The fourth meeting of the 2016-2017 project year was held on November 28, 2016. The call’s primary aim was assigning workgroup members to complete “resource scans,” identifying best practices and possible partnerships with various colleges/universities, businesses, or K-12 schools, an essential goal of the work plan. Additionally, a collective workgroup interest was determined during the meeting, calling for increased information sharing and collaboration among members regarding identifying and preparing for their respective top hazards.

Discussions on the topic of top hazards began with Julie Stephens, Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recover Specialist at Linn County Public Health Department, in Iowa. As a part of the call, Julie provided an overview of her jurisdiction’s top ten hazards, ranking infrastructure failure as the second most dangerous, attributing seven of ten to weather, and the final two as related to transportation. She went on to share the Hazard Review process used by Linn County, which brings together community participants, emergency personnel, private businesses, and many more. In conclusion, Julie emphasized the crucial role of community partnerships between her health department, the state, and a local nuclear power plant, allowing for scheduled drills and exercises to test the community’s top hazards or vulnerabilities.

The next Incident Management Workgroup meeting is scheduled for January 23, 2017. This call will solicit workgroup member updates on assigned resource scan progress. Also, as a result of the group’s newly identified priority topic, Lisa Powell (El Paso County Public Health) and Patrick Holland (Richmond City Medical Reserve Corps) will continue the discussion with presentations on top hazards in their respective communities.

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The Incident Management Workgroup addresses topics related to the use of NIMS and the Incident Command System (ICS), the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Capability Three: Emergency Operations Coordination, and incident specific issues, such as those related to CBRNE. The membership of the workgroup consists of local health officials and public health preparedness professionals. For more information, contact Chelsea Gridley-Smith, NACCHO staff lead for the Incident Management Workgroup.