wisconsin wing - dec 2008

8/7/2019 Wisconsin Wing - Dec 2008

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Wisconsin Homeland Security Newsletter Fall/Winter 2008

In this

Issue:

Fall/Winter 2008

homefront

page threeFederal

funding cuts

page fourImages ofWisconsin ooding

page veNew tool used inood ghting

page sixVolunteer initiativeunveiled

page sixGet ready forPreparednessMonth

Thanking ood responders

Governor Doyle and Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar discuss the oodresponse with Wisconsin Emergency Management Adminis

trator Johnny Smith, State Patrol Superintendent Dave Collins

and Wisconsin Emergency Management Southeast Regiona

Director Paul France.

Governor Jim Doyle

As tornadoes touched down andrain began to fall, the evening of June7 marked the beginning of what wouldbecome the largest natural disaster to strikeWisconsin in the last twenty years. Fordays, downpours soaked communitiesthroughout southern Wisconsin, from theFox Valley to towns and villages nearthe Mississippi River still reeling fromdisastrous 2007 ooding.

But as the ood waters rose andremained above record levels, thousandsof re ghters, law enforcement ofcers,public works and emergency managementofcials dedicated themselves to preservingthe lives, homes and possessions of theirneighbors. As I toured ood-ravagedcommunities, I saw men and women youngand old working days-long shifts to keep

the ood waters at bay.In the face of such a wide-spread

disaster, our emergency responders reacted withprecision and dedication. Local crews sandbagged

businesses and homes, highway ofcials workedto reopen critical roads and interstates and reliefstations were opened across the region.

On behalf of the thousands of citizensaffected by the record-breaking ooding, I thankour emergency responders for your sacrice andservice to the state. You worked long hours inchallenging conditions and helped thousands offamilies and communities overcome disaster.

While the rain may have stopped weeks ago,there is still work to be done. In some areas, ood

waters remain. Many homes will need signicantrepairs or will have to be replaced.

My administration continues to work withfederal ofcials to secure nancial aid and

assistance. To date, over $60 million has beenawarded to communities and individuals whosehomes were damaged.

As we continue to recover from this disaster,we should all take a moment to thank our rst-class emergency responders and local and stateofcials who have worked so hard to respond to

and recover from the ooding. n


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2 Fall/Winter 200

Brig. Gen. Donald P. DunbarHomeland Security Advisor and Council ChairThe Adjutant General Dept. of Military Affairs

David CollinsSuperintendent Wisconsin State Patrol

Tom Anderson *Alternate

Emergency Coordinator Dept. of Health Services

Dan Blackdeer * AlternateChief Wisconsin Capitol Police

Susan CrawfordDept. of Natural Resources

Johnnie SmithAdministrator Wisconsin Emergency Management

David SteingraberExecutive Director Ofce of Justice Assistance

Mike MyszewskiAdministrator Dept. of Justice

Division of Criminal Investigation

Martin HenertExecutive Assistant Dept. of Agriculture, Trade andConsumer Protection

Homeland Security Council

Hom

eland Secu

rity

StateofWisconsi

n

homefront

Volume 4 Number 2

Ofcial Newsletter of

the WisconsinHomeland Security Council

Lori Getter Wisconsin Emergency ManagementEditor608.242.3239 [email protected]

Ryan Sugden Ofce of Justice AssistanceEditor608.266.6476 [email protected]

Kelly Bradley Dept. of Military AffairsGraphic Design608.242.3055 [email protected]

Larry Sommers Dept. of Military AffairsPhotos608.242.3056 [email protected]

Homefront Staff

Contents of the Wisconsin Homeland Security magazine

are not necessarily the ofcial views of, or endorsed by,

the U.S. Government. Printed by the Dept. of

Administration. Circulation: 3,000.

Printed on recycled paper.

