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Ver mont Emergency Management September 2019

Volume 13 , Issue 9

VEM NEWS Emergency Management Director of the Year

Robert (Bob) Morlino of Pawlet is the Vermont Emergency Management Director of the Year. The award was bestowed up on Morlino at the Vermont Emergency Preparedness Conference in Fairlee September 7th. Emergency Management Directors are the linchpin for emergency planning, response, and recovery in cities and towns. EMDs coordinate between residents, local governments, first responders, and the state, and are responsible for the organization, administration, and coordination of the local organization for emergency management. This award recognizes and celebrates excellence in this role. Morlino was one of the first EMDs to receive their official certification from the state of Vermont under the new EMD certification system, and has guided Pawlet through several natural disasters and other emergencies. His nomination noted: “Like a great actor who has been often nominated for an Academy Award but has never gotten the Oscar, (Morlino) is overdue! This year, the characteristics which usually attach

to Bob's nomination -- excellence, knowledge, geniality, dedication, being a teacher to others -- are supplemented by the fact that he did a stellar job dealing with flooding which happened in his community on January 19, 2019. That afternoon, Flower Brook jumped its banks, and very quickly the firehouse in Pawlet needed to be abandoned. EMD Bob Morlino set up an alternate EOC, had multiple communications with the State Watch Officer, requested VTrans resources to deal with the ice jam, and generally followed his local emergency plan and kept everything moving in the right

direction during a stressful time. His after action follow-through was detailed and exemplary. Without getting into too much detail, Bob knew what needed to be done and he did it well. He is worthy of recognition this year as an EMD exemplar.” For more information on the Emergency Management Director Program visit: https://vem.vermont.gov/programs/emd.

VT Emergency Management Director of the Year Bob Morlino (center) with Public Safety Deputy

Commissioner Christopher Herrick (left) and VEM Deputy Director Chip Deasy (right)

Quinlan honored At the Emergency Preparedness Conference VEM had a special presentation upon the retirement of Richard Quinlan (center in photo with VEM Director Erica Bornemann and FEMA Region 1 Administrator Russ Webster). Quinlan has served as FEMA liaison to Vermont for 28 years - shepherding federal resources here during disasters. The native Vermonter will be missed. Webster addressed the conference as our keynote speaker on Friday.

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September 2019 VEM News

UVM Basketball Game to Benefit VT Disaster Recovery Fund The University of Vermont Men’s basketball team will have an extra pre-season game on October 26th this year, thanks to the Vermont Disaster Recovery Fund (VDRF). Vermont and Brown University received an NCAA waiver to host a Division I exhibition game as a fundraiser for the VDRF. Net proceeds from this game on October 26th will be donated to the VDRF. The VDRF was created to support Vermont's long-term recovery process by providing grants to those individuals

and families statewide who have unmet disaster caused needs which cannot be met by their own resources. For more information visit their website at https://www.vdrf.org. Tickets to the game will go on sale October 1st. UVM will also retire former standout players Taylor Coppenrath's number 22 and T.J. Sorrentine's number 11 at halftime of the game. This should ensure a sellout!

The donation will be given in a ceremony at a later UVM game.

Emergency responders dedicate their lives to helping others. But despite their best efforts, they are often stretched thin during a widespread disaster. That’s why individuals need to prepare to help themselves for at least part of a disaster. September is Preparedness Month, which serves as an opportunity for responders to communicate with the public about the need for self-preparation. Individuals and families need to take steps to go it alone if weather conditions prevent them from leaving home or responders to reach them. The Ready campaign (ready.gov) offers a number of resources for the public, and outreach materials for responders, municipal leaders, state agencies, or others. This year’s Preparedness Month has been broken down into four theme weeks: September 1-7: Save Early for Disasters September 8-14: Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters September 15-21: Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters September 22-30: Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness VEM and other state and federal agencies will post content to social media with hashtags #BeReady and #PreparedNotScared. You can follow VEM on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vermontemergencymanagement or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vemvt.

A video of the children and pets of VEM employees offering advice to other kids is once again available on the VEM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDQCI8PG3qo&feature=youtu.be You can learn details of those topics and a number of preparedness strategies at www.ready.gov and www.vem.vermont.gov.

National Preparedness Month

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September 2019 VEM News

VEM Training Schedule

Register via the Vermont Learning Management System.

September 2019 G0290 – Basic Public Information Officer September 10, 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT L0146 Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Course (HSEEP) September 18 & 19, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Williston Fire Station, Williston, VT Advanced Evaluator September 20, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Williston Fire Station, Williston, VT ICS 300 – Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents September 24-26, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT American Red Cross Shelter Fundamentals Course September 26, 1:00—5:00 p.m. Rutland Regional Planning Commission

October 2019 State Emergency Operations Center Orientation (SEOC Staff ONLY) October 1, 9:00—11:30 a.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT Advanced Evaluator October 2, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT Verbal De-Escalation: Surviving Verbal Conflict October 8 & 9, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Bennington Fire Department AWR-213 Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Awareness October 29, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT

November 2019 G0191 - ICS EOC Interface November 2, 8:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT Preventive Radiological and Nuclear Detection Quickstart Training Course November 18 & 19, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Vermont Transportation Training Center (TTC), Berlin, VT PER-245: Preventive Radiological and Nuclear Detection Secondary Screener Training Course November 20 & 21, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. VTTC, Berlin, VT MGT-310: Jurisdictional Threat & Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment November 20 & 21, 8:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m. DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT Unless otherwise noted, registrations must be done through the state’s Learning Management System website: https://vermont.csod.com For more details or a description of a course, please visit the LMS. You can also find additional trainings or session options on the LMS Calendar.

Basic Public Information Officer Course, Middlebury, 6.26.19

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September 2019 VEM News

Certified Emergency Management Director Certificate Recipients

Thirteen individuals were recognized for completing the Emergency Management Director Certification Program during our conference. Those include: Chris Bell, Scott Parizo, Adam Ochs, Scott Carpenter, Andrew Setchell, Alec Guzauckas, Matthew Thompson, Matthew Romei,

Emily Harris, Carol Fano, Jessica Stolz, Jonathan DeLaBruere, and John Keating.

In the photo below are (l to r): VEM Deputy Director Chip Deasy, Ochs, Stolz, and VT Public Safety Deputy

Commissioner Christopher Herrick