UAWG Subcommittee Chair Meeting Minutes
July 19, 2007
Attendees: Gail Braun, Tim Carmody, Mark Conrey, Phyllis Dutton, Harald Flatoen, Andrea Fox, Paul Johnson, Mike Kennelly, Bill Meyer, Maria Reiter, John Sing, Jarrod Reece, Mary Finley, Mary Mally, Dennis Casida (GP Worldwide, presenter), Noel Mueller (GP Worldwide, presenter), David Ziegler (GP Worldwide, presenter)
Recorded By: Jarrod Reece
Topic / Discussion / ActionCall to Order / Meeting called to order at 9:06am by Andrea Fox.
Introductions / Marry Mally and Mary Finley of OPPD introduced themselves. David Ziegler, Dennis Casida, and Noel Mueller of GP Worldwide were also introduced.
May Minutes / Motion to approve by Lt. Tim Carmody. Seconded by Mark Conrey. Approved without change.
FY07 HSGP Allocations / Andrea Fox reported that the State of Nebraska was allocated $3.8 million in FY07 SHSP funding. This is in line with their baseline amount.
Preparedness Cycle / Information Sharing / Gail Braun said that Information Sharing is part of the preparedness cycle. As such, she would like to form a committee to work on multi-jurisdictional information sharing, including communications between Law Enforcement and other departments.
Gail Braun wants to begin work on the Information Sharing plans so that Tri-County UASI can apply for Information Sharing grants that will be available next year. These grants require a 25% match. This whole process cannot be completed in a month because of the amount of buy-in necessary, but the work should begin as soon as possible.
Mark Conrey said he believes that, to streamline the information sharing process, a committee and strategy are needed. He met with Chief Warren and Sheriff Dunning regarding the proposed committee and both expressed their support of the idea.
Mark Conrey believes that any committee needs to be inclusive and any strategy needs to be comprehensive to ensure that all aspects interface properly. He also hopes that Tri-County UASI will be able to provide the equipment necessary to connect the counties so that information sharing can take place efficiently.
Gail Braun noted that Tri-County UASI needs to use grant funding to meet the target capabilities from the Target Capabilities List so that future funding sources can be pursued.
Bill Meyer stated that the Information Sharing committee should work across disciplines because many new grants require “inclusive” projects.
Mark Conrey stated that the real discussion needs to be who is on the committee. Obviously Law Enforcement would be there, but it is not clear how inclusive the committee should be. The composition of the committee is important in making it functional and agreeable.
Andrea Fox recommended that Tri-County UASI look to other cities that are successful in Information Sharing while planning its approach to the issue.
Don Thorson stated that anyone with ideas on the Information Sharing issue should speak to his or her respective committee chair so that the suggestions can be discussed at the August meeting. / UAWG Members: Contact yoursubcommittee chairwith ideas regarding the formation of an Information Sharing committee or strategy.
Citizen Corps / Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission / Andrea Fox stated that Citizen Corps is now part of the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission.
Gail Braun stated that Citizen Corps grant applications are due September 17, 2007.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Introduction and DPETAP / David Ziegler of GP Worldwidepresented his PowerPoint presentation titled “Homeland Security Services for Omaha, Nebraska Tri-County Urban Area Initiative.”
GP is most popular on the East Coast and was founded in 1966. They are a modularized company, and specialize in a variety of fields: aerospace, metals, healthcare, energy, and government, and others. GP has contracts at city, county, state, and Federal levels, as well as in private industry. The staff of 1,500 professionals allows them reach-back capabilities when specific expertise is necessary.
GP provides only services, no goods. They assist UASI regions with planning, training, and exercising, emphasizing the need to work in that order. They specialize in Program Management.
TheDomestic Preparedness Equipment Technical Assistance Program (DPETAP) is probably GP’s best-known program. DPETAP comes to the client and provides training in the detection, prevention, and decontamination of CBRNE. DPETAP is built around the needs of the client: this includes scheduling, the type of equipment that training is provided for, the type of team training is provided for, etc.
DPETAP is just one leg of GP’s training program. The program was established in 1999 and built on GP’s Chemical Agent Disposal Program experience. It is one of the largest technical assistance programs in DHS’s Preparedness Directorate.
John Sing stated that when grant funds have run out, departments need to have trained trainers for sustainability. He asked if GP does train-the-trainers.
Dennis Casida of GP Worldwide answered by saying that they do not do formal train-the-trainer programs for various reasons. They do, however, train the operators how technology works and leave manuals. They go into detail showing how they train so people can train others, but they do not provide formal train-the-trainers.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Planning and Training / David Ziegler presented the planning services GP offers including Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP), Continuity of Government Plans (COG), Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning (CEMP), Evacuation, Pandemic Flu, Security / Vulnerability Assessments, (e.g. government buildings, schools, arenas, etc.) and Special Events (e.g., College World Series). GP writes the NIMS-compliant plans, and then makes sure they comport with the plans of other agencies.
Maria Reiter asked if GP follows the FEMA template. David Ziegler said they do follow the template.
David Ziegler stated that GP provides training in Instructional Systems Design (ISD) at all five stages which provides dependability. GP also does the DPETAP training, as well as NIMS and ICS/HEICS training. Additionally, GP will track and record compliance, will determine what is necessary for compliance, and will provide the ability to produce reports instantaneously.
David Ziegler stated that GP trains all parties involved in exercises as is necessary to be HSEEP compliant. This training included Law Enforcement PPE, Anti-and Counter-Terrorism training, Medical Teams, HSEEP process, and Military Police and Chemical Schools Training.