From the ChairBrig. Gen. Don Dunbar

http://homelandsecurity.wi.gov

Brig. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar

Homeland Security Advisor

As my rst year serving asWisconsins Adjutant Generaland Governor Doyles HomelandSecurity Advisor draws to a close,

Im mindful of what a year it hasbeen. The year has gone by fastand was punctuated with manyemergencies and disasters. Iliterally began my new positionsserving in the State EmergencyOperations Center and touringood-damaged communities inSouthern Wisconsin in August2007. I was amazed at the damagecaused by the oodwaters andimpressed by the response oflocal rst responders, National

Guard, state agencies, FEMA,and volunteer agencies who cametogether to coordinate and helpthose in need.

The winter months were justas busy with a rare January tornadoin Kenosha, blizzards and majorsnowstorms including the Interstate39/90 backup in February andrecord snow fall amounts for manyWisconsin communities.

Clearly, the lessons learnedfrom these past disasters and

emergencies prepared us for whatwas to come this summer. Thetorrential rains in June shatteredood damage records for manyWisconsin communities, manyof which (such as Gays Millsand Viola) were still recoveringfrom last years ooding. Thisemergency was very serious andset record ood levels for many

Wisconsin rivers. Over 38,000families across southern Wisconsinwere impacted by the storms.

Under the excellent leadershipof Johnnie Smith and WisconsinEmergency Management, the StateEmergency Operations Center(EOC) in Madison was activated onJune 7 when there was a threat ofsevere weather and remained openuntil June 24. This early activationwas part of a new proceduredeveloped in the wake of the winterinterstate back-up. Wisconsin stateagencies worked closely with theircounterparts at the local and federallevel to coordinate assistance.

Some highlights included:n State correctional inmates

worked thousands of hours inassisting with lling sandbags andremoving debris.

n The WisconsinNational Guard providedaerial assessments, deliveredsandbags and water, assisted

with evacuations, conductedengineering assessments, andassisted local law enforcement inood ridden communities.

n The Wisconsin NationalGuard Joint Force Headquartersactivated on June 7 andcoordinated all guard operations,which included both Army andAir National Guard Forces.

n Department of NaturalResources provided boatsand wardens to assist withevacuations, monitored dams and

provided pumps.n Department of

Transportation and WisconsinState Patrol provided additionalsecurity and assistance, monitoredbridges and closed roadsincluding several sections ofinterstates due to ood waters.

n Department of Health &Family Services provided tetanusvaccinations and well testing kits.

n Red Cross, SalvationArmy and other volunteer groups


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Homefront

Terrorism liaison ofcers opening lines ofcommunication

Homeland Security

funding cuts continue

FBI Director Robert Mueller has called local lawenforcement ofcers the rst line of defense against crime andterrorism and the WisconsinStatewide Information Center

(WSIC) and Milwaukee-areaSoutheast Terrorism Alert Center(STAC) are working to ensurethat intelligence critical to publicsafety is quickly and efcientlyshared between the front-lines

and decision-makers and analystsat the state and federal levels.

Local law enforcementofcers, re, EMS, emergencymanagement, health care and agriculture personnel are beingtrained as Terrorism Liaison Ofcers (TLO) to spot suspicious,

terrorism-related activity and to help state and federal analysts

root out potentially dangerous criminal operations. TLOs willalso receive the latest intelligence on crime and terrorism-relatedtrends so that ofcers at the local level can be vigilant againstpotential threats.

Terrorism Liaison Ofcers act as our conduits forinformation to and from the state and federal levels and functionas the eyes and ears of information fusion centers across thecountry, said WSIC Special Agent in Charge Ed Wall. Thisprogram is designed to ensure that information on illegal andpotentially dangerous activity is shared quickly and effectively.

Initial training for TLOs took place at Volk Field with

representatives from all regions of the state. Continual trainingwill occur twice per year on topics ranging from domestic andinternational terrorism, disaster response and other areas ofinterest.

