Calhoun County Planner Chosen for MRC Leadership Workshop

AEMA Newsletter Summer 2008 Page 2

Around the State

Debbie Blevins, Planner at the Calhoun County EMA, has been chosen as one of two people in FEMA Region IV to attend a Medical Reserve Corps New Leadership Workshop in Washington, DC. 

MRC is one of the initiatives of Citizen Corps and its mission is to improve the health and safety of communities across the country by organizing and utilizing public health, medical and other volunteers. One of the main duties of the CC-MRC is partnering with the Alabama Department of Public Health in manning comfort care centers when the need arises.

Blevins said, “I received an email from the Region IV Regional Coordinator with the Office of the Surgeon General who works with the Medical Reserve Corps. She needed to submit two names to attend the New Leadership Workshop and asked if I would be interested.”

The workshop will be held July 23 and 24. According to the workshop material this workshop was designed to help provide new leaders in new and existing units with detailed training to help in developing and sustaining a Volunteer Base. 

Blevins started in Calhoun County  in June 2004 as a Telecommunicator and moved into the Planner position in August 2006. She is the Citizen Corps Coordinator.

La'Tonya B. Stephens presents Helen Wilgus, Alabama's previous FEMA REP Lead, with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Event Used to Exercise Capabilities

The Bama Jam Music Festival in Coffee  County June 5-7  was used as an opportunity to exercise communications and unified command principles with various agencies. On site were representatives from the Coffee, Houston and Henry County EMAs, various Sheriff’s Departments, Enterprise City Police, various EMS groups, Alabama Department of  Public Safety,  Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Enforcement, Alabama Fire Marshall, Alabama National Guard, and AEMA.  It was a great opportunity for these groups to learn lessons about working together and what will work most efficiently during an emergency.

Left top:  Unified Command meeting              8am every day!

Left bottom:  EMA staff and visitors at Bama Jam.

Right:  The Regional Communication Vehicle tested a system to receive  video from the camera on the Dale County Sheriff’s helicopter