Air Force emergency managers "walk-the-walk"

  • Published
  • By Ed McAteer
  • Headquarters Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida --  A team of Air Force emergency managers -- 481 strong -- representing all the major commands, recently joined 2,000 of their colleagues at the 58th annual International Association of Emergency Managers conference, held October 29 through November 4, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas.

This year's IAEM conference theme was, "Talk-the-Talk, now Walk-the-Walk," and the Air Force emergency managers came prepared to do just that. They were there to talk, listen, and learn and leave even more prepared to meet their mission. One Air Force emergency manager also left with one of the association's top awards.

The conference gave Air Force emergency managers not only opportunities for professional development and interaction with peers, but also a clearer idea on how they fit into the "big picture" in emergency management. A major focus of the conference was the importance of interoperability to create a strong, universal emergency response to natural and manmade disasters.

"Regardless the latest tools and technology in emergency management and homeland security, no single entity has the capability to respond to large-scale events," said Mr. Craig Fugate, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator. "It's going to take partnering with our local communities and, on a larger scale, with state and federal agencies, and other uniformed services for response."

"There is a need for increased interoperability between Air Force Emergency Management and FEMA," stated Mr. Bob Jennings, Emergency Management Operations Chief at the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall AFB, Fla. "The core needs of integration, intelligence, communications, and memorandums of agreement help to ensure our mission of preparedness, response, and recovery is all that it should be."

Each agency has a stake in knowing "who" will bring "what" to an "all-hazard" event. Air Force Manual 10-2508, projected for publication release in 2011, will provide air Force incident managers, installation leadership, crisis planners, and emergency responders a view of capabilities at each functional agency. To eliminate redundancy and streamline operations, the manual identifies the resources needed for an all-hazards response and who will transport the equipment to an incident site.

During a meeting, Lieutenant General Guy C. Swan III, Commanding General of NORTHCOM, and Major General Timothy A. Byers, the Air Force Civil Engineer, shared their perspectives how emergency managers of all Services can "do it better." Both agreed that internal and external partnerships, increased joint basing, and integrated exercise and evaluation training is required.

"It does not matter who has the best program--Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard -- the best program is the one that everyone should be using," said General Swan.

"We are committed having the best emergency managers and overall, to building "ready engineers," said General Byers. "As the younger generation of CEs steps forward, they are asking the right questions: 'Will we always continue to learn, and mentor, and develop, so we can respond after the training is finished? Will we have the right equipment, the right tools, and the right training products?'"

The IAEM conference also allowed Air Force emergency managers to increase their knowledge and skills and pass them along to others. Air Force and FEMA experts taught more than a dozen one and two-day seminars and with over 75 breakout-training sessions, 150 displays, 275 supplier booths, and 15 active demonstrations, there was no shortage of training opportunities at the conference.

"Many of our warfighters have earned the Certified Emergency Manager professional title through the IAEM CEM program," said Chief Master Sergeant Alfred Casale, the Air Force Emergency Management Career Field Manager. "It has never been about building the biggest team, but rather the best team, of emergency managers."

Mr. Eugene R. Noble, from Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, epitomized the term "the best," winning the IAEM Civilian Uniformed Services Member of the Year award, one of only seven awards given to recipients from across the nation. Mr. Noble also garnered the Air Force Civilian Emergency Manager of the Year, and the MAJCOM Civilian Emergency Manager of the Year awards.

As AFMC's chief of emergency management, Mr. Noble oversees programs valued at $9.5 million and provides total protection for the command's $43 billion worth of infrastructure and its 74,000 assigned personnel. He developed base and command response protocols for real-world pandemic flu preparation and activation.

Technical Sergeant Renaissance A. Henry was also recognized at the conference as the Air Force Military Emergency Manager of the Year. Sergeant Henry, from the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan, is a FEMA-certified professional emergency manager. She was selected from a long list of nominees for her achievements at home base and while deployed. Her briefing to a Japanese contingent of high-level government officials helped solidify international relations. While deployed, she managed U.S. Central Command's largest emergency management program and protected 28,000 joint civilian and military personnel by distributing attack actions to 41 units.

"Our primary mission is to save lives and minimize the loss of resources," said Mike Connors, Emergency Management Program Manager at AFCESA. "Our Air Force emergency managers worldwide do this well in a demanding, fast-paced environment, and often in an all-hazards physical threat environment."