Amy Sebring: On behalf of Avagene Moore and myself, welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum for first program of 2005! Happy New Year! to everyone. Amy Sebring: Of course we are all saddened by the horrendous loss of life from the tsunami disaster in Asia, but are heartened by the international response. Amy Sebring: I will not editorialize further as I would be preaching to the choir, however, our next session on January 26th will be devoted to the World Conference on Disaster Reduction being held in Japan next week ... Amy Sebring: and these recent events will provide the context for that meeting and will be a major topic of discussion. Please plan to join us on the 26th if your schedule permits. And now ... Amy Sebring: it is my pleasure to introduce Lori Weiber who will be serving as our Moderator today. Some of our old-timers may remember Lori as an editor of our newsletter in the past. Amy Sebring: Her background is in the private sector and she is joining us from Detroit, Michigan, where she is currently self-employed as a consultant. Amy Sebring: Lori is training today so that she can act as a backup Moderator in the future on those rare occasions when both Avagene and I are unavailable for technical or other reasons. Amy Sebring: Please be kind to her today! Take it away Lori. Lori Wieber: Thanks Amy. Today's session is titled "Emergency Management for Universities: Unique Challenges and Opportunities," and features the experience at the University of Washington in Seattle. Lori Wieber: The university's Office of Emergency Management will host a symposium at the end of the month on Best Practices in Risk Reduction for Colleges and Universities, and the symposium logo on our home page is a link to more information. Lori Wieber: Now, it is my pleasure to introduce today's speaker, Steven J. Charvat, Emergency Management Director for the University of Washington. Lori Wieber: Steve has extensive local emergency management experience, beginning with 10 years in Phoenix, AZ, moving on to a consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. area, and ... Lori Wieber: also served as Director of the Training, Exercises, Mitigation and Plans (TEMP) Division of the District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency in Washington, DC during the post-9/11 period. Lori Wieber: Steve has many professional activities to his credit, including being one of the first Certified Emergency Managers (CEM), past-president of IAEM, and numerous other activities. Please see the more detailed bio on our session background page. Lori Wieber: Welcome to the Forum Steve, and thank you for being with us today. I now turn the floor over to you. Steve Charvat: Thank you Lori and Amy. It is a pleasure to return back to the EIIP after a brief absence! Hello everyone from (non-rainy) Seattle! Steve Charvat: As many of you know, over the past decade, colleges and universities across the globe have increased the development and delivery of courses, degrees, and certificates in emergency/ crisis/ disaster management. However, at the same time, there has also been a parallel movement for many institutions of higher education to "practice what they preach." Steve Charvat: Due to the substantial economic losses in the recent decade related to the impacts of natural and human-caused disasters, many U.S. colleges and universities recently begun to establish and support their own dedicated, full-time emergency management offices, departments or positions. Steve Charvat: However, there are unique challenges in dealing with colleges and universities that make it difficult to apply local government emergency management models to academic institutions of higher learning. Steve Charvat: With their own diverse populations, critical infrastructure, and related hazards and specialized resources, many colleges and universities are considered a "city-within-a-city." And the layers of bureaucratic and historical challenges make it difficult to apply standard government EM practices in institutions of higher learing. Steve Charvat: Although no independent survey has been done to quantify how many emergency management programs have been established, information is spreading via word of mouth through professional associations and listserves ... Steve Charvat: that a growing number of U.S colleges and universities have recently begun to establish and support their own emergency management offices, departments or positions. The events of September 11, 2001 reminded many of the importance of taking steps to reduce the risks to disasters. Steve Charvat: In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, many higher education institutions reviewed their disaster plans and began to reconsider issues of safety and security... for their students, faculty, staff and visitors. Steve Charvat: As an example, the events that Pace University (in New York City) experienced on 9/11, as a direct result of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, tested its readiness to deal with such a disaster. Its main Manhattan campus was only two blocks away from Ground Zero. Steve Charvat: They also operated its World Trade Institute program from the 55th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Four Pace students and forty alumni lost their lives. Days after the attack, air quality, water contamination, and restoring communications become chief concerns along with resuming operational and academic functions to