Disaster & Emergency Preparedness Symposium

 A Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management
 

A whole community approach to emergency management and the importance of vertical and horizontal integration of communications and operations

Bio: Cody Schulz is the Director of Homeland Security for the ND Department of Emergency Services where he oversees a staff of approximately 100 employees and several emergency management and homeland security programs. ND’s Homeland Security division is comprised of five functional sections: Preparedness, Response, Recovery & Mitigation, Planning, and GIS & Mapping. Prior to his appointment as Director, Cody served first as Business Manager/Disaster Finance Officer, and later as Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Chief. In addition, Cody was elected to the Morton County Commission in 2012 and re-elected in 2016.  He was Chairman of the Commission from 2016-2018, during the historic Dakota Access Pipeline Protests. Morton County has a population of 32,000, spans approximately 2,000 square miles and employs nearly 200 staff. Cody earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Dickinson State University and a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of North Dakota

81st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (WMD-CST): 
How can we help?

This session will describe what a Civil Support Team is, what we do, and the services we provide.  We will discuss initial response and assessment if a Chemical, Biological, Radioactive, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) event is suspected.  The session will also cover case studies of current events in the world-wide news, as well as Department of Defense (DoD) response to CBRNE events.

Bio: MAJ Tomac enlisted in the the ND Army National Guard in July 2002 with the 957^th Multi-Role Bridge Company.  He accepted his commission as a Medical Service Corps officer in December, 2005 with the ND Medical Detachment as the Occupational Health Manager and Patient Administration Officer, and he served as the Deputy State Surgeon from June 2009 to September 2010.  He was hired by the 81^st WMD-CST in September 2012 as the Nuclear Medicine Science Officer, where he was promoted to MAJ in September 2016.  He is currently serving as the Deputy Commander of the 81^st CST since October 2017. 
 
MAJ Tomac grew up south of Mandan near the town of Saint Anthony.  He attended the University of Mary receiving degrees in Respiratory Therapy, Chemistry and Theology, and is working on his Master’s in Public Health from Des Moines University.  He maintains his licensure as a Registered Respiratory Therapist, Environmental Health Practitioner, and Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist.  He is trained as a HazMat Technician, HazMat Safety Officer, and Radiation Safety Officer.       
 
MAJ Tomac is married to Jamie, and together they have 4 children ages 13, 11, 9, and 5.  They run a cattle ranch west of Mandan in their free time where the kids enjoy their horses, bottle calves, dog, and lots of barn cats.  His hobbies include playing guitar and mandolin, hunting, skiing and spending time with his family.     

Bio:
SSG Haider enlisted in the ND Army National Guard in May 2007 with the 191^st Military Police Company. He was promoted to SGT in 2012 with the 191^st MP CO as a team leader. He was hired by the 81^st WMD-CST in July of 2012 as a survey team member. He was promoted to SSG and assigned as a Survey Team Chief with the 81^st CST in October of 2017.
 
SSG Haider Grew up North of Minot near the town of Burlington. He attended Bismarck State University receiving his A.A.S in Process Plant Technology. He is trained as a HazMat Technician, HazMat Safety Officer, and Radiation Safety Officer.
 
SSG Haider is married to Courtney, and together they have one child who is one year of age. They have a small hobby farm South of Hazelton and enjoy their cattle, horses, dogs, and cats. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, hiking, and spending time with his family.       

Medical Capacity/Hospital Incident Command

This presentation will include a description of the hospital’s medical capacity in the event of a catastrophe as well as the resources and services the facility has access to call on when assistance is needed (flight services, ground EMS, UMDHU, NDDOH, surrounding hospitals, etc.).  Information will also be provided on recommendations for community members who have been exposed to an infectious disease or hazardous material.

Bio: Lori Hahn, MSN, RN, is the Vice President of Patient Care Services at CHI St. Alexius Health Williston. Lori’s experience includes 10 years as an ER staff nurse, 15 years as the Director of Hemodialysis, 2 years as the Quality Director, and the past seven years as VP of Patient Care.  Lori serves as a member of the Sr. Team at CHI St. Alexius Health who assume the role of “Incident Commander” for disaster management and works very closely with the Emergency Preparedness Team on drills and educational opportunities.
 

