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A group of aspiring school superintendents recentlystopped by the State Emergency Operations Center(SEOC) for a tour and discussion of IEMA’s mission andhow our paths may cross before, during or after anemergency. The visit was late in the afternoon on a veryhectic day that, in addition to the normal crunch ofmeetings and other issues, included a line of severeweather passing through nearly every county in Illinois.Throughout the visit, my phone and those of several of mysenior staff members dinged continuously as newweather warnings were issued.

Despite the late hour and the downpour several of thevisitors dashed through to reach our building, the groupwas animated, engaged and truly seemed excited to have the opportunity to see the SEOC and learn moreabout IEMA. They asked great questions, expressed amazement about the high-tech nerve center for the state’sresponse to disasters in Illinois, and lingered past their planned departure time, despite being reminded ofdinner plans awaiting them.

Even before the visit concluded, I felt a renewed energy welling up inside me. Talking with these educators whoshoulder the enormous responsibility of preparing students to one day become productive members of societywhile also ensuring their safety, the missionof IEMA and the public safety field came intosharp focus.

These educators and the more than 12 millionother people in Illinois are the reason why wedo what we do. I realize that, and without adoubt, each of you knows that. Butsometimes it helps to be reminded that all theplanning, training and exercising we do reallyis critical.

Bad things happen, as we sadly werereminded of by the deadly attack in Nice,France. It’s up to those of us in public safetyto do everything within our power to ensurethe safety of the people we serve.

In this issueCybersecurity, MARCs Focus of Summit Breakouts....2

Senior Staff Profile: Brett Cox...................................2

Governor Tours IEMA Facilities..................................3

IEMA Awards $4 Million in Grants to EMAs ...............3

NWS Offers Weather Support for Events ....................4

Dwyer Recognized by IDPH .......................................4

Drill Tests Skills for Handling Contaminated Patients .5

RAFT Training, Exercise Enhance Response...............6

IEMA Supports ‘Valid Risk’ Drill ................................7

From IEMA Director James K. Joseph

July 2016Illinois Emergency Management Agency

Dir. Joseph with members of the Aspiring SuperintendentsAcademy during their recent visit to the SEOC.

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Thanks to his extensiveexperience with state finance andprocurement, IEMA’s new ChiefFiscal Officer Brett Cox hit theground running when he joinedthe agency April 16 in the midst ofthe FY 16 budget impasse andplanning for the FY 17 budgetyear.

Before joining IEMA, Cox workedfor the Chief Procurement Officefor General Services with theIllinois Executive EthicsCommission. As the procurement lead for thestatewide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project,he played a key role in the initiative to streamline thestate’s business processes and fully integrate thestate’s financial systems that encompass budgeting,payments, receipts, financial reporting and otheraccounting practices.

Cox said he believes when implemented, the ERP willgreatly benefit IEMA by eliminating redundancies andallowing for better informed decisions.

He also oversaw the contract process for several stateagencies. As such, he was involved in several grouphealth insurance contracts, the Affordable Care Actimplementation, several major new Medicaid-related

information technology systems,and quality assurance forhospitalizations.

Prior to working for GeneralServices, Cox was an accountantwith Titan Accounting, supervisorof the obligations unit with theIllinois Comptroller’s office, andbudget analyst for the Secretaryof State’s office. As a student, heinterned with the Comptroller’soffice.

Cox is a Certified Public Accountant and CertifiedProfessional Public Buyer. He has a master’s degreein business administration and a bachelor’s inaccounting, both from the University of Illinois atSpringfield.

A native of the Springfield area, Cox still resides in thearea with his wife, two daughters and one son.

While he’s only been with IEMA for three months, Coxsays he’s already very impressed with the agency’sunique mission, as well as employees’ commitment topublic safety. He believes the agency functions wellbecause it is less compartmentalized than many otheragencies he’s observed.

Meet IEMA’s Senior Staff: Brett Cox

Does your organization really understand cybersecurityand the effects a hacking incident or security breachwould have on your agency and the people you serve?Even more important, do you know how to protect youragency from threats that could jeopardize youroperations? For valuable insight on cybersecurity, youwon’t want to miss the Cybersecurity – ProtectionDecisions Based on Threats and Trends breakoutsession at the 2016 IEMA Training Summit.

Joe Anderson, assistant chief information securityofficer for the state of Illinois, will lead this session inwhich he will share the current cybersecurityenvironment and help participants understand how toprotect themselves.

Recovering from a disaster can be difficult for most

communities. Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs)have been successfully used to jumpstart that recoveryprocess following several recent disasters in Illinois.Learn how to leverage the MARC process in yourcommunity at the breakout session entitled Multi-Agency Resource Center Implementation. The sessionwill feature a panel discussion with agencies commonlyfound in a MARC. Join them as they share planningconsiderations for the establishment and operation ofa MARC.

If you’re interested in this session, register early asattendance is limited to 60 participants.

To learn more about the training summit and register,visit https://iemasummit2016.pathable.com/.

