Pre-Conference, General & Breakout Sessions

Tuesday, September 4th (Pre-conference Sessions)
10:00-4:30	First Aid/CPR/AED Certified First Aid / CPR / AED courses will be conducted for American Red Cross certification. This session is a full course certification in all three curriculums.
10:00-5:00	Senior Officials Workshop MGT-312 The Senior Officials Workshop, conducted by Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), is for local-jurisdiction elected and appointed senior officials. Its purpose is to provide a forum to discuss strategic and executive-level issues related to disaster preparedness, share proven strategies and best practices, and enhance coordination among officials responsible for emergency response to a disaster. Handouts will include the Reference Guide to the National Response Framework (NRF) and the American Bar Association (ABA) Checklist for State and Local Attorneys.
10:00-5:00	Earthquake Mitigation Training National instructors will provide two courses: FEMA E-74 Reducing the Risks of Nonstructural Earthquake Damage and FEMA P-909: Home and Business Earthquake Safety and Mitigation (Train-the-Trainer). E-74 describes the sources of nonstructural earthquake damage and effective methods of reducing such damage. Nonstructural failures have accounted for the majority of damage in several recent U.S. earthquakes. P-909 is a new course concerning structural and non-structural earthquake mitigation practices. It has three components: Part I: Train-the-Trainer course, Part II: Home and Business Earthquake Safety and Mitigation course, and Part III: Hands On Interactive Mitigation Demonstration. After completing Part II: Home and Business Earthquake Safety and Mitigation course, students will complete the TTTer to learn how to organize, plan, recruit and deliver the course. Completion certificates will be provided for both the E-74 and P-909 courses. The goal is to create a cadre of trainers with the ability to provide citizens basic knowledge on earthquakes, along with simple steps toward safety and mitigation in their homes and businesses. Primary audience is building owners, facility managers, building officials, engineers, homeowners, and emergency managers.
1:00-4:30	Free Health Screening Free Health Screenings will be provided including bone density checks, hearing, eye exams and more.
1:00-5:00	Radiological Response Volunteer Corps This session will train volunteer personnel to support IEMA's Radiological Assessment Field Teams (RAFT) in staffing and operation of community reception centers and to assist with population monitoring for radioactive contamination. As part of this pilot project, you will: Learn how to set up radiation portal monitors Learn how to use radiation hand held detection gauges Learn decontamination procedures and methods This session will be limited to 25 applicants with priority given to those who: Are residents of Grundy, LaSalle, Kendall, Will or Kankakee County Have a background (even minimally) in radiation or decontamination procedures Are knowledgeable and experienced in reducing citizens' concern about health risk from radiation exposure Have experience in dealing with the psychological impact such an event may have on citizens Would like to volunteer to be part of Illinois' Radiation Response Volunteer Corps IEMA will review those that register for this session and, prior to the Conference, notify those that have been accepted.
Tuesday, September 4th Breakout Sessions (Tuesday Only)
1:00-2:30	Communications-The Glue That Holds the Response/Recovery Together Where we have been, where we are and where we are going with communications in Illinois. Too many topics, too little time. This session will move fast to cover all that there is to discuss. Come prepared with your questions about what is happening around the State.
3:00-4:30	Regional Hub Reception Center Planning Guide Historically, efforts to coordinate evacuation to no-notice incidents have proven grossly inadequate, especially true in catastrophic incidents that have regional or multi-state impact. The Regional Catastrophic Planning Team (RCPT) in the Chicago Metropolitan Area has taken an innovated approach to coordinate this type of activity across a tri-state region. Leveraging existing technical capacities of the federally developed National Mass Evacuation Tracking System (NMETS), the RCPT has advanced evacuation coordination in collaboration with diverse response stakeholders from all levels of government, and the private and NGO sectors. Applying a concentric circle approach to evacuation and mass care support, a hub-and-spoke model to regional evacuation coordination has been adapted which is innovative, cost effective, collaborative and scalable. If the incident should occur along the New Madrid earthquake zone, following a devastating tornado or flood, or the result of terrorism, the RCPT has developed guidance documents and support materials to support mass evacuation planning efforts in your jurisdiction. This session will showcase the rationale, process and resultant guidance documents for jurisdictions to identify, plan and operationalize a Regional Hub Reception Center (RHRC) that provides evacuee tracking, essential support services, and shelter placement.
Wednesday, September 5th (General Sessions)
9:00-10:00	Harrisburg, Tornado and Thousands of Spontaneous Volunteers Following the deadly February 29th tornado in Saline County, thousands of spontaneous volunteers showed up to help. Operation Blessing will discuss their process of managing these volunteers which allowed Saline County to focus their efforts on managing the event and not the volunteers. The final numbers were 3,139 volunteers totaling 23,733 volunteer hours.
