MEETING MINUTES: July 20, 2010 Regional Advisory Council DHS/FEMA Region VIII Meeting Description: The seventh meeting of the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) for Region VIII occurred on July 20, 2010, in the Governor’s Policy Room at the State Office Building in Salt Lake City, UT. Having a quorum of members present in person or via conference phone, the meeting began at 1:10 p.m. Mountain Time and ended at 3:00 p.m. Regional Administrator Robin Finegan facilitated the meeting as RAC Chair, assisted by Hans Kallam as RAC Vice Chair. Council Members Present: Del Brewer Tribal Representative, Oglala Sioux Tribe (RAC 2nd Vice Chair) * Chris Burbank Chief of Police, Salt Lake City UT Police Department Robin Finegan Regional Administrator, DHS/FEMA Region VIII (RAC Chair) Dwight Henninger Chief of Police, Vail CO Police Department Hans Kallam Director, CO Division of Emergency Management (RAC Vice Chair) Joe Moore Director, WY Office of Homeland Security * Mark Peck MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation * Col. Keith Squires Deputy Commissioner, UT Department of Public Safety * Via conference call Other Attendees or Observers: Donovan Puffer, DHS/FEMA Region VIII; designated support officer for the Council Council Members Not Present: Dr. Greg Burcham Denver emergency physician, Colorado US&R Task Force Bruce Hoover Chief, Fargo ND Fire Department Jeff Jahnke Director/State Forester, CO State Forest Service Pete Red Tomahawk Tribal Representative, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Kristi Turman Director, SD Office of Emergency Management Greg Wilz Director, ND Division of Homeland Security ** ** Attempted to call in, but conference call number had been changed. Handouts Distributed to RAC Members in Advance of or During Meeting: * RAC and RISC meeting agendas * Presentation, “Region VIII Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Index,” by Doug Bausch * Minutes from RAC meeting April 1, 2010 * RAC Recommendations for 2009 Welcome, Introductions & Role of the RAC. Donovan Puffer welcomed the RAC members in person and on the phone. After self-introductions, Robin Finegan thanked the members for participating in the RAC. Hans Kallam summarized the discussions from the previous RAC meeting in April regarding the roles and relationships of the RAC, Regional Interagency Steering Committee (RISC), and Regional Administrator, and how they should complement each other. Ms. Finegan asked the members to think about what the RAC should be doing in the future. She urged the members to talk about and agree on a direction for the RAC so that meetings would be meaningful and productive for the members and the Region. Mr. Kallam recounted a conversation with Ms. Finegan in which they talked about the value of RISC meetings. Networking and information sharing in the RISC is worthwhile, but the meetings can be more useful in other ways. Mr. Kallam said the RAC can set the strategic direction for the work accomplished by the RISC. Ms. Finegan said she would like the RAC to discuss ways to promote tribal emergency management capabilities in the future. Region VIII Hazard Assessment, by Doug Bausch. Mr. Bausch used a Powerpoint presentation to assist in describing for RAC members a project he and others have been working on, to create a Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Index for Region VIII jurisdictions. He began by pointing out the fact that Region VIII has the highest mortality rate for disasters in the U.S. This fact was part of the impetus for creating the Vulnerability Index, so that specific risk factors & ratings can be displayed for all of the 297 counties within Region VIII, as a basis for risk-based decision making in the future. Mr. Bausch said the database uses seven data sets covering natural hazards; he talked about the desire to add an eighth data set, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Smart Growth data set, which would add information on the impacts of development projected out from the present to the year 2100. Mr. Kallam posed a question to Mr. Bausch and Joe Moore: Does the information exist to add information into the Vulnerability Index database to incorporate manmade hazards, such as terrorism? Mr. Moore said it does, data on agro-terrorism, cyber crime, and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threats are available through DHS Critical Infrastructure & fusion center channels. Mr. Bausch said the insurance industry also tracks information regarding responder capabilities by jurisdiction, using ISO scores to set insurance rates. RAC members discussed the potential value of the Vulnerability Index tool, and