2016 IEMA Training Summit Spotlight:

Cybersecurity, MARCs Focus of Two Breakout Sessions

IEMA CFO Brett Cox

Governor Rauner Visits IEMA ProgramsGovernor Bruce Rauner toured IEMA’s KnottsStreet and Rodger Street facilities on June 27to learn more about the agency’s nuclear safetyand emergency response capabilities. Thegovernor spoke with several staff members ashe visited the agency’s radiochemistry andnuclear calibration laboratories, the GaseousEffluent Monitoring System (GEMS) bay, themobile radiochemistry lab, Unified AreaCommand, a Radiological Assessment FieldTeam (RAFT) vehicle, the RAFT ready roomand a portal monitor.

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Grants totaling $4 million recently awarded byIEMA will help 120 accredited city and countyemergency management agencies throughoutIllinois support disaster preparedness andresponse efforts in their communities. The grantsare allocations for Federal Fiscal Year 2016.

The Emergency Management PerformanceGrants are funded through a grant IEMA receivesfrom the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA). The grants, which are awardedannually, can be used for day-to-day operationsof local emergency preparedness and response

programs. Award amounts were determined by abase amount plus population-based formulaprescribed by administrative rule.

Applications for the Federal Fiscal Year 2017EMPG grants are due by Aug. 31, 2016. Theapplication process will differ from previous yearsin order to meet the new Illinois GrantsAccountability and Transparency Act (GATA)standards. IEMA is distributing information aboutthe process to accredited emergencymanagement agencies.

IEMA Awards $4 Million in Grants to 120 Accredited EMAs

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Outdoor events, such as fairs, concerts and localfestivals, are immensely popular during spring,summer and fall in Illinois. This open-air fun is awelcome respite from the cold, dark winter months,but severe weather can not only spoil the fun but alsopose serious dangers for the hundreds or thousandsof people enjoying the events.

For several years, the National Weather Service (NWS)offices that serve Illinois have provided weathersupport services for outdoor events to helpemergency management officials, security and eventorganizers provide a safe environment for the public.

During the summer of 2015, four NWS offices inKansas and Missouri tested a more streamlinedapproach to providing this weather support. Known asthe Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS)Prototype Project, the program expanded across thecentral region of the NWS, including Illinois, in earlyJune 2016.

Only emergency management officials at the locallevel, or other government officials performingemergency management or security functions atoutdoor events, can request weather support. Thesupport primarily is intended for larger outdoor eventsthat may be vulnerable to the weather due to location,sheltering options or crowd size. This could include,but is not limited to, fairs and festivals, parades,sporting events, concerts, large ceremonies ormarathons/races.

The level of support provided will vary based on thespecifics of each event. At the very least, the eventpoint of contact will be provided with a link to a webpage with specific forecast information for the eventsite and NWS contact information that can be used toget additional support or to ask questions at any time.

Larger events also will be provided with one-on-onedaily briefings of potential high-impact weatherconcerns during the entirety of the event. If hazardousweather threatens the venue, the NWS will call thepoint of contact. For the very largest events, the NWScan provide onsite support at the event venuecommand post.

On the NWS end, the streamlined approach allows forevents to be posted on an internal NWS eventcalendar and overlaid on radar imagery, resulting inincreased situational awareness for meteorologists.

Providing IDSS for outdoor events the past couple ofyears has resulted in a number of success storiesacross Illinois, including keeping people safe duringthunderstorms that have threatened the Illinois StateFair, postponing concerts at Lollapalooza in Chicagodue to lightning and wind threats, lightning delays atUniversity of Illinois football games, and most recently4th of July weekend activities that were postponed orcanceled in parts of the state.

For more information about this initiative, contact thewarning coordination meteorologist at the NWS officethat serves your area.

NWS Weather Support Services for Special Events

Lifetime Achievement AwardThe Illinois Department of Public Healthposthumously awarded the Director’sRecognition Award of Lifetime Achievement toMarty Dwyer at its recent Integrated PublicHealth and Healthcare System PreparednessSummit. Dwyer served as IEMA’s exercisecoordinator for nearly a decade until his passingin March.

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With six operating nuclear power plants in Illinois,emergency planning for potential accidents involvingthose facilities is a critical part of IEMA’s mission. InJune, agency personnel supported an exercise thatbrought together staffs from the Bloomington FireDepartment HazMat and OSF St. Joseph’s MedicalFacility in Bloomington to practice techniques fordealing with injured people contaminated withradioactive materials.

The scenario involved a simulated release of radiationfrom the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant, whichnecessitated the emergency transport of a mother andtwo young children who were evacuated from the 10-mile emergency planning zone around the Clintonplant. The three mock patients, including one injuredchild, simulated reporting to a reception center atHorton Field House on the Illinois State UniversityCampus, where they were identified as beingcontaminated with low levels of radioactive materials.

Bloomington Fire Department personnel thenprovided emergency transport to OSF St. Joseph’sMedical Facility for decontamination and treatment.OSF St. Joseph is one of the 12 agreement hospitalsthat support the Illinois Plan for Radiological Accidents(IPRA), the state’s plan for ensuring the safety ofpeople living and working near the nuclear powerplants.