normal. Steve Charvat: According to FEMA, human-caused and natural disasters represent a wide array of threats to the instructional, research, and public service missions of higher education institutions. In the last decade, disasters ... Steve Charvat: have affected university and college campuses with disturbing frequency, sometimes causing death and injury, but always imposing monetary losses and disruption of the institution's teaching, research, and public service. Steve Charvat: In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison inundated the Houston area and its universities and colleges with 10 to 24 inches (25 - 61 cm) of rain. The University of Texas at Houston Medical Center had 22 feet (7m) of water in it ... Steve Charvat: causing the hospital to close for the first time in its history and seriously disrupting its research efforts. The total losses estimated to be $2 billion at TCM institutions. Steve Charvat: Damage to buildings and infrastructure and interruption to the institutional mission can result in significant losses that can be measured by faculty and student departures, decreases in research funding, and increases in insurance premiums. Steve Charvat: The experiences of Pace University and University of Texas, along with the impact of the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake (6.8mag.) in Washington State at the University of Washington demonstrate that losses could have been substantially reduced or eliminated through comprehensive pre-disaster planning and mitigation actions. Steve Charvat: Universities in particular are often considered a city-within-a- city with their own diverse populations, critical infrastructures and specialized resources. With billions of dollars collectively in annual private and public investment, ... Steve Charvat: these institutions deserve the attention of a comprehensive emergency management program similar to those provided in their neighboring communities, cities and counties. As a typical example, at the University of Washington, the daytime population between the hours of 9am to 5pm during the work week is approximately 65,000 in .4 square miles (.9 sq. km) Steve Charvat: The population increases six times a year to approximately 74,000 during Husky home football games. In addition the UW generated $2.7 billion in revenues, in which grants and contracts made up 32% or $843 million in fiscal year 2003. Steve Charvat: This concentration of people and money in such a small area as well as being geographically divided by a body of water, does not allow for the University to be caught unprepared for a future catastrophic event. Steve Charvat: In 2003, as a result of 2001 as a year of tumultuous events here at the UW and around the world, which included the Nisqually Earthquake, domestic terrorist fire bombing of the UW Urban Horticulture Center, the 9/11 attacks and anthrax mail threats, the UW established its first Office of Emergency Management. Steve Charvat: Located at the Seattle Main Campus the office was established to coordinate campus emergency planning, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Additionally, the Office of Emergency Management acts as the primary liaison between the University ... Steve Charvat: and other outside government (city, county, state) emergency management agencies, and centralizes all campus-wide emergency/disaster plans, training, and exercises. In other words, it conducts the same type of EM activities as every other city, town and county EM agency across the nation. Steve Charvat: Some academic institutions in the last two fiscal years have directly benefited from federal grants. The following two grants were awarded to the University of Washington in recent years that assisted in strengthening the emergency management program: FEMA Disaster Resistant University (DRU) grants and Dept. of Homeland Security Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants. Steve Charvat: In 2000, the University of Washington was selected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) now under Department of Homeland Security to participate in the national Disaster Resistant University (DRU) pilot program. Steve Charvat: Along with the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Alaska/Fairbanks, the University of North Carolina/Wilmington, Tulane University and the University of Miami, the UW was designated as a leader in campus emergency preparedness nationwide. Steve Charvat: This program was expanded in 2004 as part of FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program to 28 universities nationwide, with grants from $30,000 to nearly $500,000 -- of which the UW received the highest funding allotment. Steve Charvat: As a result of the DRU program, the UW has developed a number of new and innovative programs for the campus community designed to reduce or eliminate the impact of disasters on the students, faculty, staff and visitors. Steve Charvat: These included completing a risk assessment; updating a campus emergency operations plan; conducting hazard awareness education and emergency response training and outlined a business continuity planning process. Steve Charvat: Robert Mueller, Former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned in his congressional testimony to the US Senate in February 2003 of multiple small scaled-attacks against soft targets which included among others schools and universities along with places of recreation and