10:15-11:15	University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Stadium Sheltering Lessons Learned Neyland Stadium, where the Tennessee Volunteers play is the 3rd largest stadium in the nation seating over 102,000 fans and the campus grows by around 30,000 additional people on game day. Evacuation planning for this size crowd is a challenge, planning for and executing sheltering of this mass of semi-compliant fans is a trial under fire. Brian Gard, University of Tennessee Director of Emergency Management and Keith Lambert, Special Operations Captain, University of Tennessee Police Department will discuss overall safety and security planning for football operations at Neyland Stadium and recount the actions taken, lessons learned and subsequent adjustments made following two shelter responses conducted in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons.
11:15-11:45	Latest IEMA Public Awareness Campaign: Pet Preparedness A new radio public awareness campaign has hit the airwaves in Illinois bringing a humorous approach to the serious topic of pet emergency preparedness. Legendary radio personality Larry Lujack and his long-time radio associate Tommy Edwards, long known for their "Animal Stories" vignettes when working together on Chicago radio, have revived their roles as "Uncle Lar and Lil' Tommy" in seven radio spots for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's (IEMA) statewide preparedness campaign. Larry Lujak and Tommy Edwards will be present to discuss their work on this project and interest in pet preparedness.
Wednesday, September 5th Breakout Session (Wednesday Only)
1:00-2:30	Large Outside Venue Shelter Issues This will be a continuation of the General Session-University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Stadium Sheltering Lessons Learned, which will allow a more detailed discussion on large outside venue sheltering issues with time for Q/A.
3:00-4:30	We Can't Talk! We Need Help! The who, what, where, when, how and why of state-deployable communications assets. They are not just for disasters but there are rules that need to be followed. Plus a hands-on look at what there is in Illinois to help you communicate better when the need arises
Tuesday/Wednesday, September 4th/5th Breakout Sessions
1:00-2:30 T 3:00-4:30 W	Highway Incident Management Training Recent studies have shown that when first responders arrive at a vehicular accident, they can place themselves and their equipment in a position that could put them at risk. Geno Koehler, Illinois Dept of Transportation-Transportation Infrastructure Security, has developed a 4.5 hour course that provides responders with information and best practices that will improve their safety at highway incident scenes. He will discuss the course objectives, primary audience, where and when the course will be scheduled along with the application process.
1:00-2:30 T 3:00-4:30 W	Lake/Cook Regional Critical Incident Partnership/Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: An Agency in Transition.Creating Capacity, Building Partnerships and Delivering Results This session will have two distinct parts. The first part will focus on the Lake-Cook Regional Critical Incident Partnership (LCRCIP). The LCRCIP is a consortium of local businesses and emergency response agencies in Lake and Cook Counties, whose mission is to share best practices and lessons learned to improve their collective ability to respond to critical incidents in northeastern Illinois. This partnership has promoted private and public entities to work together concerning plan development, training and exercises. This session will discuss how this partnership has evolved, who the participating entities are and how this concept could be promoted in other parts of Illinois. The second part will examine what Cook County has been doing with their various partners in the Urban Area - to include the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois - to enhance regional capabilities, improve all-hazard preparedness and work in partnership to enhance the safety and security not only of the Urban Area, but the State of Illinois.and how Cook County wishes to partner with other entities across the region. With the election of a new Cook County Board President and the appointment of a new Executive Director, since May 2011, DHSEM has worked to implement accountability, transparency, and integrity into its operations and interactions through installing an entirely new finance, grants management, operations, planning and logistics as well as communications team. They have implemented performance management, an entirely new grants management process, a robust training and exercise program, an informational/intelligence gathering and dissemination hub, as well as an operational response capability, in just a short period of time, and are developing improved information-sharing tools and a regional Community Emergency Response Program. Cook County has expanded the network of organizations and agencies that it interacts with, from fire and public works organizations on the local level, to international intelligence sharing organizations and federal task forces related to cyber-security.
1:00-2:30 T 3:00-4:30 W	Local Emergency Management Agencies-Expertise and Resources for Schools and Higher Education Institutions Schools and higher education institutions are integral components of every community and its government. Tasked with providing a safe environment for teaching and learning, schools and higher education institutions are encouraged to develop a partnership with their local Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs) to develop and implement comprehensive all-hazards emergency management plans. Local EMA's contribute to the well-being, health, safety, and security of the whole community and provide access to a wide variety of resources, training and technical assistance. Attendees will hear best practice examples of EMA partnerships, current training opportunities, links to school and higher education emergency management websites, and resources available to assist with planning, exercising, responding and recovering from disasters and emergencies.
1:00-2:30 T 3:00-4:30 W	Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT) Capabilities In association with the Illinois Commerce Commission, Rodney Cooper, Manager, North Region Sprint Emergency Response Team, will discuss the capabilities of how Sprint ERT can support emergency response efforts in communities throughout Illinois during and following real events. Sprint's Emergency Response Team has deployed personnel, equipment, and infrastructure to insure continuity of communications in over 5,000 deployments since 2002.
