State Emergency Management Staffs Gather to Learn and Network 

Release Date: October 12, 2000
Release Number: R7-00-40

» 2000 Region VII News Releases

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- State emergency management training officers, exercise officers and administrative support staff gathered recently at the FEMA 

Region VII office for two days of training, sharing and networking.

Kathy Strange, regional training officer, said the annual event is a rare chance for state emergency staff members to come together in one room with their colleagues and air issues of concern. About 12 representatives from all four Region VII states - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska - came to the workshop, she said.

"The purpose is to share initiatives they have done all year," Strange said.

The workshop, held Oct. 10-12, included topics such as state partner's use of FEMA grant money. Eric Evans, Missouri state training officer, shared the product of the FEMA grant to the audience. The 15-minute video has now been added to the EMI resource library and also sent out to all 50 states.

Another hot topic, Strange said, was distance learning. It's a trend that fast becoming popular with the spread of fiber optic cables and the availability of satellite technology, she said.

Staff from the regional office was also on hand to make presentations, Strange said. Dennis Prevett, terrorism program coordinator, gave a presentation on FEMA's terrorism program; Carol Coleman, human services branch chief, brought everyone up to date on the region's tribal liaison efforts; and Bob Franke, civil engineer, discussed the Safe Room program.

The schedule also allowed for workshop attendees to breakout into topic areas - administrative support, training and exercise - for more in-depth discussions.

"They're our customers so we want to help them better," said Steve Seton, training assistant and a workshop organizer.

Strange said all attendees look forward to attending the workshop. The next workshop is already on the books for November 2001.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 09-Dec-2003 16:43:27