entertainment. Steve Charvat: Having been identified as a location with a number of high risk targets, the UW has been able to receive over $1 million in funding via the City of Seattle under another federal grant: the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program. Steve Charvat: But there are unique Challenges for Colleges and Universities in this setting.... Steve Charvat: While managing a university emergency management program is similar to that of a municipality, there exist a number of unique challenges in dealing with an academic institution of higher learning. Steve Charvat: The interpersonal and management skills, that one learns working for government or a large private organization come into full use when dealing with an academic institution. The following challenges include: Steve Charvat: 1. Selling the benefits of emergency management can be a challenge in the halls of hallowed learning - but one that is very much needed and appreciated. Academic buy-in to the concept of emergency management requires teamwork and consensus-building in an institution that basis many of its decisions via committee and workgroup structures. Steve Charvat: 2. Shifting the way of thinking during an emergency where decisions need to be made quickly is made difficult within the consensus- building culture of a college or university. Steve Charvat: 3. There exists a cultural disconnect between the academic and operational side of an institution for higher education in communicating the emergency management activities of the University. Steve Charvat: 4. There currently are no national standards for business continuity and resumption planning in higher education institutions, and finally Steve Charvat: 5. Training students to respond to disasters is a lost opportunity, because in 2-4 years they graduate and leave the institution. Steve Charvat: Yet students, as well as other members of the campus community, are particularly vulnerable to injury from events, either directly from falling objects during an earthquake or as a result of performing a heroic action while attempting to save lives. This leads back to the main concept of how to focusing scarce resources where they have the most impact. Steve Charvat: It is important to point out to counterparts throughout the United States and the rest of the world to recognize the unique aspects involved in living and working near a college or university. Steve Charvat: Not only are they responsible for education, but for many, they provide valuable research and countless public services to their respective communities. Many local emergency managers recognize and support the efforts of their counterparts who work for their neighboring college or university. Steve Charvat: A fully prepared institution of higher learning can be a formidable asset to its surrounding community, for it can provide specialized expertise and skills to its surrounding community as well as resources and facilities (i.e., shelters or emergency medical services). Steve Charvat: Yet as emergency management programs develop on the reach and teaching side, the future of emergency management at colleges and universities needs to be further defined. Below are recommendations that have emerged out of the first year the Office of Emergency Management at the UW has been in existence: Steve Charvat: 1. Adopt an all-hazards approach - Although federal funding currently available to institutions of higher education has been focused on terrorism, most institutions can take as an opportunity to plan for all hazards. An all-hazards approach provides the added benefit that can be prepared for potential disaster or emergency. Steve Charvat: 2. Practice, Practice, Practice - Developing an emergency management response plan and testing it to the EOC incident command structure provides great opportunities to find and modify the weakness in the response structure, and it provides an opportunity to train with other units within the campus structure. Steve Charvat: 3. Improve campus and community partnerships - It is important to involve other campus stakeholders in the process. This includes obtaining support from other administrators, faculty, staff and students. Creating a small advisory group made up of a few campus experts who are willing ... Steve Charvat: to actively participate and have a sense of ownership in the emergency management program. Also involving and informing the surrounding community, municipality and county in the campus emergency management activities provides added opportunities such as utilizing their resources and networks. Steve Charvat: 4. Understand potential losses and manage the risks - UW OEM intent is to work with other units on the campus to prevent loss of life and injury from structural, nonstructural or utility failures from a natural and human-caused disaster, and to assist units in sustaining operations after an event. Steve Charvat: However, to be able to begin accomplishing these goals, the decision needs to be made on how to measure those risks. This leads back to the matter of communication (what people and decision-makers understand), and a matter of comprehensiveness (what adequately conveys the extent of risks) Steve Charvat: 5. Encourage Business Continuity planning - In order to resume instruction, research and public service activities within a certain time period after a disaster, it is imperative for all academic and operational units to undertake business continuity