 304-728-3329. Volunteers are needed to assist with the JCHSEM booth at Kohl s Kids Safety Day at the Ranson Kohl s on Oak Lee Drive on Saturday, October 17 from 11 a.m. 3 p.m. For further information, contact Jennifer Maggio at 304-724-8914. Volunteers are needed to assist with Fire Safety Month activities. Volunteers will be trained using this year s fire safety training materials. They will then be assigned to one or more groups of children to teach the assignment. Volunteers will either read, show a DVD, review activity books and discuss ways for children to stay safe from fires. Teachers do remain with the children during presentations. You will need your own transportation. For more information, contact Jennifer Maggio at 304-724-8914. Volunteers are needed to assist with the JCHSEM information booth at the Ranson Expo Center on October 31 and November 1 throughout both days. For more information, contact Terri Mehling at 304-728-3329. Volunteers are requested to learn how to put up JCHSEM s new Zumro Tent. The tent was recently purchased with a Homeland Security Grant and can be used for a variety of applications. These volunteers will need to be able to lift heavy objects and be able to work on their knees for a short period of time. For more information on this opportunity, contact Barb Miller at 304-283-4227. This training will be at 1 p.m. on October 8 in Bardane.
September, 2009 Page 3 Chamber To Sponsor 8th Annual Emergency Responder Banquet at Charles Town Races and Slots The 8th annual Emergency Responder Banquet, sponsored by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and Charles Town Races and Slots will be held on October 13th at Charles Town Races and Slots. This banquet will honor our county Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS who put their lives on the line to keep our community safe. Reservations are necessary and the cost of tickets is $10 each. Tickets are available at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce office. If you are a CERT member who wishes to be seated with CERT, please tell the Chamber Office that when you get your ticket AND let Terri Mehling know, as well. For additional information, contact the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce at 304-725-2055. To contact Terri Mehling, call 304-728-3329. Northeastern Regional Homeland Security Summit for Locals Regional Homeland Security Coordinator, Pamela Holstein-Wallace has announced that the Regional Homeland Security meeting for locals (counties and municipalities) will be held at Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center on October 28/29. An evening reception/registration is being planned for October 27th. They are expanding the invites list to include municipal and county representatives from West Virginia s Homeland Security Region II, which includes Tyler, Doddridge, Harrison, Taylor, Preston, Monongalia, Marion, Wetzel, Marshall, Ohio, Brooke, and Hancock counties, Region III, which includes Grant, Hardy, Mineral, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson Counties, and Region IV, which includes Gilmer, Braxton, Webster, Pocahontas, Lewis, Upshur, Randolph, Barbour, Tucker, and Pendleton Counties. But, we welcome registrants from across the state. Ms. Holstein-Wallace indicated that she hopes to announce the dates soon for the Southeastern Regional Homeland Security Summit which will encompass WV s Homeland Security Regions I, V, and VI. Registration for this meeting is free. Lunches and snack breaks will be provided. Expenses for travel, lodging and dinners will be the responsibility of the individual registrants. State Partners will discuss retrospectively where we ve been, as well as our current status on a variety of homeland security related topics. The participants will then turn to the local perspective as to where we should be going. We hope participants will share input on the direction of the state in matters relating to homeland security and discuss with each other and with the state what the emphasis should be, both regionally and as a state. For more information, contact WV Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety at 304-558-2930 or www.wvdmaps.gov. To make reservations at Canaan Valley Resort, call 1-800-622-4121. Food Vulnerability and Assessment Training November 10-11 The University of Tennessee will hold a 1 1/2 day Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course at the West Virginia University Tree Fruit Research and Education Center located in Kearneysville on November 10-11. This class is free and open to anyone interested in attending. There will be a practical exercise that will concentrate on fresh market tomatoes. Class will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 on November 10 and will begin at 8 am and conclude at Noon on November 11. Lunch will be provided. Deadline to register is November 4th. For more information on how to register, contact: Roy McCallister, Threat Preparedness/Response Officer, WVDA/Animal Health Division, 1900 Kanawha Blvd., East Charleston, WV 25305. Fax 304-558-2231, Email rmccallister@ag.state.wv.us For questions, call Roy or Matt Blackwood at 304-558-2214 CERT Classes will be offered beginning on October 20 and will end November 12. Classes will meet two nights per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 9 p.m. at the Jefferson County EOC. CERT teaches basic skills in Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical Ops I and II, Crime Prevention and Terrorism Awareness, Light Search and Rescue. All participants must attend all 8 sessions in order to complete the course and participate in the final exercise, test and graduation. Preregistration is required. Contact Terri Mehling at 304-728-3329 or tmehling@jeffersoncountywv.org to request an application. FACEBOOK JCHSEM now has a Group Page on Facebook! Just log on to Facebook using your username and password, go to groups, and search for Jefferson County WV Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Join the Group! Log on to get the latest information on JCHSEM news, upcoming events and activities!
Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Page 4 Director s Corner-Saying Goodbye to my Mentor and Friend, John Almost all of the state s Emergency Managers attended the 2009 LEPC/SERC Conference in Morgantown in September. Several had remarked it was the best LEPC Conference in recent years. We were training, learning and sharing...doing what those of us who live this life love to do. Then we got the news that fellow Emergency Manager from Ohio County, John Tagg, passed away, slipping away quietly, as was John s way. He had served as Ohio County s director since 1994 and was a responder before that. I think he taught just about everywhere that emergency responders learn! John served as a mentor and a go-to guy for many of us as we learned the ropes of Emergency Management. He was always at the front of the line to push for accreditation for emergency managers, and had mentored me personally the day before his death giving me tips on how to become a National Certified Emergency Manager, a certification that John worked hard to achieve.. At our last state meeting, John was there encouraging other EMs to take the Crisis Leadership Training being offered by WVDHSEM and Mountain State University. His first advice to me was to take care of the people, everything else will follow. At age 51, he was much too young to be taken, but there was a higher plan for John. Please keep his wife, Kathy, in your thoughts as she goes through the difficult days ahead. This issue is dedicated to John s memory in appreciation for all he did for me personally and for all of our Emergency Management family. Barbara J. Miller, CFM Director
September, 2009 Page 5 Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Management-Committees Steering Committee, John Sherwood, Chair The Steering Committee works with the JCHSEM Director to guide the activities of JCHSEM. A fourteen-member Steering Committee is made up of public and private representation. JCHSEM is a Department within the Jefferson County Commission, who has overall responsibility for the department and its employees. The Jefferson County Commission appoints all members to the steering committee. This committee meets on the 4 th Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the JCHSEM EOC at 28 Industrial Blvd., Kearneysville, unless otherwise announced. Animals in Disaster Committee, Kelly Parsons, Chair Any interested person can serve on this committee. The Animals in Disaster Committee is responsible for developing and updating the Animals in Disaster Plan and to work with the JCHSEM to make recommendations regarding the Animals Annex of the Emergency Operations Plan. They will also identify potential resources for animals before, during and after a disaster. The committee meets on the 3 rd Monday of the months of February, April, June, August, October and December at 9:30 a.m. in the JCHSEM EOC at 28 Industrial Blvd., Kearneysville, unless otherwise announced. Emergency Planning for People with Special Needs Committee-Chair Pamela Holstein-Wallace, Chair Any interested person can serve on this committee. The Emergency Planning for People with Special Needs Committee is responsible for training and planning for issues of people who have mobility problems, people who have sight or hearing problems, people who speak a language other than English as their first language, the elderly and the very young, people who use oxygen or other medical devices and anyone who may need special assistance during times of disasters and/or evacuations. This committee will work with the JCOHSEM to update the portion of the Emergency Operations Plan that deals with these special needs. This committee meets on the 3 rd Monday of the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November at 9:30 a.m. in the JCHSEM EOC at 28 Industrial Blvd., Kearneysville, unless otherwise announced. This room IS handicapped accessible. Public Awareness, Education and Training Committee, Katherine Dunbar, Chair Any interested person can serve on this committee. The Public Awareness, Education and Training Committee is responsible to communicate the organization s activities to the public and to build support for JCHSEM s programs. They work with the Director and other staff to keep the entire community focused on the objectives of JCHSEM, the opportunities for additional involvement and support by updating citizens and businesses about what the partners are doing and how the community will and is benefiting from these efforts. Additionally, they are responsible to assist the program manager is setting up speaking engagements and public awareness events. This committee meets on the 2 nd Wednesday of each month except December at 9:00 a.m. in the EOC at 28 Industrial Blvd., Kearneysville, unless otherwise announced. Partnership and Volunteer Development Committee, Holly Morgan-Frye, Chair Any interested person can serve on this committee. The Partnership Development committee assists the staff in identification and recruitment of potential partners and what they have to offer in community preparedness. This committee will be responsible for activities to promote partnership or membership development and recruitment of volunteers. This committee meets quarterly in the EOC at 28 Industrial Blvd., Kearneysville, unless otherwise announced. at 9:30 a.m. on the last Monday of January, April, July and October. Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning Committee, Mason Carter, Chair Any interested person may serve on this committee. The Risk Assessment/Mitigation Planning Committee will examine the community s risks and vulnerability to all hazards and assess the community s vulnerability to those risks. Additionally, they will look at specific buildings, infrastructure, etc. to determine which are most susceptible to risks. A Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan was completed and adopted by the Jefferson County Commission, all Jefferson County municipalities, WVOHSEM, and Federal Emergency Management Agency in July, 2003. The committee currently updated the original document. This committee meets on an as needed basis. Please call the office at 728-3329 for exact dates and times. Counter Terrorism Committee, Barbara Miller, Director, Chair Membership to this sub-committee of the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning Committee is limited to members of law enforcement, emergency management, homeland security, emergency communications, Red Cross, schools, health care, fire companies, ambulance authority/ems, and government, due to sensitive homeland security issues. The committee works on issues of planning and training for counter terrorism or human-caused disasters. Meetings are held on the 2 nd Tuesday of the month at the EOC at 28 Industrial Blvd., Kearneysville, unless otherwise announced. If you are interested in joining any of our committees, contact either bmiller@jeffersoncountywv.org or tmehling@jeffersoncountywv.org Times, dates, places may need to be changed due to inclement weather, scheduling conflicts or EOC activation. If you have questions, call the JCHSEM office.
Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Management 28 Industrial Blvd., Suite 101 Keaneysville, WV 25430 Barbara Miller, Director Phone: 304-728-3290 E-mail: bmiller@jeffersoncountywv.org Terri Mehling, Dep. Director, Planner and Program Manager Phone 304-728-3329 Email: tmehling@jeffersoncountywv.org Jennifer Maggio, Administrative Assistant, Public Information Officer and Volunteer Coordinator Phone 304-724-8914 Email: jmaggio@jeffersoncountywv.org The Jefferson County Commission s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is responsible for the coordination of preparedness, planning, response, recovery and mitigation of disasters and large emergencies in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Volunteer and community participation is encouraged and welcome. We currently have committees on Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning; Emergency Planning for Special Populations; Public Awareness, Education and Training; Counter Terrorism; Partnership Development and Retention; Animals in Disaster, and a Steering Committee that acts as an advisory group. We are responsible for the Citizen Corps/CERT, Storm- Ready, Community Rating System, and Project Impact programs. JCHSEM is also responsible for the Jefferson County R.A.C.E.S group. Fax: 304-728-3320 PUBLIC SAFETY; PUBLIC TRUST Calendar of Events-October, 2009 1 Amateur Radio Testing Night 5 CERT Class on Light Search & Rescue 6-9 p.m. at Jefferson County EOC 6 CERT Make Up Night-Disaster Medical Ops 7 CERT Graduation. 6-9 p.m. at Jefferson County EOC 8 ZUMRO Tent Training, 1 p.m. Meet at Jefferson County EOC 12 Columbus Day-Office is Closed 13 Counter Terrorism Committee Meeting at the Jefferson County EOC 13 Public Service Banquet at Charles Town Races & Slots. For more information, contact the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce at 304-725-2055. $10 per person. 14 Public Awareness, Education and Training Committee at 9 a.m. in the Jefferson County EOC Conference Room 15 WV Emergency Management Council Meeting in Weston 17 Bark in the Park at Sam Michael s Park. Sponsored by the Jefferson County Humane Society. 10 a.m. 2 p.m. JCHSEM will have an information booth at the event! 17 Kids Safety Day at Kohl s. 11 a.m. 3 p.m. JCHSEM will have an information booth at the event! 20, 22, 27 & 29-CERT 6-9 p.m. at Jefferson County EOC. 27 Quarterly Partnership Meeting at The Bavarian Inn, Shepherdstown 27-29 Homeland Security Local Stakeholders Meeting in Canaan Valley, Sponsored by WVDMAPS