Welcome Message
Michelle Tetreault
Emergency Management Committee Chair
As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of emergency management, the Emergency Management Committee remains steadfast in our commitment to providing you with the resources and support needed to effectively respond to and recover from all hazards, both natural and manmade. Our mission is to foster an environment where ideas, knowledge, and technologies can be exchanged and developed to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies of all kinds.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently met with our technical committee and provided us an overview of their ChemLock program. More than 96 percent of all manufactured goods depend on chemicals in some way. These chemicals are used, manufactured, stored, and transported across global supply chains, forming the bedrock of industries that touch nearly every aspect of American life — from microchips to food processing. Many of these chemicals that businesses interact with every day are dangerous chemicals that could be used in a terrorist attack. It is important for our agencies to understand the risk and take collective action to protect chemicals from being weaponized by terrorists.
CISA’s ChemLock is a voluntary program that provides you tools to better understand the risks you may be facing. Our committee strongly encourages you to check out their resources. This could be an excellent workshop at an upcoming chapter event. Perhaps involve your regional CISA office to assist. These relationships are important to establish during your preparation cycle and while developing your emergency response plans.
One resource that has been gaining popularity among our membership is our Natural Hazard Checklists. These checklists, created by the committee, are designed to help public works agencies prepare for, respond to, and recover from a variety of natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, ice storms, tornadoes, and wildfires. These fillable PDFs are invaluable tools for agencies seeking to enhance their emergency preparedness efforts. There is a new checklist on civil unrest. The checklists are in the APWA Resource Center.
APWA’s Emergency Management Committee wants you to be ready for any emergency in your community. The committee created two videos to promote the Natural Hazards Checklists.
The latest video: Traveling for the holidays can be tough. Do you go overboard with packing or keep it easy breezy?
The first video was released on Halloween: Don’t get caught in the dark by natural disasters! Access the natural hazard checklists before things start to get scary.
Additionally, we are excited to announce that our Emergency Management session at PWX will focus on the crucial role of public works as first responders. President Gary Losier highlighted this significance in his recent message to the membership, emphasizing the integral role that public works professionals play in disaster response and recovery efforts. Considering the increasing frequency and severity of disasters in recent years, it is more important than ever for us to recognize and celebrate the essential contributions of public works agencies to community resilience.
If you are passionate about contributing to the work of the Emergency Management Committee, I invite you to join our Knowledge Team. By joining forces with other dedicated professionals, you can help shape the future of emergency management within our organization and beyond. For more information on how to get involved, please contact education@apwa.org.
In closing, I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your tireless dedication to the field of public works and emergency management. Together, we can continue to build safer, more resilient communities for generations to come.
