Preparedness Gaps

• 44% of Americans do not have a first-aid kit.
• 48% of Americans do not have emergency supplies.
• 42% of Americans don’t know the phone numbers of immediate family members.

Improving the Speed of Recovery

In order to return to normal as soon as possible after a disaster, communities need businesses open and employees at work. That’s why it’s vital that you work with employees, especially any that are essential for business continuity and resilience, to develop a family preparedness plan.

Most of the 48% of Americans without emergency supplies think it’s a good idea to have supplies and a plan, but they keeping putting it off. By incorporating family preparedness into the culture of preparedness you promote for the business, you provide people with information and a framework to make emergency planning a priority at home and at the office.

5 Ways to Encourage Employees to Develop a Family Emergency Plan

1. Hand out checklists that employees can take home to make sure they have everything needed in an emergency.
2. Distribute information about family preparedness as part of new employee orientation and post useful links on the company intranet.
3. Conduct a lunchtime training session about family preparedness, where people can ask questions and share ideas.
4. During your annual (or more frequent) business continuity planning review, send a reminder to employees and include the checklists and links. Remind everyone to inspect family go-kits for expired items.
5. Ask any employees who are essential to your business continuity plan to confirm that they have a family plan and emergency supplies.

Strengthen your business continuity planning by encouraging family preparedness for your employees. Everyone will be better off for it.

Contributing Author

Lilly Harris is the CEO of MSA, Inc., a small, economically disadvantaged, woman-owned small business that delivers expertise and knowledge in Professional Services, Systems Test Evaluation and Support, and Emergency Management to more than thirty federal and commercial clients.

Join us to discuss the changing challenges to FEMA and other government facilities posed by changing climate conditions, the advances in alert systems and disaster communications, new technologies to support the mission and what concrete steps we can take to strengthen the exchange between the public and private sector.

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Antwane Johnson

Anne Petera

DHS Client Executive, Harris

Brian Lepore

Director of Defense Capabilities and Management, GAO

 

Todd Jasper

Kevin Delin
Founder, SensorWare Systems

Ryan Denmark
CEO, RSDCGroup

David McKernan
Coordinator of Emergency Management, Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management

Thank you to our National Preparedness Month Chair!

Jason McNamara
Vice President, Obsidian Analysis
Former Chief of Staff, FEMA

If you are interested in supporting the National Preparedness Month program, please contact us!

 Register

Speakers:

Sara Bryant

Sara Bryant is Section Chief in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Grant Programs Directorate (FEMA GPD). In her current capacity, she is responsible for the development and interagency coordination of FEMA’s non-disaster preparedness grant portfolio,providing advice and guidance to senior FEMA management on pertinent homeland security programs and priorities, the effectiveness of those programs as implemented in the field, recommends needed changes and improvements, and provides input on complex issues impacting Department of Homeland Security grant programs. Since her time with GPD, Sara has also coordinated preparedness planning efforts with state and local homeland security officials throughout the country, and provided expert guidance on the Department’s homeland security and emergency preparedness programs. She has previously served as the GPD’s Preparedness Officer for states to include California, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, New Mexico, and Michigan. Sara works in Washington, DC and has been with FEMA GPD since 2006.

Brian Kamoie

Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs, FEMA

David Kaufman

David J. Kaufman is FEMA’s Associate Administrator for Policy, Program Analysis, and International Affairs. Appointed in September 2009, he is responsible for providing leadership, analysis, coordination, and decision-making support to the FEMA Administrator on a wide range of Agency policies, strategy, plans, programs, and key initiatives. Mr. Kaufman has extensive experience with homeland security and emergency management issues. He has been a member of the faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, where he has taught in the Center’s graduate and executive level education programs; was the Safety and Security Director for CNA, a non-profit think-tank; and has previously served in several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in FEMA.

