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VIGILANCEOakland County Homeland Security Division

ISSUE NO. 5Third Quarter 2012

Theodore H. Quisenberry, Manager

Inside this IssueCover • A Word From the Manager

• Information Monitoring

Page 2• Outdoor Warning Sirens

• Active Shooter Seminars

• School Drills

Page 3 • National Preparedness Month

• Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

A WORD FROM THE MANAGER - THEODORE H. QUISENBERRY

Oakland County Homeland Security Division continues to work with the local first responder agencies to collaborate on joint policies and protocols. Oakland County leads the region in conducting thorough exercises to test agencies capabilities and determine areas in need of improvement. Oakland County Homeland Security, in conjunction with Oakland County Health Division, completed an exercise with the United States Postal Service to test decontamination protocols. Several areas of improvement were identified and Oakland County will continue to work with local partners to enhance capabilities. Oakland County is also planning exercises that will take place over the next several months including a local damage assessment team exercise that will practice on-scene assessments with new grant funded equipment and a larger scale exercise between the Incident Management Team and the Emergency Operations Center that will take place in the spring. Every time we work with a community partner, new relationships are formed and our preparedness efforts grow stronger.

Oakland County continues to monitor the events throughout the country and locally. In addition, we have had several national political figures in Oakland County for the upcoming elections and there were several large events hosted throughout the county this summer. We were happy to be involved in another successful summer of events such as Arts, Beats and Eats; Woodward Dream Cruise; 4-H Fair; Quake on the Lake and many others.

Information Monitoring After September 11, 2001, and the publication of “The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States,” intelligence failings were identified as the primary gap that needed immediate correction. The lack of a process for sharing information and intelligence among law enforcement agencies was evident. As a result ‘Fusion Centers’ have been created across the country as a physical structure and mechanism where government, security and public safety partners collaboratively work together sharing information, developing intelligence, maximizing resources, streamlining operations and analyzing data to improve the ability to fight crime and terrorism.

The Michigan Intelligence Operation Center (MIOC) was initially set up in Lansing and is run by the Michigan State Police. The six counties and the City of Detroit that make up the Southeastern MI UASI Region recently operationalized a fusion center, called the Detroit Southeast Michigan Information & Intelligence Center (DSEMIIC), to address the issues specific to our region. The DSEMIIC utilized existing resources from the MIOC and added analysts from each political entity within the UASI region. Oakland County has a full time analyst assigned to the DSEMIIC to review critical data, liaison with area first responder agencies and assess local threats/vulnerabilities that could affect the safety of our residents. This valuable resource is totally funded through Department of Homeland Security grants and has already proven to be a valuable tool in addressing the primary recommendation identified by the 911 Commission.

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School Drills In 2006, two pieces of legislation were signed into law by Governor Jennifer Granholm: Act No. 187, Public Acts of 2006 (House Bill

4460), and Act No. 337, Public Acts of 2006 (Senate Bill 1108), both amending Act 207, PA 1941, the Fire Prevention Code. The bills

require schools (public and non-public) to conduct at least two drills in any combination of lockdown (inside/outside threat) and/or shelter-

in-place to test the schools preparedness in the event of an emergency. All schools that offer classes, Kindergarten through 12th grade,

are required to participate.

At a minimum, schools must conduct drills in coordination with their local emergency management coordinator (appointed under

section 9 of the emergency management act, 1976, PA 390, MCL 30.409) and the county sheriff or the chief of police or fire chief for the

municipality where the school is located. In Oakland County, the Homeland Security Division is the local emergency management

coordinating agency with the exception of the following communities: Farmington Hills, Southfield, Bloomfield Township and Birmingham.

Oakland County Homeland Security mailed letters to all public and private schools in Oakland County reminding them of the

requirement and providing our contact information. If the schools request assistance, the Homeland Security Division will provide a

thorough site assessment and assist with conducting the drill. Oakland County tracks the schools that notify us in accordance with the

policy. Reminder letters will also be sent in early spring to those schools that have not notified us.

Active Shooter Seminar

Oakland County Homeland Security Division created a video to inform the public about the intended use and activation of the outdoor warning sirens. The video is located on the Division’s and County websites. It provides an overview of the history of the sirens, how sirens are purchased and maintained, their intended use, activation policies and what to do if you hear the sirens. Outdoor warning sirens are to inform people that are outside that severe weather is in the area. The sirens are not intended to be heard indoors. Every county has a different policy regarding activation of the outdoor warning sirens. Oakland County will activate sirens in the event of tornado warning or high winds 70 MPH or greater. The location of a siren is a joint effort between the local community and Oakland County. Please visit our website at oakgov.com/homelandsecurity to view the video and receive additional information.

OUTDOOR WARNING SIREN VIDEO There have been several active

shooter events that have occurred across the county recently. Oakland County Homeland Security Division, along with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, is offering Active Shooter Seminars as a continuing county government workplace safety effort. The 1.5 hour training will provide leadership and employees with current U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidance and tips from trained law enforcement SWAT team professionals on how to act and survive such an event. Handout materials and a video will be used as part of the lesson plan.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides an on-line course that is available for anyone to take. If you are interested in learning more about what you can do in an active shooter situation, take the IS-907 Active Shooter: What You Can Do course on FEMA’s website at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS907.asp.

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1200 N. Telegraph Rd

Building 47 W Pontiac MI 48341

248-858-5300

This newsletter will be published quarterly. Please send your comments or requests to:

Sara Stoddard Chief of Emergency Management

Homeland Security Division stoddards@oakgov.com

248-858-5080

Oakland County Executive

L. Brooks Patterson

September is National Preparedness Month

Local Emergency Planning

Committee (LEPC)

The Oakland County Local Emergency Planning

Committee (LEPC) is publishing this Public Notice in accordance with Section

324 of the Superfund Amendment and

Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III) of 1986.

The following information submitted by facilities to the

Oakland County LEPC in accordance with SARA Title

III is available for public review at the LEPC office:

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for a hazardous

substance

A specific facility's Hazard Substance Inventory Form(s)

Follow-up Emergency Notices (hazardous material

release information)

Every year the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sponsor a National Preparedness Month Campaign. This year they encouraged everyone to “Pledge to Prepare” for an emergency. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson declared September as National Preparedness Month in Oakland County. In addition, Homeland Security Division mailed brochures to local businesses encouraging emergency preparedness planning, not only at the business level but also throughout the community. The brochure provides planning tips, resources and contact information to assist the business with planning. We are also encouraging the businesses to pass the information down to their employees. Planning prior to an emergency or disaster will not only protect the business’s investment but will also ensure families are prepared at home. A copy of the brochure and additional information regarding planning efforts can be found on our website at oakgov.com/homelandsecurity.