1:00-2:30 T 3:00-4:30 W	Unity of Effort: Integrating Hospital and Public Health into the State and Local Emergency Management System Unity of Effort = vital coordination and collaboration among disciplines. This session demonstrates the initiatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and the Will County Health Department for incorporating Hospital and Public Health organizations into the Emergency Management structure at both the state and local levels. IDPH will provide an overview of its implementation of the National Preparedness Goal (NPG) and the aligned Public Health and Healthcare Preparedness Capabilities that were jointly developed by FEMA, HHS and CDC. These aligned capabilities prompted the development of a State and seven Regional Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF-8) teams to promote public health and healthcare planning and response in support of local emergency management. The Will County EMA and Health Department have implemented a Health Preparedness Task Force which successfully incorporates these organizations into the Emergency Management structure of the local jurisdiction. These approaches will offer insight and a template for developing a similar system in your jurisdiction.
3:00-4:30 T 1:00-2:30 W	Harrisburg Tornado/Future of the National Weather Service Weather Warnings The tornado that struck southern Illinois on February 29th, caused death and destruction over a multiple county area. Kelly Hooper, with the Paducah NWS office, will discuss what went on before, during and after this event. Jim Kramper, with the St. Louis NWS office, will follow with an update on the current testing process being conducted in Missouri and Kansas concerning the NWS's new weather warning system, Impact Based Warning.
3:00-4:30 T 1:00-2:30 W	IEMA Geographic Information System (GIS) This presentation will discuss IEMA's geographic data management system. Spatial data of Illinois assets, emergency situational awareness and response activities are managed and shared with this system. It includes web browser based interactive maps, Google Earth Client, mobile devices and desktop software.
3:00-4:30 T 1:00-2:30 W	Illinois Search and Rescue Council The Illinois Search and Rescue Council, established in 2008, supports, coordinates, develops, promotes, and implements search and rescue resources with the underlying principles of saving lives and preserving property. Board members of the ISARC will discuss how their resources are accessed, application for membership, current training opportunities and recent events where ISARC resources were used.
3:00-4:30 T 1:00-2:30 W	2012 NATO Summit Emergency Management Overview During this session, IEMA representatives will provide an overview of the planning process (to include coordination efforts with local, state, and federal partners; resource allocation; consequence management site selection; and response preparedness), the challenges, and the ultimate successes of the 2012 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit held in Chicago in May 2012. The session will also include discussion about the recently revised Request-for-Resource (RFR) form and the recently released FEMA CPG 201 - Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide.
3:00-4:30 T 1:00-2:30 W	Public KI Distribution Update/LEPC Update Kathy Allen, IEMA Hazardous Materials Section Manager, will provide an update on the public KI distribution program near nuclear power plants, and will follow that with an update on issues important to Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), including rule changes and HMEP Grant Funding.
Thursday, September 6th (General Sessions)
8:10-8:15	State Recognized Communication Unit Leaders(COML) The 2011 and 2012 list of State COMLs will be announced. This list of COMLs will be available to assist jurisdictions state-wide with the development of their communications plans during exercises and real events.
8:15-8:45	FEMA Region V Administrator Remarks FEMA Region V Administrator Andrew Velasquez III will provide an update on current FEMA initiatives impacting Illinois.
8:45-9:15	Illinois Terrorism Task Force Updates ITTF Chairman Don Kauerauf will provide an update on ITTF activities over the past year, specifically addressing the following key issues: D Block-broadband communication, cyber security, Ready to Respond Community, public/private partnerships, and future federal preparedness funding.
9:15-9:45	The Next BIG Thing in Communications! (plus some smaller things too) You may have heard terms like "LTE", "Broadband" and "D Block" but have little idea how they relate to Illinois. This session will present an overview of what is coming up on these and other topics and how they affect local jurisdictions and the State of Illinois.
10:00-11:00	Hospital Preparedness Program and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program Grant Alignment U.S. Dept of Health/Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assist Secretary of Preparedness/Response (ASPR) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control/Prevention (CDC) will discuss the plans to align the administrative and programmatic aspects of the ASPR HPP and CDC PHEP cooperative agreements, which will result in increased advance preparedness and program impact at the local level. This session will also discuss the promotion of local public health departments to work more closely with the first responders in their jurisdiction.
11:00-12:00	Eleven Months in Japan - A U. S. Responder's Experience and Lessons Learned from Japan's March 11, 2011, Great Töhoku Earthquake, subsequent tsunami, and the Fukushima Dai-ichi Tragedy The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sent Mr. Charles Casto to assist the U. S. Ambassador to Japan in the days following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. He became the U.S. response team Senior Official and led the effort for eleven months. It was an assignment that changed him and galvanized his commitment as a senior NRC official to do all he can to make sure no U. S. nuclear power plant ever has an accident like the Fukushima Dai-ichi Tragedy.