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Core Advisory Group
VOICE
Welcome to the Core Advisory Group VOICE Creating solid partnerships between the community and emergency management
promotes Inclusive Emergency Management for all.
The Core Advisory Group VOICE is a quarterly news brief offering Core Advisory
Groups, those with disabilities and access and functional needs, and other members of
the whole community a VOICE regarding the critical issues and valuable opportunities
involved in forming and building collaborative and effective relationships.
The VOICE is your opportunity to tell us what you think, share what you are doing, and
let everyone know what you see as the real benefits and obstacles in navigating through
all phases of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, response,
recovery and mitigation.
The VOICE will offer a view into the world of CAGs in New York, New Jersey, Puerto
Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It will help everyone connect with each other, learn
about the latest practices and developments, and improve the collaborative process all
around.
FEMA Region II is proud to publish the CAG Voice.
Very special thanks to the following people for contributing to and/or supporting this inaugural
issue:
Names
Lisa Mastracco Delia Husband Ernest Marbell Rick Sager Bill Douglass Abrom Shepard Steve Santa Maria Kathleen Madigan Julia Roberts Donna Gillette Nicholas Kahn Alex Rico Joanna Lanphier Debbie Costa James Flemming
CAG Voice |Autumn 2019
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FOCUS ON UNION COUNTY, NJ CORE ADVISORY GROUP
Union County Core Advisory Group Sheldon Green; Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, Union County
Division of Emergency Services (left), Office of Emergency Management Charlie Newman, Chair, Union County
Core Advisory Group.
“I know there are many people out there who
might not have the information they need to survive.”
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As we launch our first edition of the Core Advisory Group Voice, we were able to catch
up with Sheldon Green, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, Union County
Division of Emergency Services, Office of Emergency Management; Charlie Newman,
Chair, Union County Core Advisory Group; and Kelly Boyd, Access & Functional Needs
Planner Preparedness Bureau/Emergency Management Section, NJ Office of
Emergency Management, to ask them about their Core Advisory Group in Union
County.
What is your vision for your CAG? How do you see the role of CAGs generally in
terms of partnership opportunities?
Sheldon
When I set up our CAG in September 2017 and began organizing, I wanted it to be
citizen-driven. And my first thought was to approach Charlie Newman, who is a real go-
getter as a leader and stakeholder.
Charlie
When I retired as the Director of the Union County Office of the Disabled several years
ago, I was available to become part of the CAG when Sheldon reached out to me. I felt
this was really an opportunity. I sustained a significant disability during Hurricane Irene
when I was trapped in my apartment. Flooding knocked out power and as a result, the
elevator in my lobby was flooded and we had no power for three days. I realized how
much it impacted me; however, I had fortunately prepared, having a caregiver who lives
with me. This drove home to me the issues of disaster preparedness: the importance of
having supplies in the home and being ready with a plan.
Many are forcefully stricken like that in an emergency, but I think people with disabilities
are particularly impacted. They must plan ahead. So, I think what we are really doing is
raising the awareness of not only the public, but especially of people with disabilities or
access/functional needs – those, for example, who can’t hear the radio or those in
wheelchairs who can’t get downstairs when the elevator is out of power.
“…The issues of disaster preparedness: the importance of
having supplies in the home and being ready with a plan.”
We have done a few things already with our CAG. For example, we are preparing an
active shooter PSA video with a focus on people with disabilities, which should be ready
sometime this spring. We are hoping to show the video at the Abilities Expo this May.
We feel the video is really important because in the past few years the incidence of
active shooter killings has increased tremendously. We realize how important it is to
CAG Voice |Autumn 2019
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become aware of our surroundings and the need to have a plan no matter where you go
on what you can do to protect yourself.
So, the last year has been about organizing ourselves, developing our by-laws and
recruiting members to the CAG. Raising awareness and educating the public,
particularly people, especially those with disabilities and access and functional needs,
has been our number one goal. Also, we have been working to improve access and
accommodations at emergency shelters and developing materials we can share to
educate the public about disaster preparedness.
Sheldon
One other critical thing I am working on with Charlie is a group home in Springfield,
where we met with the local OEM Coordinator to give group home residents CERT and
shelter training so they can be self-sufficient in the first 36 hours of an emergency. Right
now, we are trying to work with other groups and bring them CERT and make them
better prepared to deal effectively with disasters.
In addition, we are working with Kelly Boyd, NJ OEM AFN planner, and dialysis centers
around the State to bring more awareness of the preparedness needs of people
receiving dialysis treatment. We plan to begin providing this training this fall. So, in an
active shooter situation, we train dialysis patients on what they can reasonably expect
from the health care provider and what they should reasonably expect of themselves in
that situation. We teach these folks how to help themselves and how to help others, if
possible, in an active shooter situation or in times of disasters and emergencies.
