November, 2024
Volume 18 Issue 11
**Best viewed on a computer browser or horizontally if you are on a smartphone**
Virtual Spring Flood Seminars online January 24
On January 24th, a series of recorded Spring Flood Seminars will be posted on the Vermont Emergency Management website. These videos will provide information that assists local officials in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from seasonal flooding. Videos will include presentations from:
- National Weather Service
- Agency of Transportation District Maintenance and Fleet Division
- Agency of Natural Resources/Department of Environmental Conservation Rivers Program
- Division of Fire Safety – including Urban Search & Rescue and State HAZMAT Team
- Vermont National Guard/Vermont Military Department
- Regional Planning Commissions
- Vermont Emergency Management (Preparedness, Response, Recovery & Mitigation)
VEM will also host a virtual live question & answer session regarding the videos or any other preparedness questions municipal officials may have. Please save the date/time on your calendar – additional details will be provided in January.
- February 13th, 12-1 pm: Spring Flood Q&A
During this session, the National Weather Service will provide a 30-minute update on the spring flood outlook, and all participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the partner agencies that provided videos on January 24th.
Please make sure to view the recorded presentations released on January 24th before attending the Q&A session, and come prepared with questions. You can also benefit from hearing questions posed by other officials.
If you have any questions, please reach out to DPS.EMHSTraining@vermont.gov
Updated Local Emergency Management Plan Requirements
Vermont Emergency Management will release new Local Emergency Management Plan requirements for 2025 submission in late December. Cities and towns can still submit a short form, long form, or any type of document they wish as long as it meets the new minimum requirements and includes the new municipal adoption form.
A few of the changes to the requirements include:
- Regional Emergency Management Committee (REMC) representatives must be listed on the Municipal Adoption Form.
- The Emergency Management Director must be one of the individuals who wrote the plan.
- Plans will require listing a shelter that the city or town has the authority to open.
- Local Emergency Management Plans will still need to be submitted after town meeting day, but the deadline will be extended to June 1st.
Municipalities will submit an updated Local Emergency Management Plan directly to their VEM Regional Coordinator. These Regional Coordinators will also be available to support the city or town with updating the plan ahead of the new June 1st deadline. Changes will be announced to the current 3 points of contact in each Local Emergency Management Plan in late December.
Changes to Regional Coordinator Service Areas
Vermont Emergency Management has added an additional Regional Coordinator and is in the process of hiring two additional in the coming weeks.
With the addition of these positions, the service area for each Regional Coordinator will be reduced to 52 cities and towns or fewer. Below is the list of the counties that the Regional Coordinators will be serving.
Addison & Chittenden Counties: Harry Schoppmann, Harry.Schoppmann@vermont.gov
Windham & Windsor Counties: Taiga Christie, Taiga.Christie@vermont.gov
Orange & Washington Counties: Sidney Pollock, Sidney.Pollock@vermont.gov
Bennington & Rutland Counties: New Regional Coordinator to be announced in late December
Grand Isle, Franklin & Lamoille Counties: New Regional Coordinator to be announced in late December
Caledonia, Essex & Orleans Counties: Zachary Borst, Zachary.Borst@vermont.gov
Until the new Regional Coordinators are announced, please continue to work directly with your existing Regional Coordinator. Names and contact information of all Regional Coordinators will be sent to the current 3 points of contact in each Local Emergency Management Plan in late December.
New Regional Coordinator: Zachary Borst
Zachary Borst has joined the Vermont Emergency Management team as a Regional Coordinator.
Zachary is returning to VEM after building a career in various emergency management roles in Vermont and around the country. Zachary has previous experience as the emergency manager at the University of Vermont and worked as an intelligence analyst and emergency management contractor in the private sector, where he traveled the country helping agencies with training, exercising, and general support. He also served in the Air National Guard as an All-Domain Command and Control Specialist for the last 10 years.
Zachary has lived in Vermont for most of his life and has been involved in public safety since high school including fire and EMS, law enforcement, and was recently on Vermont Task Force One in the Planning Section.
