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2007 Virginia Emergency Management Conference
Shaping Our Destiny
Williamsburg Marriott · April 17-20, 2007
Sponsored by Virginia Emergency Management Association and Virginia Department of Emergency Management
View presentations, handouts and photos from the conference
Registration Information
Register online at http://www.vemaweb.org/.
or
Conference Brochure and Registration Form [333kb PDF]
Return completed registration forms to: VEMA c/o Joe Mellander, 11023 Popes Head Road,Fairfax, VA 22030
Conference Overview
Mr. William "Bill" Sammler, Master of Ceremonies
Tuesday, April 17
10 AM - 5 PM
Conference Registration
10 AM - 2 PM
Secure Commonwealth Panel
2 PM - 4 PM
GIS and Emergency Management
- GIS Session $20/person
- Session presenting cutting edge information on GIS technology available for use by the emergency management community and how GIS professionals can better interact with Local Emergency Managers.
4 PM - 5 PM
International Association of Emergency Managers Regional Meeting
8:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Captain's Reception
- An evening of networking with conference attendees and guests.
Wednesday, April 18
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Coffee Service
8 AM - 5 PM
Conference Registration
8 AM - 3:30 PM
Exhibits Open
8:30 AM - Noon
General Session
- Opening Remarks
Doug Young, President/VEMA
Michael Cline, State Coordinator/VDEM
- Guest Speakers
John Marshall, Secretary of Public Safety
Robert Crouch, Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness
- KEYNOTE SPEAKER
CRAIG FUGATE, DIRECTOR, FLORIDA DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
- Cold War: Lessons for Today
Gary Powers, Jr.
- Jamestown Celebrations
Tal Luton, Fire Chief, James City County
Emmett Harmon, Police Chief, James City County
Noon - 1:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Concurrent Session A
- Emergency Manager/Director Orientation - Part A
This is the first part of a two-part workshop for new and nearly-new local emergency management staff and directors. This session focuses on building a strong emergency management organization and the partnership with VDEM. Topics include legislative changes affecting emergency management, the function of Local Support Services, Public Affairs, and the coordination role of the Virginia Emergency Operations Center.
- Emergency Response in a University Environment
At last year’s conference a session was offered on this same topic. This year a real event will be reviewed from a different perspective; that of those not involved in emergency management/public safety on a daily basis.
- The Town Pickett Story
The Town Pickett Story is a tale of the 48-hour transformation of a cluster of dusty Army barracks into a full service disaster shelter and assistance center. To do this required the efforts of dozens of state agencies as well as the surrounding community's resources. Although the evacuation airlift ended before any evacuees were sent to Virginia, standing up Town Pickett is a story that should be told to teach the lessons learned and is best told by several of the key players.
Animals in Disaster (first offering)
This overview will discuss primarily the local challenges and opportunities in developing emergency plans to include the care and management of pets. There will be a focus on local needs, who the partners should be and what a local plan could look like.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Vendor Visitation
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Concurrent Session B
- Emergency Manager/Director Orientation - Part B
The second part of a two-part workshop for new and nearly-new local emergency management staff and directors. Topics in this session focus on preparedness, specific incident response, recovery and mitigation.
- Statewide Mutual Aid - Emergency Management Assistance Compact
Do you have questions about SMA and EMAC implementation: Who decides to send whom? How? Where? Who pays the bill? The answers to these questions and others will be discussed during this workshop. Topics include SMA/EMAC organization, operations, and logistical support.
- Special Needs Populations (first offering)
This presentation examines some of the challenges, barriers and possible solutions surrounding evacuation of populations at risk including the elderly and persons with disabilities. The presentation will be based on scientific literature, findings from recent studies on Hurricane Katrina and practical solutions from reputable guides and manuals.
- Weather Events
The weather events associated with remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto will be discussed, as will a brief review of operations and products from the Southeast River Forecast Center (SERFC).
5 PM - 6 PM
Vendors Sunset Seminars
Thursday, April 19
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM - 5 PM
Conference Registration
8:30 - Noon
General Session
- Somerset County, PA - 9/11 Flight 93
Rick Lohr, Emergency Manager
- FEMA Region III
Jonathan Sarubbi, Director
- Town of Apex, NC - Chemical Fire
Mark Haraway, Fire Chief
Noon - 1:30 PM
Awards Luncheon
2 PM - 3 PM
Concurrent Session C
- Animals in Disaster (second offering)
This overview will discuss primarily the local challenges and opportunities in developing emergency plans to include the care and management of pets. There will be a focus on local needs, who the partners should be and what a local plan could look like.
- State Agencies and You - Part A
This is the first part of a two-part workshop to assist emergency managers as they interact with state agencies that have significant emergency management responsibilities. This session focuses on partnerships with VDOT, Virginia Department of Health, and Virginia Department of Social Services.
- Special Needs Populations (second offering)
This presentation examines some of the challenges, barriers and possible solutions surrounding evacuation of populations at risk including the elderly and persons with disabilities. The presentation will be based on scientific literature, findings from recent studies on Hurricane Katrina and practical solutions from reputable guides and manuals.
- Business Recovery - City of Franklin
This workshop will review how the business community recovered from this past summer’s flooding event compared to the recovery from Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The Mayor of Franklin will provide an overview of activities within the business community that helped them prepare for and recover from the most recent flooding event.
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Concurrent Session D
- Managing Volunteers
This presentation is an overview of a county CERT/MRC program. Should volunteers talk to the press? If a volunteer gets hurt, who is responsible? When is it time to demobilize volunteers? A demonstration will be conducted on the use of an amateur radio.
- State Agencies and You - Part B
The second part of a two-part workshop to assist emergency managers as they interact with state agencies that have significant emergency management responsibilities. This session focuses on partnerships with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Colleges and Universities.
- Private Sector Emergency Management Initiatives
The session "Private Sector Emergency Management Initiatives" will feature several companies that have developed or are developing relationships with governmental organizations to respond to and recover from disaster events. Following various disaster events in the recent past, it has become clear that the private sector is critical to a coordinated community effort in a crisis, and the presenters in this session can provide some lessons already learned in what works.
- Understanding Islamic Terrorism
The development of Islam, abroad and at home, will be reviewed to provide insight into why emergency managers, as well as others, must prepare to address the efforts of belief put to action.
Friday, April 20
7:30 AM - 8 AM
Breakfast Buffet
8 AM - 11 AM
General Session
- Virginia Tech - Near Campus Shooting
Zach Adams, Emergency Planner, VA Tech
Wendell Flinchum, Police Chief, VA Tech
- State Interoperability
Chris Essid, Commonwealth Interoperability Coordinator
- Department of Homeland Security Grants
Michael Cline, State Coordinator, VDEM
Cheryl Adkins, Grants Manager, VDEM
Susan Mongold, Grant Coordinator, OCP
11 AM
Closing Remarks
- Janet Clements, Deputy State Coordinator, VDEM
- Hui-Shan Walker, 1st Vice President, VEMA
VA Business Toolkit
Citizen Corps
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