planning. Steve Charvat: This includes planning for alternate or backup computer information systems and vital records management, back-up power and water supplies and developing a structure to rapidly restore infrastructure. Steve Charvat: 6. "Need for Champions" - There must be broader commitment from executive management personnel to support the programs, policies and budgets, to implement many of the risk reduction strategies and to advance structural and nonstructural mitigation projects institutionally. Steve Charvat: Now.. to wind down me doing all the talking..... Steve Charvat: In conclusion, I hope that everyone assembled today online believes, as I do, in the importance of implementing sound emergency management programs on college/university campuses. Steve Charvat: To further that goal, the UW is hosting a 2-day Symposium later this month (January 27-28, 2005) that will bring together, for the first time, over 150 college emergency management professionals from throughout the Americas. Steve Charvat: The purpose of this "SOLD OUT" symposium is to share best practices with each other. All of the 24 presentations, by practicing emergency managers like you and me, will be posted on the Symposium website by the end of February for anyone to view. Steve Charvat: The website for the symposium is: http://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/symposium/index.html Steve Charvat: Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you all today. I look forward to your questions and comments! I will turn the session back over to our Moderator. Lori Wieber: Thank you very much Steve. sylvana: ? Lori Wieber: Slvana your question now please. Sylvana: Dear Colleagues: I would like to make a coment: We want to take this opportunity to let you know about our Disaster Reduction of University Campuses in the Americas (DRUCA). This program aims to facilitate technical assistance and knowledge transfer in the management of natural disaster vulnerability reduction among institutions of higher education in the Western Hemisphere through the sharing of experiences to date, as well as the establishment of an advisory network among colleges and universities in collaboration with EDUPLANhemisférico. Guidance material is under preparation for this purpose. If you are interested please contact us at: Stephen Bender: Sbender@oas.org Sylvana Ricciarini: usdecpr6@oas.org DRUCA program will be attending the Symposium 2005: Best Practices in Risk Reduction for Colleges and Universities, at Seattle and we hope to see you and share with you there sylvana: Thank you. Steve Charvat: we look forward to working wiht you Sylvana! William Regensburger: ? Jenny Holt: ? Burt Wallrich: ? Lori Wieber: William R go ahead. William Regensburger: Steve, good overview. Can you say just a little bit about your CERT program? Steve Charvat: sure.. sylvana: ? Steve Charvat: the CERT program is a FEMA-developed 8-week program primariy for community roll out Zachary Adams: ? Steve Charvat: the UW took that city/community-based model and established a pilot program here on our campus Robb Rehberg: ? Steve Charvat: it took some major re-tooling to make it work in an employer- based settting, but we made it work Steve Charvat: details on the "lessons learned" for starting a CERT program on a college campus.. Steve Charvat: can be found on our UW OEM Website at: http://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/cert/ Steve Charvat: next? Lori Wieber: Jenny H go ahead with your question. Others please type but don't send until called upon. Jenny Holt: I would like to suggest that the group check out Ready Campus (www.readycampus.org), a new iniative to create emergency management partnerships among campuses and their neighboring communities. It is designed to strengthen emergency preparedness and response through the use of campus facilities, etc. If anyone has any questions, please contact me at jholt@wittassociates.com Lori Wieber: Burt you are next. Burt Wallrich: Like any medium-size city, large universities have many low-wage, semi-invisible workers on staff (aside from TAs) doing maintenance, food service, etc. I would expect this group to mirror the low-wage population of the surrounding community. Does the UW plan explicitly deal with pre-disaster warnings and post-disaster recovery services for those populations and restoring their jobs? Triage: ? Steve Charvat: good question... jim_hoover: ? Steve Charvat: our plans and procedures do not address that specific concept Burt..... Steve Charvat: we make a number of assumptions... one being that all faculty, staff, students, visitors, etc.. will be provided the same level of service pre- and post-disaster Stacia Momburg: ? Lori Wieber: now to Sylvana Gerald Isaacson: ? sylvana: You mentioned that there are no standards yet, for business continuity. If one of the challenges for EM is that universities "cities in cities" have their own burocary and management, would it be useful having "starndards of business continuty", rather than, business continuity guidelines for different types of universities? Clarice Hall: ? Steve Charvat: Good question.. I heard that there actually is talk in the EMAP (Emergency Management Assessment Program) to develop standards for colleges/universities.... Steve Charvat: but have not gotten any real details back yet from them. Steve Charvat: .... Lori Wieber: Time for John McNall Steve Charvat: of course, many offices and functions within a university setting have their own professional or legal standards that they must meet (banking, etc..) sylvana: Thank you. Lori Wieber: Sorry Steve, Now for John Bill Nicholson: ? sylvana: ? Lori Wieber: John when you are ready. John McNall: How do individual colleges/universities apply for UASI, DRU & PDM grant funding? Steve Charvat: well, there is no "one-stop shop" for grants for colleges and universities Thomas Schwartz: Steve a suggestion to others on line / you may find that the concepts of NIMS-ICS/ planning with EM and college senior management & community involvement is a smart way to go on on the " all hazards" appro.