A properly trained TLO is an asset to local communities,businesses and response agencies. If a truckload of chemicalswas stolen from a business in Wisconsin, for example, a TLOwould have the means to report this information to analysts atthe WSIC and federal authorities. Should other state fusioncenters report a similar string of thefts, a potentially dangeroustrend could be spotted at thefederal level and a catastropheavoided.

Alternatively, if federalauthorities warn states of

burglaries involving inter-statetrucking, TLOs would be

notied and communities andbusinesses could more closelymonitor trucking and shipping yards. In both cases, open linesof communication between TLOs and local, state and federalauthorities are the foundation for preventing crime and terroristactivity.

If you or your agency would like to become involved in theTLO program, please contact the WSIC at [email protected] more information. n

Homeland security funding in Wisconsin will be the lowestsince the program debuted in 2003, the Department of HomelandSecurity announced in July. In FY 2008, Wisconsin will receive just$15 million, down 14% from 2007. Funding for the Milwaukee UrbanArea Security Initiative (UASI), a separate award from state funding,remained stable at $4.5 million. Efforts will now be made to trim thestates spending plan to meet the $10.6 million allotment. For moreinformation, please visit www.oja.wi.gov.

provided thousands of hoursof assistance to ood victimswhich included providingcleanup kits, counselingservices, emergencysheltering and meals.

I also have to thank ourfriends from the FederalEmergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) andthe U.S. Small BusinessAdministration (SBA).FEMA ofcials were inthe State EOC before the

emergency was declared andremained with us during theresponse to the ooding.FEMA Administrator DavidPaulison and SBA actingadministrator Jovita Carranzaarrived in Wisconsin to viewthe damage with GovernorDoyle on June 14 andannounced a federal disasterdeclaration to begin theprocess of providing help tothose in need.

So far Wisconsindisaster victims havereceived more $60 million ingrants and low interest loans.

While the cleanup andrecovery process for the2008 storms and oodingwill take months and insome cases years - wemust remain ready for thenext storm or emergency.As we approach NationalPreparedness Month inSeptember, I encourage all

Wisconsin citizens to take alook at their own family orbusiness emergency plans,put together a disaster supplykit and enroll in emergencytraining such as rst aid,CPR or even CommunityEmergency ResponseTraining (CERT) courses.

By working together,we can be ready for the nextstorm and keep our familiessafe. n


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4 Fall/Winter 200

Wisconsin June 2008 FloodingThe heavy rains inearly June left wide-spread destructionacross southern Wis-consin. Thousandsof people were dis-

placed as the waterwould rise and wouldremain in many com-munities for weeks.Local, state, federalagencies, non-profitorganizations, busi-nesses, and citizensworked hard to tryand protect theraging flood watersand provide comfortand relief to thoseimpacted. Hereare some images ofthe 2008 WisconsinFlooding.


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Homefront


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6 Fall/Winter 200

New initiative promotes emergency

volunteerism

Statewide trunking system update

The state Citizen Corps Council and WisconsinVoluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)have launched an initiative to encourage and prepareWisconsin citizens to volunteer during emergencies anddisasters. The partnership will also work with localgovernments to better use and incorporate volunteers indisaster response and recovery plans.

As the response to this summers oods showed, inWisconsin, when people are in need, our citizens cometo their aid, said Governor Jim Doyle. This initiative

will help citizens safely and efciently join our profes-

sional rst responders in responding to emergencies,saving lives and protecting communities from disaster.

The Wisconsin Emergency Volunteer WeVolun-teer Initiative brings together government emergencyresponse agencies, non-prot disaster service groupsand private citizens to increase the number of citizen

volunteers statewide and to better integrate them inemergency situations.

Through the new initiative, Wisconsin citizens canmore easily nd emergency volunteer opportunities.

Over 35 different non-prot disaster service organiza-tions with more than 200 local chapters are listed on www.wevolunteer.wi.gov.