Vermont USAR Chief Receives National Award
The leader of the Vermont Urban Search and Rescue team has been honored by the National State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR) for his service to his and other states. Mike Cannon was honored with the Jim Riley Leadership Award at the organization’s annual conference in Florida this week.
Cannon leads Vermont Task Force 1, which has conducted hundreds of evacuations and rescues in Vermont during storms and other incidents over the past two years. Cannon and his team have also deployed to several other states, such as Florida, North Carolina, and others, to provide mutual aid for rescue crews there following recent hurricanes.
The National State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance encourages the sharing of ideas and discussion about Urban Search and Rescue among teams nationwide. The annual conference is a platform for that dialogue and a forum for training.
For more information on the National Urban Search and Rescue Alliance, visit https://susar.org/
New Cold Weather Products Effective This Season
A note from Scott Whittier of the National Weather Service Burlington Office:
Just a reminder that as we continue our efforts to simplify weather messaging as part of the Hazard Simplification project, there will be a few changes to NWS headlines for the winter season. Please visit this page for more information.
In a nutshell...Wind Chill Advisories and Warnings will be replaced by Cold Advisories and Extreme Cold Warnings. These changes seek to clarify that cold can be dangerous with or without wind, addressing a common misconception that extreme cold is only tied to colder temperatures when there is wind. Dangerously cold weather can accompany or follow wintry precipitation, and the wintry precipitation can overshadow the cold messaging.
Decision Makers who rely on NWS Wind Chill Advisories or Warnings as part of your action plan, please make the necessary changes. In addition, consider using actual temperature criteria that best represent your needs rather than NWS headlines.
FYI - In Vermont and northern NY.
Cold Advisory will be for Air (Ambient) temperature or wind chill of -20 to -29 degrees Fahrenheit.
Extreme Cold Warning will be for Air (Ambient) temperature or wind chill of -30 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
For further information or to ask questions, contact scott.whittier@noaa.gov
Training
Most trainings require a Learning Management System(LMS) account. If you don’t have an account, you can register for one at the following link: https://vermont.csod.com/selfreg/register.aspx?c=%255e%255e%255eQGm2wxcSUvINsXvXjRYs1A%253d%253d
For a complete listing of trainings go to the Events Calendar in the LMS: https://vermont.csod.com/LMS/catalog/EventsCalendar.aspx?tab_page_id=-10&tab_id=20000513#m=2&d=03/08/2023
VT- Alert Manager Training: This training is now an anytime training in the LMS. We will still host the virtual live training. You can take this training at the following link on the LMS: https://vermont.csod.com/ui/lms-learning-details/app/video/588bdf66-6e68-490e-aa8b-18ccdd115184
December 2024
G0191- ICS/EOC Interface
This course provides an opportunity for participants to begin developing an effective interface between the Incident Command System (ICS) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for their community by applying Incident Command System (ICS) principles. This course reviews ICS and EOC responsibilities and functions and depends heavily on exercises and group discussions to identify interface issues and develop solutions. As part of the course, these concepts are then applied to exercise situations.
LOCATION: St. Albans Town Office, St. Albans, VT
DATE/TIME: December 11, 2024, 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
PREREQUISITES: IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
January 2025
ICS 300- Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
This course focuses on management of expanding incidents and is intended for those who will be serving in the following positions: command staff, section chiefs, strike team leaders, unit leaders, division and group supervisors, branch directors, multi-agency coordination system staff, and Emergency Operations Center staff. This course is for middle management, strike team leaders, task force leaders, unit leaders, division and group supervisors, branch directors, Emergency Operations Center staff.
LOCATION: Camp Johnson- Colchester, VT
DATE/TIME: January 10-12, 2025, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. each day
PREREQUISITES: ICS-100 and ICS- 200
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
February 2025
Mental Health First Aid Training
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults.
LOCATION: Hybrid- It will be virtual and at DPS Headquarters, Waterbury, VT
DATE/TIME: February 6, 2025, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
*This is for people within the state of Vermont.