Dr. Lisa Kaplowitz

Darryl Madden

Mr. Madden is the Director of the READY Campaign for FEMA and has done an outstanding job promoting preparedness for all communities. He graduated from the University of Baltimore. He will discuss how important planning is for contractors working with the Federal government. Follow him on Twitter! @ReadyDirect

 Linda Mathes

Linda Mathes, selected as a 2008 Washingtonian of the Year, is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region which includes the District of Columbia; counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Prince William; and cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Linda was recently invited to the White House to help recognize Red Cross Champions of Change.

Jason McNamara

As Vice President, Jason McNamara is a member of Obsidian’s executive management team, directing the disaster recovery program area as well as services for state and local clients. Mr. McNamara is a national leader in homeland security and emergency management, having been Chief of Staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the past four years. In that role, Mr. McNamara worked with leadership at FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House to transform FEMA into a highly effective response and recovery agency. As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate’s Chief of Staff, Mr. McNamara oversaw the cutting of red-tape, the staffing of FEMA with outstanding managers who are widely recognized as the most experienced and talented in the agency’s history, as well as the reinvigoration of the nation’s response and recovery strategies for disasters. Mr. McNamara also helped change FEMA’s orientation towards an emphasis on survivor outcomes and incorporation of the Whole Community in delivering solutions. In addition, he played a key role in legislative accomplishments such as the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act, legislation providing tribal governments the ability to directly request disaster assistance from the President, and the five-year reauthorization of the national flood insurance program.

Joseph Trindal

President, Direct Action Resilience & President, InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance

Mr. Joseph Trindal is President at Direct Action Resilience LLC (DAR) with offices in Virginia. DAR and its training division, Direct Action Resilience Institute (DARI) is a recognized leader in emergency preparedness, response and resilience for both public and private sectors. Mr. Trindal also serves as President of the InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance, an FBI led public/private sector information sharing consortium of over 10,000 members. He also serves on the Homeland Security Intelligence Council. A member of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Mr. Trindal serves on the Federal Facilities Emergency Managers Committee. He is also a long standing member of the National Tactical Officer’s Association (NTOA), International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), and the International Association of the Chiefs of Police (IACP) among other organizations. Mr. Trindal continues public service as a special Deputy Sheriff for Culpeper County, Virginia.

Dr. Michael Walter

As program manager for the BioWatch system, Dr. Michael Walter supports the Department’s efforts to protect the nation from, and prepare federal, state and local governments to respond to biological attacks. Working with lab, field, public health, law enforcement, and emergency management personnel, Dr. Walter assists federal, state, and local governments from across the country in developing and testing response measures to biological attacks, tailored to specific local mission needs. Initiated in the wake of the anthrax attacks 10 years ago, BioWatch is a federally-managed, locally-operated nationwide biosurveillance system designed to detect the release of aerosolized pathogens. BioWatch supports special events including the Super Bowl, presidential inaugurations and national party conventions.

Thank you to the Co-Chairs of GTSC’s National Preparedness Month!

Lilly Harris

CEO

Man-Machine Systems Assessment

Marty Rathmann

Director of Client Relations

GAP Solutions, Inc.

Thank you to our National Preparedness Month Sponsor!

If you are interested in sponsoring this program, please contact us!

About InfraGard

The InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance (INCRMA) consists of a growing membership of professionals who are creating a more resilient critical infrastructure in the Washington, DC metro area. These include defense industrial base, information technology, water supply systems, electrical energy, emergency services, law enforcement, health systems, transportation, banking, and telecommunications. Our membership is voluntary yet exclusive and is comprised of individuals from both the public and private sector. The main goal of INCRMA is to promote ongoing communication, education, and community outreach between the public and private sectors and the FBI. In doing so, information is shared, relationships are strengthened, and vital assets are protected. To learn more, visit InfraGard at www.infragard.org.