The Public Health Role in Hazmat Planning and Response

This presentation will define Public Health, as it pertains to Hazmat Situations, as well as the variety of roles Public Health can play in planning and Preparedness for such situations. This presentation will also talk about Hazardous material incidents historically, and some incidents that have occurred in ND.

Bio: Sherry Adams is a Registered Sanitarian/Registered Environmental Health Specialist working at Southwestern District Health Unit, in Dickinson since 2004. She became the as Administrator/CEO for the health unit in 2009. She oversees 35 staff. She has worked in Emergency Preparedness and Response for fourteen years, is certified in Homeland Security at Level V, as well as Certified in Domestic Preparedness. Sherry is a Hazmat Technician and a Certified Standard Awareness Level Instructor. She is also certified by FEMA and the State of ND as an Incident Command instructor. She was an adjunct professor at Dickinson State University teaching Disaster Preparedness.  She became a part of State EMST (Emergency Management Support Team), as a Safety Officer, in 2009, and as an Incident Commander in 2012. Sherry has responded to numerous incidents including the Dickinson Tornado of 2009, H1N1 Pandemic flu of 2009, Flooding/Evacuation of 2009 and 2011, DAPL in 2016/2017, as well as numerous oil spills/ chemical and hazmat spills throughout SW North Dakota. In March of 2013, Sherry was part of a team of 5 that was sent to Ghana, Africa to teach Incident Command to their government. The team returned again in March of 2014, and April of 2015. The team returned to Togo, Africa in September 2015, to also start the training process, and returned both Togo, as well as Benin Africa in June of 2016. She returned to Benin in February of 2018. Sherry became a certified Chaplain in 2013, and is also trained in Critical Incident Stress Management. Sherry was recently deployed to assist with Hurricane Harvey, and worked in the State Operation Center in September of 2017. Sherry has been married for 36 years to her husband Dean, and has two grown children. Sherry loves to write letters, sing, and laugh. 

Boston Marathon Bombing: Investigation and Crisis Response
Lessons Learned

This presentation will outline some of the basic investigative techniques used in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing. There will also be a significant portion of the presentation dedicated to crisis response preparation, planning, and execution with regards to public and private entities. There will also be discussion and lessons learned regarding the FBI's successes and failures in regard to the crisis response aspects of the Boston Marathon Bombing.

Bio: Dan Genck is a Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI who oversees the Bismarck, Minot, and Williston offices. Prior to this assignment, he supervised all Public Corruption, Civil Rights, and Crimes Against Children investigations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. SSA Genck previously worked violent crime and public corruption matters in the FBI's Bismarck office and served six years in the Boston Division where he was assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force and specialized in threats emanating from ISIS in Syria. SSA Genck is an FBI Crisis Management Coordinator and in this role has worked numerous crisis events including terrorist attacks, kidnappings, and high visibility special events.

Opioid Epidemic via Dangers in Fentanyl and Packaging Advisories (PPT)

This presentation will include basic overview of the dangers of fentanyl, its effects on people, responder assessment, overdose indicators, personnel exposure, local community affects.

