MAY 2019 multco.us/em
Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management Monthly Newsletter
Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management (MCEM) compiles this monthly email to provide information related to emergency management activities across the County and beyond.
Quarterly Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Drill Participation

The OEM hosts quarterly Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) drills open to state-wide partners on a quarterly basis. The MCEM utilizes these quarterly drills to test and improve our resource management process. Each drill includes a specific focus of our resource management process, and are always open to our county-wide partners. Review this information document for more information on future participation!

Point of Contact: Robert Quinn, robert.quinn@multco.us ; (503) 307-4129
May is Building Safety Month

Building Safety Month is an international educational campaign to raise awareness about building safety. The Building Safety Month website includes free materials, safety tips, and a "kids corner" for getting children involved.

Each week in May will represent a topic to encourage conversation and education on how we can strengthen our communities through proper mitigation and building safety:





Portland Area Capabilities Exercise (PACE) 2019

Tuesday, April 30 through Thursday, May 2, emergency management and public health partners throughout Oregon participated in a simulated biological attack full-scale exercise. Public and private partners from around Multnomah County participated with active operations centers, or setting up Points of Dispensing (PODs). 

Review the regional and county-specific objectives to see the scope of our participation.

Next Steps: This exercise will have two (2) After-Action Report-Improvement Plans (AAR-IP). The first coming from the National Exercise Program (NEP) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This AAR-IP will be completed by June, and included in the June newsletter. The County AAR-IP is expected to be completed by July, and included in the July newsletter.

Pictures from the MultCo EOC are available here .
Quarterly EM Meeting Focused on HazMat Evacuations

If you missed the Quarterly EM Meeting on April 23rd, the notes from the meeting are available to view here .
Sgt Mark Herron presenting at the Quarterly EM Meeting
Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook

According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) the Pacific Northwest has an above normal likelihood of significant wildfires through at least August.

The NIFC maintains predictive maps to inform fire management decision makers of current and expected wildland fire threat. It develops two maps: a monthly map for the current and each of the next three months; and 7-day significant fire potential map, only produced during fire season. The 7-day maps are available as static maps or as an interactive viewer.

In addition to the maps, the NIFC produces a report on expected wildland fire activity over a 4-month period. This report discusses moisture and drought conditions across the country, weather and climate outlooks, and breaks down forecasted wildland fire potential by geographic area.

Now's the time to protect your home from fires. This OregonLive article has helpful info and tips on how to do just that.

While Multnomah County may or may not be in direct threat of wildfires, smoke from wildfires around the region is a significant health hazard . MCEM is developing Standard Operating Procedures for dealing with wildfire smoke; the SOP will be completed by this summer. The CDC offers information on dealing with smoke and steps you can take to decrease your risk .
Events & Workshops
  • June 20, Portland, OR: ShakeAlert & Schools - Educational Symposium. View flyer for more details and registration info.
  • July 18-20, Portland, OR: URM Seismic Resilience Symposium. View the website for the agenda, speaker info, and registration. 
  • November 15-20, Savannah, GA: International Association of Emergency Managers 67th Annual Conference. Opportunities for breakout speakers are available. Applications for speakers are due by February 15th. For more info, please click here.
Training & Exercise Opportunities

County-Led Training/Exercise Opportunities
  • May 21, Tigard, OR: Operations Section in an EOC/DOC, more information here.
  • June 6, Portland, OR: Operations Section Chief in an EOC/DOC, more information here.
Other
  • May 13-17, Salem, OR: L0952 NIMS ICS All-Hazards Position Specific Public Information Officer. Register here.
  • May 21-22, Wilsonville, OR: Operations Section Chief Role Specific Workshop. Free. View the flyer here.
  • May 29-30, Wilsonville, OR: Safety Officer Role Specific Workshop. Free. View the flyer here.
  • June 6-7, Wilsonville, OR: Incident Commander Role Specific Workshop. Free. View the flyer here.
  • June 10-13, Salem, OR: L0963 NIMS ICS All-Hazards Planning Section Chief Train-the-Trainer. Register here.
  • June 12-13, Wilsonville, OR: Planning Section Chief Role Specific Workshop. Free. View the flyer here.
  • July 16-18, Corvallis, OR: MGT-346 EOC Operations and Planning for All Hazards. Register here.
  • July 19-20, Portland, OR: URM Seismic Resilience Symposium. View the agenda, speaker info, and registration information here.
Volunteer with us!
Interested in volunteering with the Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management? Click on the button below or contact Justin Ross ( justin.ross@multco.us) with questions.
Jobs
Click the button below to see a list of available Emergency Management positions.
A few of the MultCo EOC Ops and Planning staff during the PACE Exercise April 30-May 1.
Many thanks to RDPO for compiling many of the events, trainings, and job items listed in this newsletter.
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 reach out to Robert Quinn ( robert.quinn@multco.us ).

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Office of Emergency Management
MULTNOMAH COUNTY
Phone: 503-988-6700
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