Intern Insight- Week 5

Another productive and fun filled week here at the Department of Public Safety! To start off my week I went to an Agricultural Subcommittee meeting at HACC. At this meeting there were discussions about how the county would handle decontamination of animals, whether domestic or agricultural, during hazardous situations. As well as how these animals would be transported, sheltered, and handled. It can be extremely dangerous handling animals such as cows and horses when they are frightened. This is why the committee discussed training exercises that teach individuals how to properly care for them in these situations. After the meeting, I came back to the EOC and began to work on my FEMA NIMS courses. These NIMS ( National Incident Management System) courses cover preparedness, communications and information management, resource management, and command and management within FEMA as well as outlines the responsibilities and activities that are consistent with the National Training Program. At the end of each course, I take a final exam and receive a certificate if I pass.

The rest of the week I began to update the Dam Emergency Action Plan checklists for the 9-1-1 Communications Center. These checklists contain individuals and numbers of each facility that they need to contact in a specific order if there were to be an emergency regarding the dams. The checklists make it easier for the dispatchers to get a hold of everyone much quicker instead of having to search for the numbers themselves. When it comes to emergencies, time is crucial. Thursday, I attended a Cumberland County Commissioners meeting at the court house and was able to watch the Board of Commissioners present one of our dispatchers, Jon Anschutz, with the blue stork pin. The Stork Pin identifies those dispatchers who have assisted in the delivery of a baby by providing pre-arrival instructions. You can read that story by going to Cumberland County’s Facebook page and following the article link. Overall, I continue to enjoy my time here and experience new things each day. Each person here continues to provide me with their own advice I can leave here with that will help me in my future. The one common piece of advice I continue to hear is about the importance of relationships and networking. You never know when you may need someone you can trust or to help you with something important you’re working on. I have already met tons of individuals who have offered to help me in the future if I need anything.

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