Charlie
As Sheldon says, we want dialysis clinics and staff to be better prepared. For example,
in an active shooter situation, we want to raise awareness and educate staff and clients
on what they can realistically do should someone find themselves in that situation while
being connected to a machine. Does the staff run away and protect themselves or help
someone who may be connected to a dialysis machine and who, when disconnected
from the machine, may have mobility issues and difficulty in getting away? So, the
training will hopefully make dialysis centers better prepared in responding to active
shooter and other emergency situations.
We believe it is important to think ahead as much as possible because the world in
which we live now presents many more risks to the public, especially those with
disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
Sheldon
As an Emergency Management Coordinator, I spent 12 years as a local OEM
Coordinator and one of the things I learned is “reasonable expectations.” What does a
person expect from you in an emergency, including an active shooter situation? For
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example, a person might do a fabulous job but if people expect more, then that person
fails. On the other hand, if you do a bad job, and if people didn’t expect more than what
they got, they may think you did a great job.
Now, we are trying to teach people with and without disabilities what to expect from
each other and how to help each other in an emergency. For example, I don’t want to
run off to help you when you can already help yourself. And we teach people how to ask
for help and describe the kind of help needed to avoid injury. This kind of training also
helps first responders understand when and how to help.
“…I don’t want to run off to help you when
you can already help yourself.”
We don’t want people to just be left on their own, but we also want people to understand
the importance of training people with disabilities how to develop a personal plan when
and if they find themselves left on their own. To me, a plan is the first step in being
ready. Hopefully, if we provide this kind of training, we will help the community and
society understand how and when to help each other.
Charlie
One of the things we learned from Super Storm Sandy is that we had power outages
lasting a couple of weeks and trees were down everywhere. People need to have
realistic expectations and understand that first responders may not be able to rescue
them because they are so very busy assisting others, as well as being impacted
themselves by the event, along with their families.
“So, just being on a registry does not guarantee assistance, and that underscores the
importance of having a personal preparedness plan, including supplies. A lot of people
just assume that when something happens, all they need to do is wait for the first
responder to come and rescue them and everything will be fine. In a widespread
disaster like Sandy, first responders are stretched so thin, they just can’t get to
everyone. People not only need a personal preparedness Plan A, they need a Plan B
and even a Plan C, as alternatives.
How critical is it to form a partnership between the emergency manager and
whole community, and disability and Access and Functional Needs (AFN)
stakeholders? How do the two of you feel about your partnership so far?
Sheldon
As an Emergency Management Coordinator, I’m on both ends of the spectrum. I am a
retired lieutenant from my local fire department and I am also an Emergency
Management Coordinator and I was here on the local scene during Hurricanes Floyd,
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Irene, and Sandy. More than anything, Sandy had a tremendous impact on my own
immediate family. I am a care-giver for my wife and so during Sandy not only did I have
to respond to that event but I had to go home every day and care for my wife. Luckily, I
had two adult children who cared for their mother while I was out doing my job. So, I
also have a personal stake in this work. The work I do affects me personally at home.
I have respect for individuals like Charlie and others who have their own situations to
overcome. That’s why I work hard for them. I do everything I can to empower Charlie
and the work of the CAG and whatever they need and want to do. I try to bring to them
all the resources they need. That’s why I am maybe a little selfish in this work because it
personally affects me, too.
Charlie
I think we both come from that perspective. I want to make sure that everyone out there
who has a disability or access/functional need gets their needs met. Out of my own
experience, I can relate to the issues others face, and had I not had my own
preparedness plan, then I would have faced a real personal disaster since we were out
of power for weeks. Also, I have a friend who went through Sandy who has a
respirator. She was unable to recharge it even though she has backup batteries.
Who would have imagined a power outage that lasted 10 days to two weeks? She really
struggled to find a place where she could recharge her batteries.
I know there are many people out there who might not have the information they need
to survive. I know how important it is to get the information out there to them, ahead of
time so they can be better prepared and ready for these kinds of events and other
emergencies. This way, they can be able to survive, and it is all about survival.
What, in your view, are the differences between having a partnership versus not
having one? How does your partnership advance the interests of the whole
community, including disability and AFN stakeholders?
“…Because we have the CAG in place… we are able
to get regular OEM updates [and] provide our own
inputs…on disability issues and opportunities.”