recommended that Region VIII discuss with DHS Protective Security Advisors the prospect of adding in data sets from Critical Infrastructure sources to be able to assess risks from man-made hazards, as well as perhaps the responder-capability ISO scores used by the insurance industry. Dwight Henninger recommended information on the RVIII Vulnerability Index be shared with a broader audience. Ms. Finegan asked Mr. Bausch to provide her with feedback on what resources were needed to take the RVIII Vulnerability Index capability to the next level. RAC Recommendations to the Region for 2010. RAC members had copies of the eight recommendations the RAC made to Region VIII for 2009, and Mr. Puffer summarized how those recommendations, forwarded by the RAC to the RISC Executive Committee and included in the Region’s Annual Report, had driven specific actions in four of the eight areas during 2009. He described additional work in May 2010 on two more recommendations (promoting intra-Regional mutual aid and resource typing), as well as initial discussions between Region VIII Response staff and the State of North Dakota on another recommendation (promoting use of Web EOC as a common platform within the region). Summarizing for Ms. Finegan their discussions from the April RAC meeting, the members agreed the eight recommendations from 2009 were still valid for 2010. They also discussed additional RAC recommendations, such as: 1) Establishing a risk assessment capability that would be standardized, easily accessible, and useful to all users within the Regions as a driver for decision making and planning; 2) Institutionalizing emergency management capabilities in tribes; and 3) Promoting a clear understanding of the roles and relationships of the RAC, RISC, Regional Administrator, and Regional Office, and how they should fit together; and 4) Having in place a means of documenting the status of RAC recommendations and subsequent follow-up actions, perhaps in the form of a color-coded scorecard or summary document, so that the RAC, the RISC, and the Region in general would have a clearer understanding of what was being done, by whom, and what the expected results would be. Mr. Puffer will draft recommendations on these topics and email them to the RAC members for consideration. Update: National Preparedness Task Force. Mr. Kallam and Mr. Henninger are members of FEMA’s National Preparedness Task Force. During the RISC meeting earlier in the day, Mr. Kallam gave a short presentation on the status & draft recommendations of the Task Force. Mr. Henninger asked that we obtain the electronic file of Mr. Kallam’s presentation and share it with the other RAC members. The RAC members briefly discussed how the Region VIII Vulnerability Index tool might fit into the Task Force’s recommendations. Next Steps & Next Meeting. Regarding next steps for the RAC, Mr. Kallam proposed an effort with the Region to promote interaction and coordination between Federal and State Emergency Support Function (ESF) counterparts. By bringing together the ESF representatives of the Federal agencies and RVIII States, Mr. Kallam thought it would be a catalyst for building relationships and encouraging agencies to understand the extraordinary responsibilities associated with an ESF, over and above the normal authorities and work of an agency. In addition to tribal issues mentioned previously, Ms. Finegan also proposed that the RAC in future meetings discuss with her the complexities of disasters that span more than one Region, and how best to coordinate FEMA’s responsibilities and processes in these types of events. Ms. Finegan asked the RAC members present if they wanted to continue to conduct their meetings at the same time & location as the RISC meetings. Mr. Kallam said it was efficient since several RAC members typically were involved in the RISC meetings, and other members seemed to agree (no objections noted). Thus the next RAC meeting will be scheduled concurrent with the next RISC meeting in November 2010. Mr. Kallam summarized the agenda topics that would be covered at the next RAC meeting – * An update on progress regarding the 2009 RAC recommendations * Discuss and adopt new RAC recommendations for 2010/11 * An update from Mr. Bausch regarding the RVIII Vulnerability Index * Discussion on institutionalizing emergency management capabilities in tribes * Discussion of a three-year strategic vision for the RAC, to provide continuity Ms. Finegan thanked the Council members for participating, and the meeting adjourned at 3 p.m. * * * * These meeting minutes have been reviewed and approved by the RAC Chair. RVIII Advisory Council Page 1 Minutes: 7/20/10 Meeting