As We Close Out 2011....

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While the year is not quite over, this will likely be CRESA's last post of 2011.  In reviewing this past year, we thought it would be interesting to share some fun agency highlights. 

We will wait until the year officially closes to gather the specific 9-1-1 statistics so you can expect additional numbers once those are tabulated. 

But, some memorable community highlights of notable events within Clark County that engaged CRESA included:

In January, we saw the sinking of the Davy Crockett Barge:  While this event was managed by the US Coast Guard and the Washington State Department of Ecology, CRESA Emergency Management Duty Officers received regular updates & ensured that regional partners were kept informed.

In March, Japan experienced their 9.0 Magnitude Earthquake & Tsunami.  This event affected emergency managers everywhere as it is similar to the anticipated outcomes of what could occur when the Cascadia Subduction Zone fault rips the earth someday.  This scenario is also of value to local planners with regards to planning for debris management.      

In April, we began to see some late-season flooding along the Columbia River.  Fortunately, the impacts were not damaging enough to declare any area a disaster, but the Vancouver Marathon did have to reroute their runners in June to stay out of the inundated park areas.

May was a busy month for CRESA.  On May 19th, CRESA staff managed and participated in the 140 Character Conference which was the first 140 Conference to focus on the impact of social media in the public sector.  This event brought together 58 speakers in 8 hours who spoke on all aspects of how this emerging form of communication changes everything for the future of crisis communications.  Videos of each of the presentations are still available at http://nw.140conf.com/ by clicking on the Morning Schedule and Afternoon schedule

On May 25th, an important workshop was held regarding redesigning the Emergency Medical Service delivery system.  At this meeting, over 80 folks participated in hearing about the different available models for ambulance coverage.  This effort will certainly inform additional work that will carry into 2012 for our EMS program.

And finally, the end of May saw CRESA's long-time director, Tom Griffith, retiring.  In December, the Administrative Board finalized the appointment of Anna Pendergrass as our new director.  We look forward to kicking off the new year under her leadership.  

In September, CRESA participated in over 28 community events to celebrate National Preparedness Month, the 10-year anniversary of 9/11/01 and National 9-1-1 Day to honor emergency dispatchers.  This included our local Open House in addition to many other exciting events including the hosting of our online game, 30 Days, 30 Ways which had its own website this year. 

Volunteers throughout Clark County gave of themselves selflessly to assist with a number of special missions, coordinated through CRESA.  These included Chief Ralph Painter's Memorial Service, Mass Casualty Drills for our fire departments, 140 Conference, National Preparedness Month events, the Lethal Vapor Hazardous Materials Full-Scale Exercise and the Army's Mass Decon Full-Scale Exercise.  Beyond these large scale events, there were many everyday events that are simply too numerous to count. 

We are blessed here at CRESA to be a part of an amazing community in Clark County and SW Washington.  Each day our employees and public safety agencies throughout this community dedicate themselves towards the hard work necessary to ensure that we prepare, respond and are ready to recover when disaster strikes.

To everyone who reads these words, volunteers with our community programs, or work with us, we wish you a joyous and safe New Year!  Please do us a personal favor and be responsible about how you celebrate.  We'd prefer to have a quiet night here at CRESA.