Local Leaders Attend Workshop for All-Hazard Preparedness
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, July 20th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE — (Information from Union County Emergency Services) In an effort to elevate coordination efforts in times of emergencies, senior officials and leaders from across Northeast Oregon gathered together in La Grande to participate in a comprehensive workshop on all-hazard preparedness. The workshop, facilitated by FEMA, aimed to foster discussions on emergency response best practices, preparedness strategies, and recovery plans, promoting a shared perspective and comprehension of the challenges our communities may encounter in times of crisis.
The workshop featured a simulated tabletop exercise focused on a wildfire scenario, encouraging active collaboration and dialogue among participants. This exercise aimed to identify leadership roles and responsibilities during emergencies, encompassing incident response, recovery considerations, situational assessment, incident management, mutual aid agreements, media relations, recovery processes, restoration efforts, federal assistance, and business/economic recovery strategies.
Moreover, the workshop provided valuable insights into crisis response at an executive level, further strengthening partnerships and enhancing preparedness for future emergency situations through practical exercises during disasters.
Union County Emergency Manager Nick Vora said the workshop highlights the emergency response capabilities because of the strong partnerships of local officials and agencies. “Many of these partnerships have taken years of close cooperation to build, and really highlight the local culture we have of helping each other in a coordinated effort and doing what needs to be done, regardless of the jurisdiction or who is getting the credit,” said Vora. “Particularly in the case of this class, seeing the time commitment that our local elected officials and agency administrators made to attend this workshop and broaden their skills sets and knowledge surrounding emergency preparedness was inspiring.”
More than 25 management and personnel representatives from various agencies attended the six-hour training session. Participating organizations included Island City, City of La Grande, City of Ontario, Grande Ronde Hospital, Intermountain Education Service District, Baker County, Umatilla County, Union County, and Wallowa County.The fully funded training was made possible by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Association National Training Program.