- The HEICS ( hospital ICS plans) with communuty involvement meets the NIMS compl. test for funding and mutual aid agreements... check out addtional info on NIMS-ICS @ NIMSonline.com Chuck Cooper: ? MonicaFarris: ? Lori Wieber: Zac? Zachary Adams: Steve, do you have any recommendations for garnering the support of the upper administration? (What have you tried that's worked/not worked?) On 9/11, our upper administration frantically asked if we 'had a plan'. Since then, however, their interest seems to have waned--and though the lower echelon is extremely vested, I remain concerned that the uppermost level remains uniformed. My university is geographically isolated and has a low history of major events. We are, however, vulerable! Steve Charvat: only colleges that are in the 30 designated UASI cities may potentially apply for UASI grants if they have agood working relationship with their neibhboring city Steve Charvat: .... Amy Sebring: (Excuse me folks, but you are supposed to wait until called upon.) Quentin Frazier: ? Steve Charvat: as for the DRU grant, unfortunately, FEMA has elimnated the DRU grant as a separate grant as of FY 05... Steve Charvat: and lumped it with their Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant (PDM) program. Steve Charvat: the FY 05 pot o' money for PDM 05 is $255 million sylvana: Double question: (i) According to UW how active is the participation of university staff in the design, preparation and implementation of EM plan?. sylvana: sorry Lori Wieber: Thank you Amy, now I believe it is Robb's question next. Robb Rehberg: Steve, are there any direct access grants that are available specifically to colleges and universities? As a state university in New Jersey, we are often pushed off between state and county offices of emergency management, and as I understand it we can only apply for the DRU grants as a sub-grantee through our state OEM. Steve Charvat: yikes Steve Charvat: Amy/Lori.. can you figure out who is next? Steve Charvat: ... yes Robb Lori Wieber: Steve, if you have completed the grants answer then it is Robb. Steve Charvat: ..... PDM grants require that all colleges/universities officially apply through their state office of EM Steve Charvat: ... Steve Charvat: as a "subgrantee"... there currently are NO federal grants that I am aware of where a public or private University can apply directly to the Feds for $$ Steve Charvat: .... Steve Charvat: as a word of warning.... Steve Charvat: the PDM grants are a challenge and require a lot of paperwork and require a 25% cost match.. the FY 05 grants are currently open... Steve Charvat: contact your State mitigation officer to find out how to apply.... the deadline for all projects is the end of February 2005! Robb Rehberg: Thank you. Isabel McCurdy: ? jim_hoover: What type of "hands on" training components are in your program and how are they implemented/conducted? Nancy Spink: ? Steve Charvat: Most our "hands on" training is provided though outside resources. With only an office of 2.5 FTEs, we rely on the training resources of our State Emergency Management, City of Seattle and King County partners.... Steve Charvat: We do, however, conduct campuswide drills at a minimum 2x a year ... usually in conjuction with Statewide Earthquake Month in April. Steve Charvat: .... Steve Charvat: we also have been selected at the UW as the FIRST university ever to be going to FEMA's Integrated Emergency Management Course in Emmitsburg, MD this August.... Larry Porter: ? Steve Charvat: we are sending a team over over 70 UW, City, County, private partners to this exercise/training session. We are excited about being the first university to ever be invited to participate! Lori Wieber: Now to Stacia's question. Stacia Momburg: An issue often overlooked in an Emergency is reputation management. Does the UW plan include an Emergency Media Communications Plan/Response to effectively address media outlets descending on, and calling UW in the event of a major emergency? jim_hoover: ? Steve Charvat: Of cours Stacia. We recognize, as do our local and state and private partners, that the media can be either a friend or foe during/after a disaster.... Steve Charvat: our Office of News and Information is key to assisting us in this effort.... Steve Charvat: from having trained PIO staff, to setting up an off-site JIC, they are involved in all the pre-, during- and post-disaster event planning..... Steve Charvat: we would be lost without them. They are a key component of our EOC's ICS structure and are tied to my hip during every event! Lori Wieber: Gerald go ahead. Gerald Isaacson: Steve, getting down to specifics, one area that appears to be difficult to implement is an effective means of emergency communications to the campus population. How is this done on your campus? Steve Charvat: Good question.... as we all know, the #1 problem with any disaster response (or for that matter, pre-event planning) is effective communications with your customers/citizens or for us, our campus populations Steve Charvat: We have developed a number of redundant systems to address these.... Steve Charvat: are they perfect? NO..... Steve Charvat: can we make improvements? YES! Steve Charvat: some specifics.... Steve Charvat: 1. our website and continual updating with information to keep it from getting stale.... Steve Charvat: 2. hosting a campus-wide annual emergency preparedness / safety fair Steve Charvat: 3. presentations, speeches, brochures..... Steve Charvat: 4. getting to get the professors, deans, TA's and instructors to teach 5-minutes of Emergency Prep before each semester./quarter begins..... Steve Charvat: 5. We have a toll-free and local info line for activation during a disaster (206) 547-INFO Steve Charvat: .... Steve Charvat: and finally, as an example, ..... Steve Charvat: our office, working with our PIO folks, have the ability to instantly update the main UW homepage with emergency information...... Steve Charvat: ... because, if as I have been told "if it ain't on the web..... it ain't on the radar screens of today's college students" Steve Charvat: next? Lori Wieber: Clarice please go next. Clarice Hall: Getting back to your Symposium, is there any way to get into this "sold out" event? Steve Charvat: good question Clarice Gerald Isaacson: ? Steve Charvat: unfortunately, our Symposium for College and University Emergency Management programs is now SOLD OUT.. But, we hope to have all the presentations posted on our website by the end of February! Steve Charvat: https://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/symposium/index.html Steve Charvat: next? Lori Wieber: Bill N you may go now please. Bill Nicholson: Regarding continuity standards for universities, even though they don't exist, pressures and the structure for creating them is in place. Note that the 9-11 Commission proposed NFPA 1600 be recognized as 'the national preparedness standard'' for government and business. The Commission further suggested that NFPA 1600 should become the legal standard of care toward the public and employees. The Commission recommends that financial institutions and insurers consider NFPA 1600 compliance when evaluating credit worthiness and insurability. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Public Law 108-458 endorses NFPA 1600 as a 'voluntary'' national preparedness standard, stating as the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Homeland Security should promote voluntary adoption of standards such as NFPA 1600. The adoption of NFPA 1600 by insurance and financial institutions (as well as using it as the EMAP standard) may result in irresistible pressure to comply with the "voluntary" standard. Bill Nicholson: . 1. What do you think the role of this law, NFPA 1600, and the DHS NIMS Integration Center will be for universities in creating a national standard? 2. Do you think one be imposed on them if they don't regulate themselves as appears to be the case (pursuant to HSPD 5) for some types of emergency responders through the NIMS Center? Steve Charvat: Great topic Bill.... Steve Charvat: As a long-time voting member of the NFPA 1600 Standards Committee, I am well-aware of the recent national importance of this voluntary document.... Steve Charvat: to answer your question.... Avagene Moore: ? Steve Charvat: 1. Since NFPA is a voluntary standard, unless the US Congress or local state legislatures mandate its use or DHS ties its compliance to grants, it likely will remain voluntary... (the ole carrot and the stick philosophy) Steve Charvat: 2. It will be difficult to mandate any standard on all colleges and universities at this point due to the fact that there is such a mix of institutions.... Steve Charvat: small, large, public, private, etc Steve Charvat: But, of course, that all can change overnight Steve Charvat: .... Triage: ? Steve Charvat: but knowing how collges and universities work and try to avoid regulation, it likely will be a long process. That's just my opinion Steve Charvat: next? Lori Wieber: We have a number of folks waiting to ask their question,but I believe we may be able to impose on Steve to stay a bit longer today. Chuck C is next please. Steve Charvat: of course!!!! Chuck Cooper: What has UW done to prep faculty for recovering from a "significant" event that closes the university for several weeks or more and reduces the operational infrastructure, i.e., how would you bring your department back to life? Steve Charvat: we still have 9 minutes on my clock Steve Charvat: Another good question Chuck Steve Charvat: Lets see how I can reply..... sylvana: ? Steve Charvat: ... since this office at the UW is less than 2 years old, that issues is more of a "back burner" issue as we now are doing mostly grants management for WMD!!!..... Steve Charvat: but the issue of cracking into the faculty'/researcher ranks is posing to be the most difficult for me and my staff...... Steve Charvat: getting on their "radar screens" is challenging.. but what I have found is that you must attack that issue from multiple fronts..... Steve Charvat: via the students asking their professors questions on disaster response..... Steve Charvat: providing resources to the faculty in a passive manner via the web https://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/prepare/ Steve Charvat: and finding a few "champions" who can get your topics/presentations on the various faculty commitee meeting agendas..... Steve Charvat: unversities are filled with many small kingdoms and issues such as tenure work against forcing any professional faculty member to give you his/her time to learn about disasters.... Steve Charvat: just take it one step at a time .. Remember, you cant move a mountain overnight....... eat that elephant one bite at a time.. (how is that for analogies?) Steve Charvat: next.... Lori Wieber: Monica please ask your question. MonicaFarris: Does UW assist students in evacuating to another location off campus if necessary? If so, what type of assistance is provided? Steve Charvat: Good questin Monica...... we are in the process of developing a campus evacuation plan right now.... Steve Charvat: currently, our plans make the ASSUMPTION that if/when we have to evacuate, that everyone (up to 70,000) people, will simply and rationally leave... Steve Charvat: we know that will not be the case... Steve Charvat: but what we have found in our initial studies is that no campus in the US has a good evacuation plan.... Steve Charvat: .... of course, we still have not even discussed what to do with all our "special populations" such as visistors, handicapped, non-English speakers, patients at our 2 hospitals, children in child care, 300,000 animals (used in experiments) Steve Charvat: next.... Lori Wieber: Quentin you are next please. Quentin Frazier: A comment regarding Public College and University participation in UASI. The FY05 Grant Program, of which UASI is a part, places the requirement for inclusion by all stakeholders within the UASI area squarely on State offices of OEM/OES. In CA, 10 of the CA State Universities are within UASI areas, with 5 insititutions in L.A. County alone. It takes "Face-Time" by the university EM with city and county EM's and persistence to be allowed to participate. My university is within a UASI and we have sold our need for involvement based on INFRAGARD's incusion of Colleges and Universities as being one of the key identified critical infrastructures. As well we have used the results or our recently completed economic impact report [direct and indirect] for our one campus to the the local area of more than $800 million dollars and the fact that we are the largest employer in the area as additional leverage for inclusion. With the statewide economic impact of all CA State Universities at more than $18 Billion, it st Bill Nicholson: ? Steve Charvat: Good point Quentin.... Quentin Frazier: sometimes we need to think outside the box to be allowed inside to participate. Steve Charvat: being located in a USAI city/region does not GUARANTEE funds..... Steve Charvat: this is where the interpersonal relationships come to play..... Quentin Frazier: it guarantees a chance to participate if you are willing to fight hard for it. Steve Charvat: Emergency Management Tip #104 states that an effective emergency manager MUST build good bridges between his/her office and partners Steve Charvat: yup.. nothing comes easy Steve Charvat: ... Steve Charvat: I call it the "schmooze factor"...they dont teach that in college courses! Steve Charvat: next... Lori Wieber: Isabel next please Isabel McCurdy: Steve, is there a system in place to keep track of students - who is on and off campus? Steve Charvat: Isabel...we are currently funding a project to do just that with our Office of Student Affairs via an internal $30K grant... Steve Charvat: with over 40,000 students here with only 8,000 acually living in campus dorms (opps, Residence Halls).... Steve Charvat: it is hard to keep track of who is where at what time.... Steve Charvat: but with this project about to start, we hope to get a better feel for who is where and when...... Steve Charvat: next? Lori Wieber: Nancy S is next. Nancy Spink: How did you tailor your CERT material to the UW? Did you edit it? Are all the CERT team members CERT-certified? It's a long course, and I'm thinking of editing the material and just not worrying about getting people CERT-ified. Focus on skills rather than the printed materials. Any pitfalls to that approach? I did the CERT train the trainer course already so can teach content myself, and utilize local first responders to teach skills. Does it affect funding if our CERT teams are not "official"? Do I have to take the full 24 hours to teach content? Steve Charvat: Good question Nancy. I addressed this a bit earlier.. But YES, we had to do some major modificications to our program and YES, all of our students were CERT-certified! Steve Charvat: ... Steve Charvat: go to our CERT website for our final "lessons learned" to see how you can avoid the same mistakes/pitfalls that we did as we modified the FEMA community-based CERT program to a college campus setting https://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/cert/ Steve Charvat: next.... Lori Wieber: Larry Porter please ask your question. Larry Porter: Steve, (et al), Just a comment about the DRU/PDM grant applications: the deadline for applications was changed early on to 14 March 05. Steve Charvat: thanks Larry.. Lori Wieber: Jim H is next please. jim_hoover: To what extent is your program applicable to developing EM curricular programs e.g., at UW or elsewhere, and to what extent do you interface with the academic EM/HS folks at UW? Steve Charvat: but that is the date that all applications are due to FEMA..... Steve Charvat: most State EM offices kept