Chittenden County

A talk with Sue Klebold followed by Q & A and a panel presentation will be held on September 26, 2018 6-8pm at South Burlington High School (550 Dorset Street, South Burlington). Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two gunmen responsible for the Columbine High School Shooting on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado.  

This event is free and open to the public.  Registration is not required.

For further information, please see the Howard Center Community Education Series flyer or listen to Sue Klebold's TED Talk.

Secretary French (AOE) and Commissioner Anderson (DPS) are pleased to announce the Governor’s Statewide School Safety Training Conference to be held on November 13, 2018 at the Double Tree, Burlington, VT. This all-day conference is designed to inform participants of the best and promising practices in school safety and emergency preparedness. Schools are strongly encouraged to attend this conference with their local emergency management officials and emergency first responders to build or enhance their school crisis planning capacity.

The Keynote speaker will be FBI Assistant Director Kerry L. Sleeper. Mr. Sleeper entered on duty with the FBI in April 2012 after serving as Special Advisor to Directorate of Intelligence (DI) Assistant Director Eric Velez-Villar. Mr. Sleeper advised the DI on how to integrate and align the FBI's intelligence efforts with those of other federal, state, local, and tribal information-sharing programs with special focus on fusion centers. In April 2012 Mr. Sleeper was appointed to Deputy Assistant Director by Director Robert Mueller. In February 2014 FBI Director James Comey then appointed Mr. Sleeper to the position of Assistant Director of the Office of Partner Engagement (OPE). The OPE implements initiatives and strategies which support engagement, communication, coordination, and cooperation efforts with law enforcement, intelligence, public and private agencies and partners in a continuous effort to enhance the FBI's capabilities in the Domestic Information-Sharing Architecture - click here to see full bio.

This conference will provide educational tracks that will include but are not limited to: Developing a School Resource Officer Program, lessons learned from Fair Haven, teen suicide and much more.  More information provided on the registration website. Registration is now closed. Contact: Barbie Pignone, Education Program Assistant at barbie.pignone@vermont.gov. 

This 3-hour course is designed to provide an overview of the operational framework of the Incident Command System (ICS) that is utilized by all those that may respond to a critical incident at your school. Supervisory Unions are strongly encouraged to attend this training with their school executive leadership teams.

If you are interested in attending this training, please contact Rob Evans, School Safety Liaison Officer at revans@margolishealy.com or at (802) 839-0448 with the date and name of the training you would like to attend.

Course Location: Essex High School, 2 Educational Dr, Essex Junction, VT 05452

This 3-hour course is designed to teach school administrators or designated staff how to communicate with parents, the public, and the press during a critical incident or school emergency.  The course focuses on clear and effective communication strategies to maintain a sense of calm among the public and control of the scene during an event. Supervisory Unions are strongly encouraged to attend this training with their school executive leadership teams.

If you are interested in attending this training, please contact Rob Evans, School Safety Liaison Officer at revans@margolishealy.com or at (802) 839-0448 with the date and name of the training you would like to attend.

Course Location: Essex High School, 2 Educational Dr, Essex Junction, VT 05452

The Vermont Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management and the National Protection and Programs Directorate Office of Infrastructure Protection, within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, are hosting a free one-day Active Shooter Preparedness Workshop on February 7, 2018 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Vermont National Guard Regional Training Institute - 251 Academy Lane in Colchester, VT.

The purpose of the Active Shooter Workshop is to enhance awareness of, and response to, an active shooter event and will provide the following:

• Educate participants on the history of active shooter events
• Describe common behavior, conditions, and situations associated with active shooters
• Foster communication between critical infrastructure owners and operators and local emergency response teams

The workshop,  WHICH IS NOT A TACTICAL TRAINING COURSE, includes discussions of interoperability, communications protocols, and best practices for planning, preparedness, and response.   It will also describe how to incorporate key elements of successful incident management into planning efforts including:

• Communication and incident planning for employees
• Emergency action plan development
• Recognizing behavioral indicators
• Coordinating with first responders

Those invited to attend include public and private sector security professionals, HR managers, supervisory first responders, community response officials and Homeland Security representatives. 

REGISTRATION 

• A government-issued ID (license) will be required for entry
• Registration closes 02/05/2018 at 12:00 pm (EDT)
• Registration for this event is free; please click here to register.

Any questions regarding the workshop should be directed to Brittany Marquette, EM State Training Administrator, at Brittany.Marquette@vermont.gov or 802-241-5414.

Dates: April 25, 2018
Time:  9:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, 110 W Canal St #202, Winooski

Registration

This course provides Executives and Senior Officials (including Elected Officials, City/County Managers, Agency Administrators, etc.) an orientation to the Incident Command System (ICS).

Date: February 15, 2018
Time:  8:00AM - 4:30PM
Location: Williston Fire Department

Registration

This course provides emergency responders the basics of public information and media relations.  This course is the pared down version of the official Basic Public Information Officer course offered by FEMA as a way of engaging Vermont's predominantly volunteer emergency response community in a shorter format.  It cannot be used as the required prerequisite for entry into the Advanced PIO course at the Emergency Management Institute.

Effective communication with the public is critical in any emergency response.  Accurately conveying current risks and protective actions helps individuals make decisions that can keep themselves and their families safe.