About Richard Serino

Richard Serino was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Deputy Administrator in October 2009. In this role, he works directly with Administrator Craig Fugate to promote the “whole community” approach to emergency management, which seeks to build, sustain, and improve the Department’s capacity to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Since joining FEMA, Mr. Serino has traveled all over the country to communities affected by disasters to hear directly from survivors, and build relationships with whole community partners. During his tenure, he has seen flooding throughout the Midwest, fires in Colorado and Texas, tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri, tsunami destruction in the American Samoa, and the Hurricane stricken areas in the south and along the east coast.  Additionally, he spends time traveling to each of FEMA’s ten regional offices.

Mr. Serino strives to improve FEMA programs and emergency management by hearing directly from disaster survivors, communities, and FEMA employees. These improvements are focused on emphasizing financial accountability, improving the use of analytics to drive decisions, advancing the workforce, and fostering a culture of innovation. Under Mr. Serino’s leadership, FEMA has championed initiatives such as FEMA Corps, FEMA Stat, the FEMA Think Tank, a detailed budgetary process, and a Disaster Workforce Transformation.

Mr. Serino brings 35 years of state and local emergency management and emergency medical services experience to his position at FEMA. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Administrator, he served as Chief of Boston EMS and Assistant Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. In that role, he bolstered the city’s response plans for major emergencies, including chemical, biological, and radiological attacks. He also led citywide planning for H1N1 influenza. Mr. Serino has served as an Incident Commander for over 35 mass casualty incidents and for all of Boston’s major planned events, including the Boston Marathon, Boston’s Fourth of July celebration, First Night, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention, a National Special Security Event.

Since 1998, Serino has been a National Faculty member for the Domestic Preparedness Program. He was an original contributing member for the Defense Department’s Domestic Preparedness Training Program and Metropolitan Medical Response System. Serino has been involved, since its inception, with the Lessons Learned Information Sharing www.llis.gov  network for emergency responders. As a consultant to the Pentagon and the Defense Department, Serino served on the 9/11 after-action team to assess medical consequence management policies and procedures.  Serino attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program in 2000, completed the Kennedy School’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative in 2005, and  graduated from the Executive Leadership Program, Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Don’t Make It Up As You Go Along

This need to receive and disseminate information following a catastrophe is important to businesses, too. You need to determine where your employees are and if everyone is safe. You need to make sure people know what they should do or where they should go. You need to reach out to your customers. In some cases, you need to talk to the press and answer their questions.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to come up with a coherent, comprehensive communications plan in the shadow of a crisis. Often, saying the wrong thing can haunt you for weeks or months after the event.

Plan Ahead, Communicate the Plan

Your building already has an occupant emergency procedure that covers evacuation during a fire or taking cover in the center of the building during a storm, but that plan doesn’t cover communication within your organization or to your clients.

Compose two types of alerts—internal and external. Internal alerts should be broadcast through email, overhead paging systems, voice messages, or text messages to employees. Internal alerts should include information about evacuation, relocation, assembly points and status updates, including telling employees when it is safe to return to the office. Let your employees know, as part of your disaster preparedness training, how you will communicate with them after a crisis.

External communication involves notifying employees’ families, discussing the situation with the press, social media status updates, and email to customers and clients. Each external message should be crafted to suit the intended audience. In the immediate aftermath, people will accept broad statements, but they will want more concrete information as soon as you can deliver it. Being prepared will make it easier to get the right message to the right people.

Communication is Mitigation

Once everyone is safe, you need to safeguard your business and your reputation. Planning what you will communicate, when you will communicate, and to whom you will communicate in the event of an emergency, may be the difference between a full recovery and a downward spiral. Customers, clients, the media, and your employees, will be reassured by clear, concise, professional communication if you’re business is faced with an emergency situation.

After a disaster or a disruption, you’ll have enough to handle. Don’t leave crisis communications to chance.

Lilly Harris
CEO
MSA

Lilly Harris is the President and CEO of Man-Machine Systems Assessment. MSA is an Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business with 23 years of government contracting experience. MSA is passionate about our Warfighters and the preparedness of our nation. MSA works diligently to evaluate defense systems, ensure continuity of operations and support mission critical programs that are aligned with our passion and mission. 

Visit: www.msaincorp.com

Follow: @MSAincorp