Noel Muller of GP stated that he has conducted these trainings in Iraq for the Iraqi police. He also advised that casinos should be considered potential targets even though they’re across the river.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Exercises / David Ziegler presented the ways in which GP can assist in exercises. They use HSEEP guidelines to implement Senior Leadership Workshops (SLW), Tabletop Exercises (TTX), Functional Exercises (FE), and Full-Scale Exercises (FSE) focusing on both Prevention and Recovery. They conduct “All-Hazards” Exercises.
Maria Reiter asked if GP had organized multi-region exercises before. David Ziegler said that they have. Maria Reiter also asked if they write the After Action Report on their exercises. David Ziegler said that they do.
Noel Mueller reported that Tennessee has seen a 300% increase in information sharing after using GP. The AAR/IP was critical in doing this because a properly written AAR is great evidence of capabilities when seeking funding. David Ziegler agreed, stating that the objectives tested and the EEGs used to evaluate said objectives are crucial in ensuring that an exercise is successful in demonstrating strengths and areas for improvement.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Program Management / David Ziegler presented GP’s Program Management capabilities. GP can assist with any level of program management, but they feel it is necessary for the program to have a structured format. Since most people involved with UASI have it as a second hat role, GP can step in to facilitate the UASI Program Management including setting it up and defending it. By structuring UASI programs in this way, you can show where you are, how you got there, and what the next step is, which is helpful when seeking additional grant funds.
David Ziegler stated that UASI areas can do all of this for themselves, but no matter who does it, it needs to be done. The problem is the second-hat nature of most people involved with UASI, meaning they don’t typically have the time necessary to create a plan like GP can.
Break / Don Thorson called for a five minute break.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Program Management, continued / David Ziegler stated that many UASI regions make the mistake of leaving public outreach until the end. He stated that GP has assisted New Orleans in doing Public Outreach after Hurricane Katrina. GP also assisted the Boston UASI with Public Outreach in five different languages.
David Ziegler asked the committee what Public Outreach is being done in the Tri-County UASI. Maria Reiter stated that the Health Department has done extensive outreach pertaining to Pandemic Flu preparation. Phyllis Dutton stated that OMMRS is providing Masters of Disasters training to grades one through six in area grade schools.
David Ziegler stated that special needs and other-than-English speaking populations need to be targeted in Public Outreach campaigns as well.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Experience Overview / David Ziegler stated that he felt it was important to provide an overview of GP’s experience to further establish their credibility. Thousands of people have been trained on ICS and NIMS and hundreds of exercises have taken place at the city, state, and Federal levels. Their experience also stretches into the Army’s Chemical Agent Disposal Program, the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Preparedness Equipment and Training Programs, and the Transportation Security Administration.
GP Worldwide Presentation – GP Plans for Tri-County / David Ziegler distributed the document titled “Homeland Security and Emergency Management Services for Omaha, Nebraska Tri-County Urban Area Security Initiative: 2005/2006 Strategy Goals & Objectives.”
To compile this document, GP took the Tri-County Area’s strategy and applied their analysis as an example of their capabilities. It is intended as a high-level overview.
David Ziegler stated that GP’s program management can take the Tri-County’s Strategy and plot out each stage to demonstrate what actions are necessary and how much funding is required. This plan is treated as dynamic and can be adapted when necessary.
Paul Johnson asked if Tri-County UASI would have a specific program manager or many different managers based on their specialty. David Ziegler responded that he could only speculate without knowing the exact nature of the agreement between GP and Tri-County UASI, but he envisions someone who understands a large-scale program being the program manager rather than a specialist. This program manager would have the reach-back capability that GP provides to assist in tasks that require specialization.
David Ziegler explained that GP can provide a piecemeal approach or a holistic approach depending on the needs of the UASI area. With the holistic approach, training specialists are brought in when training is conducted.
Paul Johnson asked how GP would work with NEMA. Bill Meyer responded by saying that he sees no problem with this. Procedure requires that NEMA approve the contractor, verifying that it will meet state objectives and will be in line with the state strategy.
Bill Meyer stated that he believes the biggest challenge to bringing in a contractor is bringing outside help into a successful program.
Gail Braun responded to Bill Meyer by stating that many plans need to be written. Don Thorson agreed with Gail Braun, stating that this would be the perfect time to bring a contractor on board if it were to happen.
Andrea Fox stated that despite the timing being right, timing is still an issue. Gail Braun agreed, stating that once FY06 UASI funds are gone, sustainability plans will need to be there. This is especially true if Tri-County UASI wants to apply for grants after FY06 funds are gone.
Bill Meyer stated that it would be advisable to bring in an outside agency to do the COOP because there are so many elements that go into it.
David Ziegler stated that GP can be contracted to conduct only training and COOP, but this alone will not help the Tri-County program. Comprehensive Program Management is necessary in the big picture to bring about the best possible end result.
Paul Johnson stated that COOPs are intended to be put into action when necessary, not just to be put on a shelf. David Ziegler concurred, stating that buy-in from all agencies is crucial.
Paul Johnson stated that there would be many different COOPs, but that true use of a COOP requires communication. Johnson does not feel that FEMA’s criteria facilitate this. David Ziegler responded by saying that this issue comes back to planning: GP can make the plans or can simply take them and make them compliant.
GP Worldwide Presentation – Conclusion / David Ziegler concluded his presentation by explaining how GP would handle the Tri-County UASI were they to be contracted. Each committee would have a plan laid out. Tri-County UASI would have a master plan that incorporates the committees’ plans. COOP is one milestone, but there is more to program management than a few milestones; there is a master plan that needs to be managed properly.
Adjourn / The meeting was adjourned by Andrea Fox at 10:55am.
Meeting Schedule / Next Meeting:
Large Group
Thursday, September 20, 2007
9:00-11:00 am
Jesse Lowe, Omaha/Douglas Civic Center