a late February due date to allow them time to clean up the applications, etc.... Larry Porter: Thank you for the additional guidance. Steve Charvat: Thanks Jim Steve Charvat: .... Steve Charvat: my office does have some interface with the program here on campus that actually TEACHES emergency management. Its a Master's level degree program in Critical infrastructure protection Steve Charvat: .... Steve Charvat: we also work hand-in-hand with our health science and emergency medical folks on a regular basis in the program roll out and they are member of our various advisory commitees : https://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/prepare/empc.html Steve Charvat: but... Steve Charvat: as I mentioned, the focus of my small 2.5 FTE office is to actually run an emergency management program.. not teach students to get a degree in EM.. .. we often get confused by the member of the EM community about our role. Steve Charvat: next? Lori Wieber: Gerald please go ahead. Gerald Isaacson: How effective have you been in bringing the academic and research communities along. Are they represented on your EOC? Any suggestions on getting them involved? Steve Charvat: Good question Gerald.... Steve Charvat: once again, as noted earlier, involving the academic side of the house if the most challenging part of the job. Steve Charvat: Currently, we only involve them in a Liaison role in the EOC via the President's Emergency Cabinet (our Policy Group), which is comprised of a number of Deans during/after a disaster Steve Charvat: .... Steve Charvat: but we still are trying to answer that question... If someone has a simple solution, I would gladly hire you on the spot! :) Lori Wieber: Triage goes next please. Thomas Schwartz: REF to STDS. That goes back to NIMS-ICS planning with community involvement/ ref NFPA 1600 ?- mission is to be involved - there is a legal auth. of towns,cities, counties, etc to serve and protect all- that includes the " the kids on campus"- ?some one asked about accounability system for students- tough ? but an important one for at- risk sections of campus- health care, disabled etc./ ? on FEMA-CERT- basic course is 20 hours/ modified to meet your needs after that.../ Important that CERT Team Leaders understand Unified Command roles with local emergency service org for good inter- face, we use CERT with Public Health for Flu Clinic triage , road control, hospital decon etc.. damage assesment in the communty- gets them in front of local EM director Steve Charvat: that is correct Thomas.. I concur wholeheartedly! Steve Charvat: ok.. next? Lori Wieber: Sylvana is next please. sylvana: What type of mitigation to natural hazards measures have been implemented in UW ? Steve Charvat: lots .. where to begin.... Steve Charvat: mostly physical infrastructure seismic retrofitting of most of our older buildings.... Steve Charvat: this began well prior to our 2001 Nisqually earthquake... most of our projects were non-FEMA funded via State and local UW funds (well into the tens of millions of $s)..... Steve Charvat: as most of you know, there is no secret huge pot of money for mitigation construction available.. Steve Charvat: mitigation is a long, deliberate process that must first begin with your campus completing a Hazard ID study, followed up by a Hazard Mitigation plan... Steve Charvat: its not as sexy as response and recovery, but is a very necessary step to place your priorities in order to slowly chip away at recurring hazards Steve Charvat: next..... Lori Wieber: The last question this afternoon is from Bill N. Go ahead please Bill. sylvana: Thank you for the information. Bill Nicholson: Have you worked with university legal counsel to examine the huge potential liabilities for not having a good EM program in place? For risk- averse institutions, bottom line issues like potential money damages for failing to plan adequately for evacuation of special needs populations may move administrations where more idealistic reasons fall short. Steve Charvat: wow, what a question for last! Steve Charvat: You know what happens when you ask for a legal opinion in -house Bill!!?? Steve Charvat: in some institutions, there is the "head in the sand" mentality.. Bill Nicholson: Generally if they haven't seen it before they don't want to consider the matter. Steve Charvat: "Don't bring it up so we do not have to address it" Steve Charvat: in others, the Legal counsel is much more proactive.. usually working in tandem with Risk management Steve Charvat: Yup! Lori Wieber: Steve, would you please provide your audience with your contact information? Steve Charvat: sure.. hold on Steve Charvat Steve Charvat, CEM Emergency Management Director University of Washington 22 Gerberding Hall, Box 351275 Seattle, WA 98195-1275 USA Phone: 206.897.8080 FAX: 208.897.8001 Email: charvat@u.washington.edu Website: http://www.washington.edu/admin/business/oem/ Steve Charvat: am happy to reply to calls/emails from anyone in the audience Lori Wieber: That's all we have time for today. Thank you very much Steve for joining us today, and we wish you much success with your symposium and future efforts. Lori Wieber: As a reminder, the transcript will be posted late this afternoon and you will be able to access it from our home page or the background page. Steve Charvat: THANK YOU ALL! Lori Wieber: Thanks to everyone for participating today. We stand adjourned but before you go, please help me show our appreciation to Steve for a fine job.