Additionally, a statewide volunteer registry currentlyunder development will allow citizens to enroll themselves ina volunteer database, giving emergency responders the abilityto search for volunteers with particular skills medical trainingor permits to use heavy machinery, for example and call onthem when the need arises.

The WeVolunteer Initiative is led by former AdjutantGeneral and Citizen Corps Council Chairman Al Wilkeningand Salvation Army Disaster Services Director and VOADChairperson Terri Leece.

The initiative will focus on:

1. Promoting emergency volunteerism: Communitiesrally to help one another during disasters and emergencies, and

the WeVolunteer Initiative will give citizens a central place tond emergency volunteer opportunities.

2. Integrating volunteers in emergency response &

recovery plans: The WeVolunteer Initiative will work withlocal governments and response agencies to better incorporatevolunteers and disaster relief organizations in response andrecovery plans. The WeVolunteer website has informationon volunteer liability and training courses on how to manage

spontaneous volunteers.3. Increased coordination of disaster relief organiza-

tions: From faith-based organizations to local citizen corpscouncils and chapters of the Red Cross, there are dozens ofdisaster relief organizations working hard to serve Wisconsincitizens in need. WeVolunteer will increase coordination ofthese efforts and facilitate the sharing of best-practices. n

A Statewide System Management Group (SSMG) has beenformed through nominations from state law enforcement and

emergency management associations to oversee the develop-ment of a proposed statewide interoperable communicationssystem. The SSMG will select an independent engineering rmto conduct a technical feasibility study for the project, and basedupon its outcome, the SSMG will craft recommendations to eithermove ahead with the planned trunking system or to consideralternative proposals.

Meet your Statewide System Management Group:

Chairman: Tom Ritchie, Sheriff, Barron County

Vice-Chairman: Randy Pickering, Chief, Fitchburg Fire Department

Members:Joe Collins, Chief, Two Rivers Police Department

Steve Hansen, Chief, Racine Fire Department

Brian Satula, Chief, Oak Creek Fire Department

David A. Sonntag, Chief, Phillips Police Department

Tony Barthuly, Chief, Fond du Lac Police Department

John Sweeney, Chief Deputy, Oneida County Sheriffs Department

Karen Carlson, Management Information Coordinator, FoxComm

Jennifer Lord-Kourachi, Emergency Manager, Clark County

Dave Mahoney, Sheriff, Dane County

Kaylynn Gresham, Deputy Director, Oneida Tribe

Mark Schomisch, Associate Warden, Department of Corrections

Keith Tveit, Wisconsin Emergency Management

Doug Meier, Department of Natural Resources

Carl Guse, State Frequency Coordinator, Department of Transportation n


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Homefront

Local, regional communications receive boostRegional communications in Wisconsin received a boost

when 15 counties were awarded funds to connect emergencyoperations and local and tribal dispatch centers using a Radioover Internet Protocol (RoIP). The $470,000 grant was recentlyawarded to the West Central Interoperability Alliance to accom-plish a number of key objectives: to develop Emergency Opera-tions Centers in WCIA counties and to connect dispatch centers

of neighboring non-WCIA counties using its internet-based

network. Funds will also be used to connect the states EOC inMadison and at least two dispatch centers from other regions ofthe state over the RoIP network.

Additional funding will be used to replace 2,000 aging lo-cal emergency responder radios. In four years, $20 million hasbeen awarded to local response agencies to replace or reprogram

30,000 radios. n

Preparedness Month ActivitiesSeptember is National Preparedness Month. This annual

event offers organizations and individuals on the local, state,and national levels an opportunity to partner together to deliveremergency preparedness messages to the public. The WisconsinHomeland Security Council, the Wisconsin Department ofMilitary Affairs, Wisconsin Emergency Management, WisconsinCitizen Corps, the Wisconsin National Guard, and the state Ofce

of Justice Assistance are planning a number of exciting eventsthroughout the state.At the beginning of the month, there will be a big kick-

off event at Miller Park with the Milwaukee Brewers for theirSeptember 1st baseball game against the New York Mets at 1:05p.m. In addition to the public service announcements aboutemergency preparedness that will air during the game, local rstresponders will be joining us outside the stadium at 10 a.m. topromote the preparedness message to families before the gamestarts. By 11 a.m., Radio Disney will join the fun with family-

friendly activities and a 1-hour live Family Entertainment event(starting around noon). Fans can show up early to the ballpark tolisten to family-friendly music, answer emergency preparednesstrivia questions, and get their pictures taken with emergencyresponse vehicles.