Bio: Michael Mees, Special Agent – North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Task Force Coordinator of the Northwest Narcotics Task Force in Williston. Mike’s experience includes 8 years in various public service duties including 2 years in corrections at the Morton County Sheriff’s Office, 2 years as a communications specialist with North Dakota State Radio, 2 years as a Deputy Sheriff with McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office in Watford City. Mike was later assigned for 2 years as a Criminal Investigator working specifically crimes against persons/violent crime and narcotics and was later assigned to the Northwest Narcotics Task Force as a Task Force Officer for the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office. During Mike’s tenure at the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office Mike fulfilled numerous certified roles such as a Primary Crisis Negotiator for special operations, McKenzie County area Planning Section Chief during the DAPL conflict, and criminal intelligence analyst. Mike was then employed by the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office – Bureau of Criminal Investigation as a Special Agent and assigned to fulfill the position of the Northwest Narcotics Task Force Coordinator where Mike oversees 10 sworn and 1 non-sworn task force members consisting of member agencies such as the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Williston Police Department, Williams County Sheriff’s Office, McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office, Watford City Police Department, Divide County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Border Patrol. Mike was also a member of the United States Civil Air Patrol where Mike served as the Director of Emergency Services for the North Dakota Wing. Mike currently holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Administration of Criminal Justice, completed numerous narcotics enforcement certifications through local, state, and federal levels. Mike has worked numerous narcotics cases extending throughout the United States and Mexico. Mike has also recently completed the National Forensics Academy at the University of
Tennessee.

Airport Emergency Preparedness and Update

This presentation will include a description of the emergency response plans for a variety of potential events that may occur at a commercial service airport. Information will also be provided on the new Williston Basin International Airport progress.

Bio:  Anthony Dudas, C.M., is the Airport Director for the City of Williston at Sloulin Field International Airport – ISN and Williston Basin International Airport – XWA.  Anthony’s experience includes 14 years in the aviation industry in airport operations and management, 7 of those at the City of Williston.  Anthony has a private pilot license and a B.S. in Aviation Management.  As the Airport Director, his responsibilities are inclusive of all day to day operational tasks including federal, state, and local inspection requirements, aircraft rescue firefighting, and snow removal.  Additionally, Anthony handles all future planning initiatives as it relates to the operational needs of the new Williston Basin International Airport.  He prides himself on establishing, empowering, and entrusting in the airport team.  He continues to work for his community, constituents, and the airport to strive for safe and exemplary air service to and from the Williston Basin region

Advance Planning for Emergency Response

This presentation will include an overview of ONEOK’s Emergency Action/Response Program including personnel training, midstream-specific emergencies, response, coordination with outside help during an emergency, and additional elements of consideration.
 
Bio: Max Milne is the Manager of Safety and Health at ONEOK Rockies Midstream. Max’s experience includes a combination of ten years in both operational and safety and health roles. Max holds a B.S. in Education from Minot State University and a M.S. in Occupational Safety and Health from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Mr. Milne has held the credential of Certified Safety Professional (CSP) since 2014.

Community and Facility Emergency Planning TTX

During this session, participants will review a facility emergency plan and a community emergency plan while running through a release scenario to identify strengths and areas of concern in the plans.
 

Bio: Luke Chavez is an Environmental Engineer with the USEPA Region 8 Emergency Response and Preparedness Program.  He is the Training and Exercise Coordinator and has recently taken on the duties of Emergency Planner.  Luke has worked at EPA for over 28 years where he investigated hazardous substance releases under Superfund up until 2008 and has since established and developed their Training and Exercise Program in accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).  Luke is a Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) where he has designed, planned, implemented and evaluated numerous exercises from small workshop to complex full scale exercises.  Luke is a member of the Regional Incident Management Team (IMT) where he is trained as a Resource Unit Leader and a Situation Unit Leader. He has deployed to several incidents of national significance such as the Sandy Hurricane, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and most recently the California Fires and Hurricanes’ Irma and Maria.  In 2017 Luke was named to the National Incident Assistance Management Team (NIMAT) where he will continue to assist in responding to disasters of national significance.  Luke has received his BS in Engineering from New Mexico State University, where he also received his EIT-Engineer in Training certification. 

Bio: Lori Reed is a member of the Emergency Response and Preparedness Program at EPA Region 8. She is focused on the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) and the Risk Management Program (RMP). The Emergency Response and Preparedness Program holds  Chemical and Oil Workshops for both commercial facilities and LEPCs throughout Region 8 of the EPA. She authors the Region 8 Preparedness newsletter and the Tier2 Submit Tutorial.  Lori graduated from Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota and has an MBA from the University of Colorado.