Memorandum
Date: March 7, 2023
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Rob Howe, Sheriff/Coroner/Director of Emergency Services
Subject: Approve Out of State travel for Emergency Services Assistant Alma Perez to attend the Emergency Management Institute in Maryland from June 11-June 17, 2023
Executive Summary: The Lake County Sheriff's Department respectfully requests your Board’s authorization to send Emergency Services Specialist Alma Perez to the Foundations of Emergency Management (E101) 40-hour training course to be held at the FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland June 12-16, 2023. This course is required to obtain the National Emergency Management Basic Academy certification and is facilitated by the Nation’s leading emergency management training staff. EMI covers course costs including airfare, transportation, lodging, and the course once per year. Students are responsible to travel to their home airport and pay for a meal ticket. There are eleven prerequisite courses that Perez has already completed.
The vision of EMI is “to strengthen the field of emergency management by establishing an Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP). The EMPP provides a framework for acquiring the knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter and progress through the field and to meet the challenges of a dynamic and complex environment.” The goal of the Basic Academy is to support the early careers of emergency managers through a training experience combining knowledge of all fundamental systems, concepts, and practices of cutting-edge emergency management. .” As a rural County, in-person training of this caliber is often inaccessible. Because EMI provides much of the costs associated, Specialist Perez will be better equipped to fulfill her job duties and will be more engaged in the field of emergency management, ultimately enhancing Lake County Office of Emergency Services and the County of Lake. As the lead emergency management agency OES’ success is a positive reflection on County and its ability to prepare, mitigate, respond, and recover from disasters.
OES developed a strategic plan in 2022 that laid the foundation to standardize our emergency management program and the Sheriff’s office is committed to developing staff through training. Training objectives for this course, Foundations of Emergency Management, are based on the newly established Emergency Manager competencies that the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA); the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM); and local, State, territorial, and tribal emergency management professionals have established in coordination with the Emergency Management Institute (EMI).
The following topics in emergency management are covered in this course: legal issues; intergovernmental and interagency context; influencing, organizing, social vulnerability issues; managing stress; collaboration, preparedness; team building; mitigation; response; prevention and protection; ethical decision-making; recovery; technology; administration; and the future.
Pursuant to the County of Lake Travel Policy 15-1.3(D), it is requested your Board approve sending Emergency Services Specialist Perez out of state to attend the Foundations of Emergency Management course at EMI in Emmitsburg, Maryland, traveling on June 11, 2023 and returning on June 17, 2023.
Non reimbursable costs should not exceed $500 and will be paid out of the Sheriff/Coroner budget 2201. There are no tuition or lodging costs and the airfare is reimbursable. See attached breakdown.
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Recommended Action: Approve Out of State travel for Emergency Services Assistant Alma Perez to attend the Emergency Management Institute in Maryland from June 11-June 17, 2023