IEMA personnel supported the exercise by monitoringhospital staff, patients, fire personnel and responseequipment and ambulance, as well as advising oncontamination control measures and assisting nuclearmedicine and hospital staff with questions regardingradioactive materials and contamination control.Agency staff also observed as controllers for exerciseevaluation.

OSF St. Joseph’s and the Bloomington FireDepartment’s objectives included treatment, transportand stabilization of patients while maintainingcontamination control measures to minimize thespread and transfer of radiological contamination.

During the week prior to the exercise, all ofBloomington Fire Department’s personnel participatedin the transportation portion of Medical Services 1(MS1). Training for hospital staff was provided on June16, and the FEMA-evaluated exercise took place on

June 17. A FEMA evaluator noted this exercise willserve as a benchmark for the rest of the MS1 drillsconducted in FEMA Region V.

Drill Tests Skills for Handling Contaminated Patients

Don Eastep surveys a mother and her injured child to determinecontamination levels and location.

As the Bloomington Fire Department prepares to transport acontaminated patient, Eastep checks to ensure radioactivecontamination did not transfer while responders cocooned thepatient. Cocooning is done to contain contamination.

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A daylong training and mini-exercise in mid-Junebrought together 22 members of IEMA’s RadiologicalAssessment Field Team (RAFT) to refresh technicalknowledge and gain practical, hands-on experiencewith critical response tools and procedures.

During the training, team members were divided intotwo groups. One group focused on field team tasks,including review and data input on the RadRespondernetwork and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs),as well as hands-on training for environmental samplecollection and Personal Protective Equipmentdonning and doffing.

The other group, consisting of RAFT supervisors andassistants, reviewed SOPs, tools and job aids formanaging and controlling RAFT field team operations.

Team members then employed that training during anexercise. RAFT field teams were deployed to SangcrisLake State Park south of Springfield, where theycollected a variety of environmental samples,monitored the environment and placed informationinto RadResponder. Meanwhile, the RAFT supervisorused RadResponder to track teams and view real-timedata.

The practical, hands-on experience training andexercise will ensure that RAFT members are well-prepared to deploy following a nuclear power plantaccident or other radiological incident and collectvaluable environmental data that can help IEMAprotect people and the environment.

Training, Exercise Enhance RAFT Response Capabilities

Ginnie Reynolds records and relays monitoring data to RAFTCommand.

Rodney Pitchford uses a 6” ion chamber to test for radiation ata sampling location.

Talon Holmes is zeroing his Direct Read Dosimeter (DRD).

Gary Forsee, RAFT supervisor, identifies where teams aresampling and where to relocate them for their next sample.

Personnel from IEMA recently assisted theIllinois National Guard for a portion of the“Valid Risk IV’ exercise conducted at the183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield. Agencystaff worked with Illinois National Guardpersonnel on developing a RadiologicalDispersal Device (RDD) scenario for theexercise as well as a mock RDD that wasa key component of the exercise.

The scenario involved a vehicle thatbreached an entry control point at the183rd Fighter Wing. Response personnelnoted wires leading from the truck to aswitch in the front seat near the driver.Suspecting an explosive device,responders called for additional assistance from theSecretary of State (SOS) Bomb Squad, Illinois StatePolice State Weapons of Mass Destruction (SWMD)Team, the 5th Civil Support Team (CST) and the IllinoisArmy National Guard’s (ILARNG) Detachment 1 of BCompany, 1-376th Aviation Battalion.

The exercise included use of the state’s AerialAutomated Location and Environmental RadiationTelemetry (ALERT) System, which was developed byIEMA personnel. The ALERT system was mounted in

an ILARNG helicopter and was used to conduct aerialradiation monitoring and relay that information topersonnel on the ground.

Members of the SWMD and CST approached thevehicle to determine what type of radioactive materialwas involved, and the SOS Bomb Squad rendered thedevice safe. All personnel involved went through thedecontamination process before the exerciseconcluded.

State of IllinoisIllinois Emergency Management Agency

For more information on this newsletter, contact:Patti Thompson • Public Information Officer: (217) 557-4756

IOCI 17-0047 7-16 Web

TRAININGSUMMITSEPT. 6-8

2016

Registration now openfor the 2016 IEMATraining Summit

https://iemasummit2016.pathable.com/

Vendor booths still available. Register athttps://public.iema.state.il.us/iemaconference/vendors/

vendorregistration.aspx.

Previous issues of Inside IEMA are available at:http://www.illinois.gov/iema/Info/Pages/Newsletters.aspx.

Agency Supports National Guard ‘Valid Risk IV’ Drill

(L) A member of the 5th CST works to locate and identify any radioactivematerial or toxic industrial compounds in the suspect’s vehicle. (R) As anexercise controller, Mark Hannant of IEMA observes a 5th CST soldier takingphotos of the RDD in the vehicle’s truck.