Communicating during a school crisis poses a unique set of challenges as parents are eager to know what is happening and what is being done to ensure the safety of their children.  Effective and timely emergency notifications can keep parents from making decisions that may have a negative impact on the emergency response during a time of crisis. 

Vermont Emergency Management Public Information Officer Mark Bosma in collaboration with the Vermont School Safety Center is offering a one-day Public Information training for school administrators and communicators.  It is offered as a free service to schools, it can be brought directly to districts, and will be offered in four regions this summer.

The training has been revised to focus on the communication needs of schools and the people schools must reach during an emergency.  The training provides background on the Public Information function, provides advice for establishing communication plans and how to communicate with the public, and offers guidance on media relations, interviews, and press conferences.

To register for the course please contact Mark Bosma at VEM at mark.bosma@vermont.gov or 800-347-0488.

Location: Chittenden Regional Planning Commission, 110 West Canal Street, Winooski

When: March 9, 2017

Where: University of Vermont Research Facility, 360 S Park Dr, Colchester 

Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Maximum participants: 20

Instructor: Mark Bosma

Description

This one-day course will outline the communications needed for different incidents and define the roles of the PIO within ICS.

This is the final prerequisite classroom course for the Advanced Public Information Officer Course April 17-21 in Berlin

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• State the course purpose and objectives.
• Describe why public information officers train at this level.
• Define NIMS, and explain where public information fits in.
• Define ICS and the role of the PIO within ICS.
• Analyze the communications needs of a single-PIO incident.
• Given a 5% scenario, analyze the actions and barriers to communications in an expanding incident.
• Describe the advantages and challenges of working with multiple PIOs.
• Differentiate between the JIS and the JIC.
• Describe triggers for JIC activation.
• Describe the preparedness activities for establishing and maintaining a JIC.
• Describe flexible and scalable structures for organizing a JIC based on incident needs.
• Describe circumstances when State and Federal partners might be integrated into the JIS/JIC.
• Describe the State JIC organizational structures and resources.
• Describe the Federal ESF #15 organizational structures and resources.
• Identify strategies for building partnerships at all levels.
• Given a 5% scenario, demonstrate organizing a JIC.
• Recall course key points.

Target Audience

The primary audience for this training is individuals who have public information responsibilities as their main job or as an auxiliary function at the state, local, or tribal level of government.
It is prerequisite for entry into the Advanced PIO course being held in April 2017 at Berlin, VT.

Prerequisites

G0290 - Basic Information Officer course (being offered two days prior to course delivery).

Notes

Participants who attend all hours required of this course and successfully pass a final exam will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Late registrations may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.

Number of openings: 20
Registration Deadline: 2 weeks prior to course

To Register

Complete the DEMHS General Registration form.
Complete IS. 29  as listed above and retain your Certificate of Completion.
Scan the DEMHS General Registration form with your IS.29 Certificate of Completion to Homeland Security Training Coordinator at DPS.EMHSTraining@vermont.gov.
Once the completed registration package is received, a confirmation email is sent. (This will serve as your confirmation for registering for the course. Therefore please mark your calendar once you have received this confirmation).

A course email notification will be forth coming in the weeks prior to the course delivery.

Department of Public Safety – Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is hosting G0290 - Basic Public Information Officers Course in Colchester. This is one of the classroom prerequisites the Advanced PIO course being held in Vermont in April 2017.  The final prerequisite is being offered the day after this course: G0291 - Joint Information System/Joint Information Center

When: March 7-8, 2017 (must attend both days)

Where: University of Vermont Research Facility, 360 S Park Drive, Colchester 

Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM both days.

Maximum participants: 20

Instructor: Mark Bosma

Course Overview

This 2-day classroom course is an updated, shortened, and revised version of the previous course. The revised course:

• Emphasizes skills development
• Addresses the impact of technology on emergency public information
• Offers options that allow the states to tailor the instructional methodology to suit their needs while consistently meeting the course learning objectives.

Course Objectives
Demonstrate how to communicate emergency public information effectively in writing to the public through the news media.
Describe actions the PIO can take to prepare for and conduct an effective interview with the news media.
Demonstrate the ability to answer questions effectively during an on-camera interview.
Describe how to effectively perform the responsibilities of the PIO at the scene of an incident.
Describe the JIS/JIC concepts as they apply to the public information function in an expanding incident.
Participate in a panel.

Target Audience
The primary audience for this training is individuals who have public information responsibilities as their main job or as an auxiliary function at the state, local, or tribal level of government.

It is prerequisite for entry into the Advanced PIO course being held in April 2017 at Berlin, VT.

Prerequisites
IS. 29 -  Public Information Officer Awareness https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-29

We encourage all of our partners to attend. If you would like to participate, please follow the application instructions below. Please share this invitation with others in your agency who may be interested in  attending as well.

To Register

Complete the DEMHS General Registration form.
Complete IS. 29  as listed above and retain your Certificate of Completion.
Scan the DEMHS General Registration form with your IS.29 Certificate of Completion to Homeland Security Training Coordinator at DPS.EMHSTraining@vermont.gov.
Once the completed registration package is received, a confirmation email is sent. (This will serve as your confirmation for registering for the course. Therefore please mark your calendar once you have received this confirmation).

A course email notification will be forth coming in the weeks prior to the course delivery.