Charlie
Because of this partnership, it has been possible to really deal with these issues. I think
that because of our partnership there is an ongoing relationship and because we have
the CAG in place and meet on a regular basis, we are able to get regular Office of
Emergency Management (OEM) updates plus provide our own input on our experiences
and expertise on disability issues and opportunities.
CAG Voice |Autumn 2019
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This helps our emergency manager better understand and respond the next time a
disaster hits to the needs of our disability and access/functional needs stakeholders.
I think it’s been a very constructive partnership
Sheldon
And one thing I don’t want to leave out, and that is that Kelly Boyd, our NJ OEM AFN
Planner, has been my rock throughout this process. I call her frequently to sound her
out on ideas, and she is always ready to offer new ideas and suggestions of her own. I
bring many of her ideas and suggestions back to the CAG for consideration. She has
her finger tips on what is going on all over the State regarding the emergency
management needs of AFN stakeholders. It makes it simple and easy. All I have to do
is pick up the phone and call her. Kelly wants our CAG to succeed. It’s a win-win
across the board.
Charlie
And having all levels of government involved—Federal, State and Local—really
strengthens our capacity to involve the whole community, especially people with
disabilities and those with access/functional needs. All this has a positive impact on
what is being done and how it gets done.
What are your thoughts on the psychology of personal preparedness, about
really getting people motivated and engaged in personal preparedness?
Charlie
It really depends on a person’s individual situation. Getting people engaged in personal
preparedness and even in the CAG process is complicated and not always easy.
People with disabilities cope with a lot of stress on a daily basis. There may be financial
stress. There may be the stress of a medical condition. Going back and forth to doctors
is also stressful. Working can also be very stressful while dealing with a host of other
issues. For example, some people have a dependence on a caregiver. There’s a lot
going on there.
“People with disabilities cope with
a lot of stress on a daily basis.”
A lot of people are not in that mindset where they feel a sense of urgency to be
engaged in preparedness or even get involved in a CAG. This is where raising
awareness is important. Many people also don’t have the resources to buy the supplies
CAG Voice |Autumn 2019
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they need for their preparedness kit. They may not have the money to buy extra
medications or a flash light or emergency batteries, or a battery-powered radio or even
perishable food and water. It is an uphill battle to make people aware of the importance
of personal preparedness.
Kelly
One idea is to incorporate gift-giving into the concept of preparedness. Giving a gift on
holidays or other special occasions for supplies for a go-bag is a great way to promote
personal preparedness. This is a great way to save money on buying supplies.
Charlie
Family and friends on holidays or special occasions could not only be giving someone a
gift but helping them to become better prepared. It could be something as simple as a
flashlight, or pencils or any other item that someone could use in an
emergency. Another idea is buying “go” items on sale when there is a half-off sale --
the dollar store is a great resource.
What are your thoughts on the following? Disasters start locally and end locally.
Sheldon
I spent 12 years as a local OEM Coordinator and before that was a Deputy
Coordinator. One of the reasons I went into emergency management while working at
the local fire department was that we had an incident in the town where I noticed
nothing had been set up for our seniors. I found myself assisting in helping residents get
their welfare checks, finding a medical facility for a family with a child on a ventilator,
and so many other things.
So, as a local OEM Coordinator you are “right in people’s homes” during an emergency
or disaster. You are helping the very people you play softball games with and whom you
watched grow up. You have a greater attachment to the people because you and they
are part of the same community.
And when the storm or event is over, you as the local OEM Coordinator are the one
who has to get them back to a normal way of life. At the local level, you are more
connected to people than if you work for the County or State. The County’s role is to
provide resources; and the State provides resources to the County. The Federal
Government provides resources to the State and down to the County and the locals.
“…It is important to reach out to local emergency responders when the
disaster happens to let them know who you are and where you live.”
CAG Voice |Autumn 2019
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Charlie
One of the things I think about is that I live on the second floor in a building that has an
elevator. But when the power is out, the elevator does not work. So, I think it is
important to reach out to local emergency responders when the disaster happens to let
them know who you are and where you live.
We have a system here where you can be “red flagged” on 911 so that when you call,
they immediately know you have a disability and that you are trapped in your present
location. That call automatically triggers a notification to the local fire department so
they know I am here and need help immediately.
So, it is important for anyone with a disability to reach out to their emergency
responders in the community to arrange for assistance in emergencies. That way they
become familiar with you and you become familiar with them and their services.
What is the one thing you would say to someone about the need and importance
of establishing a CAG?
Charlie
I would say just take the time to get to know and work with each other because it’s
worth it. That way, everyone is better prepared when a disaster or other emergency
happens. It’s worth investing the time and planning ahead.