The fun continues during the second week of September aslocal emergency response organizations across the state opentheir doors to welcome local community members.

The third week of September will highlight the stateand local governments efforts in improving Wisconsinspreparedness.

Then, as the last full week of September ends, the focuswill shift from informing citizens about emergency preparednessto providing ways for citizens to get actively involved in thepreparedness process. From signing up as a volunteer onthe WeVolunteer registry to buying an emergency supply kit(Menards is partnering with the Wisconsin Homeland Security

Council to have emergency supply kit items available forpurchase in all 43 of its Wisconsin stores) to joining a localCitizen Corp team, this will be the time for Wisconsin residentsto take the momentum of the rst three weeks and implementenduring change that propels Wisconsin into the forefront ofemergency preparedness.

For the month of September, the State of Wisconsin willbe issuing the Four Base Challenge to Wisconsin residents. Tocomplete the Four Base Challenge, households must get anemergency supply kit, develop an emergency plan, test theirknowledge by answering questions about different emergencysituations, and nd a way to become more actively involved inemergency preparedness.

Information about different state and local PreparednessMonth activities and the Four Base Challenge will beavailable on the Wisconsin Homeland Security website, www.homelandsecurity.wi.gov .

Wisconsins Weekly Themes for September Preparedness Month

Sept 1 6 Preparing Our Homes and WorkplacesSept 8 14 Getting to Know Our Emergency RespondersSept 15 21 Learning What Our State Is Doing to Keep Us SafeSept 22 30 Becoming Involved In Protecting Our

Communities n


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PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

MADISON WI

PERMIT NO 1369

Ofce of Justice Assistance

1 S. Pinckney Street

Madison, WI 53702

Fall Preparedness Conferences AnnouncedDetails for the second annual Wisconsin Preparedness

Forum and the annual Wisconsin Emergency Manage-ment Association (WEMA) Conference have recently beenannounced. The two-day Preparedness Forum begins Oc-tober 27 followed by the WEMA conference on October 29.Both will be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

The Citizen Corps Council-sponsored Wisconsin Pre-paredness Forum offers a unique opportunity for sharedlearning and networking between public, non-prot andprivate sector emergency preparedness and managementofcials.

Featured speakers include Adjutant General DonDunbar, a panel discussion on recent ooding includingthe perspective of the private sector, and a presentation oncyber-warfare from the Air Force Cyber Command. Thetwo-day conference will close with an innovative businessdisruption exercise facilitated by world-class faculty fromthe Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The theme of this years annual WEMA Conferenceis The Anatomy of a Disaster: Planning and Respondingto a Long-Term Power Outage. The conference opens onWednesday, October 29. Emergency managers attendingthe WEMA conference will receive a discount on registra-tion for the Preparedness Forum.

Brigadier General Don Dunbar, the Adjutant General of Wisconsin,

addresses the Wisconsin Preparedness Forum in Stevens Point in2007. Former Adjutant General and current Citizen Corps Chairman

Al Wilkening, right, joined experts on counterterrorism, business

continuity, emergency management and volunteerism at the inau-

gural event. The 2008 Forum will focus on the integration of public,private and volunteer resources following a disaster.

For more information on the Wisconsin PreparednessForum, please visit www.citizencorps.wi.gov , orwww.wema.us for more information on the WEMA conference. n

wisconsin wing - dec 2008

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