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Multnomah County Emergency Management Monthly Newsletter
March 2024
Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management (MCEM) compiles this monthly email to provide information related to emergency management activities. If you have content for this newsletter, please submit to em.dutyofficer@multco.us.
Sign Up: In-Person
G-2300 Intermediate Emergency Operations Center Functions Training
Registration spots are moving fast; register now before the training is full!

The County's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is the hub for coordinating all County resources when disasters or crises occur. And, if the ice storm last month is any indication, we are in need of more County employees trained to participate in future activations. County staff familiar with the EOC structure serve a critical role in ensuring our organization is able to hit the ground running when it's time to respond to an emergency. 

The County is offering in-person training for FEMA's “G-2300 Intermediate Emergency Operations Center Functions” on March 11 - 13, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The training will be taught by Emergency Management's Alice Busch at the Multnomah Building (2nd floor, 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland) inside the EOC. 

This course is open to all County employees, regional partners, and others who are willing to serve in one or more of the myriad roles in coordinating emergency response and it is free of charge. We welcome a diverse spectrum of participants to participate in important training.

This comprehensive course covers how EOCs prepare before, operate during, and deactivate following disaster events. Participants will examine the role, design, and function of the EOC, and how it supports and coordinates incident management and response within the National Incident Management System framework as part of multi-agency coordination. 

Be a part of the solution before the next major event by registering here.

Prerequisites for this course: Independent online study IS-100, IS-700, IS-800, IS-2200.
Sign Up: Hybrid L-0105
Public Information Basics Training
from MCEM and PBEM
Communicating with the media and the public are vital functions during an emergency. The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), in partnership with Multnomah County, is offering a free, hybrid FEMA L0105 Basic PIO (Public Information Officer) course from April 29 – May 1, 2024. These three full days of training will build your crisis communications skills to provide life safety information and maintain public confidence through a variety of platforms. Understand how to work with the media, hone your interview abilities, and use basic tools and techniques to perform effectively as a PIO, both in proactive scenarios and crisis/emergency response. Space is limited so sign up today!

Registration can be completed here.
February Activation Recap
Water bottles, ramen cups and other snacks sit ready at an empty division place shelter.
Pictured right: Drinks and snacks sit ready for guests at Division Place shelter.

Following the severe winter weather storm in January, forecasts had indicated a chance of significant snowfall on the evening of February 14th. Due to the potential to meet thresholds, Multnomah County leaders made the decision to open overnight shelters beginning at 8pm on Wednesday, 2/14 and closing at 10am the following day. About 200 people stayed in the 480 shelter beds at five locations the County opened.

Improving on the January response, changes to the County's sheltering operations included:

  • Mobilizing a severe weather emergency response and opening shelters despite the uncertain forecast, preparing for a range of outcomes described in the weather forecasts.
  • Scheduling volunteer and staff shifts that went beyond when forecasts showed thresholds for shelters would no longer be met in order to have personnel ready to go in case the severe weather lasted longer than expected. 
  • Reaching out directly to community members early in the activation to ask them to sign up for volunteer shifts, and offering a virtual “Just In Time” training to staff and community members yesterday afternoon to prepare them for volunteering at a shelter. These efforts resulted in 13 community members volunteering at shelters, with more signing up to volunteer on later days (shifts that were no longer needed). Eleven community members attended the training.
  • Working with our partners across jurisdictions, including the City of Portland, early in the activation to ensure they would be prepared to support operations if the event had lasted longer than expected.

Interested in helping support the next emergency activation? To support the Logistics team, email eoc.logisticschief@multco.us. To support Passenger Transport Unit, utilize this interest form.
Upcoming Events

You can view upcoming training opportunities through the following events calendars: Multnomah County, the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (subscribe option), the State of Oregon (subscribe option), and the State of Washington.

Training Offerings

March 7, 12 and 28: Be Two Weeks Ready Program Manager Training

March 7-8: L0103: Planning: Emergency Operations
  • Host: OEM
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: OEM, 3930 Fairview SE Industrial Drive, Salem, OR 97302
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS100, IS 120, IS 200, IS 230, IS 700, IS 800
  • Registration Flyer Here

March 11-13: 2300 Intermediate Emergency Operations Center Functions
  • Host: MCEM
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: 501 SE Hawthorne St, Suite 232 (EOC) Portland, Oregon, 97214
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS 100, IS 700, IS 800, ICS 300 and IS 2200
  • Register Here

March 13: MGT491: Climate Change Risks for Underserved Populations (Pilot Course)
  • Host: OEM
  • Time: 8am-12pm
  • Location: OEM, 3930 Fairview Industrial Dr SE Salem, OR 97302
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Register Here

March 13-14: ICS-400 Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff
  • Host: Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: Office Building 2 (OB2), 1115 SE Washington Street, Olympia, WA
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS 100, IS 200, IS 700, IS 800 and ICS 300
  • Register Here

March 25-29: K0490 Voluntary Agency Coordination in Disasters

March 27: G0191 Emergency Operations Center/Incident Command System
  • Host: OEM
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: 3930 Fairview Industrial Dr. SE, Salem, OR 97302
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS-100, IS-200/IS-2200, IS-700, IS-800
  • Register Here

April 8-12: K0449 Incident Command System Curricula Train-the-Trainer
  • Host: FEMA
  • Time: 5:30am-2:30pm
  • Location: Virtual
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS 100, ICS 100, IS 200, ICS 200, ICS 300, ICS 400, IS 700, IS 800, L/G0191
  • Registration Flyer Link

April 11: 3 Part Session - Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP) Development Workshop
  • Host: FEMA
  • Time: 1pm-4:30pm
  • Location: Virtual
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS 100, ICS 100, IS 200, ICS 200, ICS 300, ICS 400, IS 700, IS 800, L/G0191
  • Register Here UPDATE

April 14-17: G300 Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents
  • Host: PBEM
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: 9911 SE Bush St, Portland, OR 97266
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, IS-800
  • Register Here UPDATE

April 16-17: MGT465 Recovering from Cybersecurity Incidents
  • Host: TEEX and University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA)
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: Beaverton, Oregon (Exact location TBA)
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: None. Recommended IS 100, IS 200, IS 700, IS 800, IS 2900, AWR173 and AWR139
  • Register Here or email Dianne Greenlee at Dianne.greenlee@doj.state.or.us

May 5-8: G0400 Advanced ICS for Command and General Staff-Complex Incidents
  • Host: PBEM
  • Time: 8am-5pm
  • Location: 9911 SE Bush St, Portland, OR 97266
  • Cost: Free
  • Prerequisites: IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, IS-800 , ICS-300
  • Register Here UPDATE
Have something you'd like to include in one of our future newsletters? We'd love to hear from you! To have your upcoming trainings, exercises, events, or other announcements added, please email em.dutyofficer@multco.us.

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