Sheldon
My whole premise is that we need to put ourselves in the position of your neighbor and
say to yourself, if that was me or my loved one, what would I do? Or, what would I want
someone to do for me?
We are not just a nation of individuals but a whole society. So, I say wherever you are
and whatever level of government you work for, to view others as yourself. Thinking of
the other is thinking of yourself.
Charlie
We have a very fast-growing, aging population in this country and I often say in my
disability awareness trainings that everyone will experience eventually having a
disability of some kind.
Sheldon
In closing, I think it is vital that these CAGs be community-based. When community
partners form a CAG and really take ownership and say to themselves that this belongs
to them, everyone works harder at it.
So, the CAG is just not another program where people are being told what they need as
compared to what they want. Here in Union County, the CAG is about the citizens. It is
CAG Voice |Autumn 2019
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their program and about what they want to do. As the Union County AFN Coordinator, I
am here to support, facilitate, and provide the resources.
I have been discussing with Kelly the idea of introducing and promoting the CAG
concept at the State’s next League of Municipalities annual meeting right here in New
Jersey. The idea would be to have breakout sessions and briefings on the CAG concept
with the goal of sparking the formation of CAGs in our municipalities and towns, in
addition to forming CAGs at the County level.
Our Voice Is Accessible and Usable Please let us know if you require a copy of our Voice in braille or large print. It will also be available in Spanish. We are delighted to forward you a copy. Audio tapes will also be available. Contact us at [email protected] and please specify your preferred format
and number of copies.
By the way, our Voice is also 508 compliant.
What is Preparedness? Individual and Community Preparedness may be defined as implementing basic measures to reduce risk to a hazard – be it natural, technological or manmade. Such measures are particularly important to those with Access and Functional Needs as they may be at increased risk should a disaster occur in their community – consider the effects of a power outage, lack of transportation, limited access to shelters, or emergency managers not knowing their needs nor their locations. Multiple additional challenges! There are four hallmarks of Individual and Community Preparedness, which include
being informed, making a plan, building a kit, and getting involved.
Being informed- This is about identifying the risks that are most prevalent in your
community and determining the best way to receive accurate and timely information
about these risks. This may include downloading the FEMA mobile app
(https://www.fema.gov/mobile-app) and/or identifying the public alerting systems that
are in place at the state or county level.
Making a Plan – Making a plan refers to establishing a plan and/or course of action in
the event of a disaster, including, for example, establishing a neighborhood meeting
place in the event of a sudden disaster (i.e. a home fire) or identifying an out-of-state
contact in the event of a larger scale disaster with ample forewarning (i.e. a hurricane).
To learn more about how to establish a family communications plan, please follow this
link: https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.
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Building a Kit – This step includes setting aside items to include in a backpack in order
to be self-sufficient for at least seventy-two hours. While highly personal, a basic Go-Kit
should include the following items: non-perishable food, water, medication, flashlight,
batteries, basic toiletries, first aid supplies, a wrench to turn off utilities (if applicable),
and cash in small denominations. For more information about how to build a Go-Kit,
please follow this link:
https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit.
Getting Involved – This refers to volunteering in a given community by joining either
the local Community Emergency Response Team or Medical Reserve Corps. While
both of these programs are national, each is administered at the local level by the state
or county. For more information about these program areas, please follow this link:
https://www.ready.gov/citizen-corps-partner-programs.
To help facilitate Individual and Community Preparedness at the community level,
FEMA introduced a plan in 2016 identified as Core Advisory Groups or CAGs. The
rationale for a CAG is to promote inclusive emergency management by encouraging
collaboration and partnership among members of the whole community (emphasis
added) including disability agencies and organizations and emergency managers.
Participants include not-for-profits, service providers, caregivers, persons with
disabilities, emergency managers, first responders and community leaders who each
collaborate to provide equal services to people with disabilities and others with access
and functional needs. More information about CAGs is available by following this link:
https://www.fema.gov/de/media-library/assets/documents/117463. Specific tips for
those with Access and Functional Needs may be found here:
https://www.ready.gov/individuals-access-functional-needs.
In FEMA Region 2, there are approximately one dozen CAGs that meet on a quarterly
basis to discuss issues pertinent to their communities. For a list of CAGs, please
contact James Flemming ([email protected]) or Kathleen Madigan
In addition, FEMA Region 2 publishes a bi-weekly bulletin which includes workshops,
webinars, trainings, and classes that are offered by both FEMA Region 2 and its
partners at the state and local level. To subscribe to this bulletin, please contact
Core Advisory Group Resources
These are the links to an informative webinar series on Inclusive Emergency
Management. One link is for upcoming webinars and the other is for the archived
webinars.
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Upcoming: http://www.adapresentations.org/schedule.php
Archive:
http://www.adapresentations.org/archive.php
The purpose of the Training Annex is to provide recommended courses that will further
an understanding of emergency management. These courses build an understanding of
basic concepts, terminologies and doctrines.
To access the courses, go to the Emergency Management Institute’s (EMI) website at
https://training.fema.gov/is/.
To receive a FEMA Student ID Number visit https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid.
1. Completion of ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800 training courses
2. Completion of FEMA’s Professional Development Series (PDS)
• IS120.a An Introduction to Exercises
• IS230.b Principles of Emergency Management
• IS235.b Emergency Planning
• IS240.a Leadership and Influence
• IS241.b Decision Making and Problem Solving
• IS242.b Effective Communication
• IS244.a Developing and Managing Volunteers
3. Completion of IS-368 Including People with Disabilities & Others with Access &
Functional Needs in Disaster Operations
The GeoColumn: Using ArcGIS to identify vulnerable populations in New Jersey For the past few years, professionals in the fields of emergency management, urban planning and environmental science have benefitted greatly from the utilization of geospatial tools and technology to enhance work in their prospective fields. Whether it’s using hurricane models to identify and analyze the impact of storm surge on communities or measuring the potential growth of housing development on protected
areas, ArcGIS and other geospatial tools have proven to be useful and cost effective.
When it comes to identifying vulnerable populations in the state of New Jersey who are
more susceptible to coastal and riverine flooding from hurricanes and other hazards,
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ArcGIS has proven to be the “go-to” geospatial tool used to perform the data analysis
needed to prioritize these sections of the population. ArcGIS, the mapping software of
the Environmental Science Research Institute, was used to analyze and map population
data from the U.S. Census, flood zones from FEMA, hurricane models from NOAA, and
parcel data from local and state agencies to produce a final product that identifies areas
with a vulnerable population.
Identifying vulnerable populations is just one of the many examples ArcGIS is used
today. As a GIS analyst, one of the goals of doing geospatial analysis is to demonstrate
how important the results are in an effort to influence decision makers. Decisions to
move forward with similar analyses can help local and state governments allocate
resources to areas where they are needed the most, thoughtfully plan evacuation
routes, and control the development and management of flood prone areas.
Additionally, FEMA Region 2 has created disability demographic maps for all counties in
New York State and New Jersey as well as all municipios in Puerto Rico.
This is the location for downloads: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/disabilitydemo/
or contact [email protected]
How Do I Connect With Other Core Advisory Groups? We would be delighted to forward you a list of our CAG contacts should you want to start connecting with your CAG colleagues. Our CAG roster is a work in progress and constantly growing, and so we can forward to you our most updated listing as we add new CAGs and make other changes. Please contact us at [email protected] for our latest list.
CAG Promising Practices: Breakthroughs in Collaboration, Community Engagement, Conflict Resolution and Cooperation. Do you have a great idea and practice worth sharing? Maybe it’s something as straightforward as how to effectively get your point across to an
emergency manager or stakeholder. Or maybe you have been successful in
transforming a difficult relationship into a true collaborative partnership or in building one
or more coalitions. Perhaps, you have done groundbreaking work in the areas of
accessible communication messaging, evacuation, sheltering, preparedness, planning,
or a host of other accessibility accomplishments.
We are eager to share your accomplishments with other CAGs and community
partners. If you have a promising practice or idea, just contact us at
[email protected] and we will feature the best of the best in one of our
CAG Voice issues.
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“The Burning Issue Corner” Making Your Voice Heard: What Are The Burning Core Advisory Group (CAG) Issues You Are Facing? Please send us your comments and questions on any issues you are concerned about,
and we will respond each quarter with a different perspective or suggestion about your
concerns.
All comments and questions will be confidential and published anonymously, so
everyone can benefit from different ideas. If you prefer, you can request your concern
be addressed privately.
In the spirit of “Dear Abby”, we will respond and the issues will be addressed by a
diverse group of subject matter experts in FEMA Region 2. We will look forward to
hearing from you. Please contact [email protected]
Would You Like Us To Publish A Feature Story On Your Core Advisory Group? Every Core Advisory Group (CAG) has a story worth sharing. What about your CAG? If you would like us to publish a feature article on your CAG and its activities,
accomplishments, and challenges just let us know and we will work with you to tell your
story and let everyone know about your wonderful work.
Please contact us at [email protected]
