With 2018 off to a fast start, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2017 and share some of our activities and accomplishments. This past year was another busy year supporting our clients and it afforded us the opportunity to grow our team and expand the services we provide. Here are some of the highlights:
U.S. Coast Guard National ICS Training Contract
In September, EMSI was awarded a five-year contract to support the U.S. Coast Guard’s national Incident Command System (ICS) training program. EMSI was the Coast Guard’s first ICS training contractor from 2000-2012 and is proud to return to supporting to the Coast Guard. Under the new contract, EMSI will provide ICS position and team training, including Area Command (ICS-620) and Advanced IMT (ICS-420) training, with highly experienced Type 1 ICS qualified instructors.
U.S. Department of Energy
EMSI continued to support the U.S. Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) in their Offices of Emergency Operations and Nuclear Incident Response. In addition to day-to-day programmatic support, EMSI delivered a new incident leadership course for members of the DOE/NNSA Senior Response Official (formerly Senior Energy Official) cadre in March 2017. The new course was well received and is now a part of the DOE/NNSA ongoing training program.
In April, EMSI supported DOE/NNSA with the Gotham Shield exercise in New York and New Jersey. Some EMSI personnel served as planners and controllers for the exercise, while others filled key positions as part of the DOE/NNSA response. In preparation for the exercise, EMSI personnel delivered training on nuclear and radiological incident management to the New Jersey State Police and Office of Emergency Management. Gotham Shield was part of the annual Vibrant Response exercise program, which EMSI has supported since 2013.
Finally, EMSI added two new employees under our DOE/NNSA contract: Nate Russo and Greg Morrison.
ICS-220 Course
We were very excited to complete a major revision and enhancement to our ICS-220, Initial Response course in 2017. In December, we successfully completed two deliveries of the new course with an updated Initial Response Guide Book (job aid). Recognizing a critical ICS training shortfall, EMSI developed ICS-220 Initial Response Team, an advanced ICS training course greatly expanding on initial response management concepts, to better prepare response personnel for managing the often chaotic and dynamic initial stages of the response, with additional focus on a prolonged posture in this critical portion of an incident life-cycle. This course focuses on the functions of Command and key members of the Command Staff, General Staff and a few Unit Leaders during the initial response phase of an incident.
NCR IMT
After nearly ten years of continuous training and exercise support to the NCR IMT, EMSI was awarded another five year contract. Under this contract, EMSI will deliver advanced ICS and IMT training and workshops, as well as support NCR IMT exercises. This contract, administered by Fairfax County, is available for use by nearly all local government entities in the NCR.
CYGRU Partnership
In March, EMSI entered into a partnership with CYGRU, a leading cyber security consulting company. Joining forces, EMSI and CYGRU have blended their specialties to address emergency threats in the cyber domain. Together, EMSI and CYGRU bring world-class emergency management experience coupled with industry-leading cyber-security approaches to deliver innovative solutions to an evolving emergency management threat: Cyber Incident Management.
Incident Response Support
In addition to training and exercise work, EMSI also supported real-world response efforts. For over a month, EMSI provided incident management expertise to the ESF #10 Command Post in Florida following Hurricane Irma, filling critical roles in the Operations Section, Planning Section, and Environmental Unit.
Building upon our work with the City of Boston Office of Emergency Management, EMSI provided public information specialists to work in the Boston Joint Information Center (JIC) during both the Boston Marathon and Sail Boston special events.
PREP Exercises
EMSI conducted another round of PREP exercises with a class 1 railroad, leading PREP exercises at nearly a dozen railyards to evaluate Facility Response Plans. This exercise program helps the railroad not only demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements, but has been instrumental in better preparing the railroad to respond to potential emergencies.
Where in the World
EMSI continues to be a global leader in the field of incident management. In 2017, we worked in over ten different countries on five different continents. We made our first trip to Africa to conduct ICS training in Nigeria in support of an oil and gas client. We additionally delivered ICS training in Spanish in Argentina and Columbia, and then subsequently published our ICS forms in Español to assist all Spanish speakers worldwide.
What’s to Come in 2018
You can expect a lot from EMSI in 2018.
• ICS-220: We will continue to roll-out our new ICS-220 course for global use by our clients and partners.
• Advanced IMT Workshops: We are currently working on the development of some advanced incident management workshops for the NCR IMT that will explore novel and advanced concepts.
• Response Support: EMSI continues to be engaged in 2017 hurricane season response efforts. We have five team members on site in Puerto Rico, four assisting with the management of power restoration and one assisting with maritime salvage. In addition, we currently have two team members in Minneapolis, MN, supporting the DOE/NNSA Office of Nuclear Incident Response with pre-event security operations for Super Bowl LII.
• USCG ICS Training: We will continue to support the USCG ICS training and currently have eight ICS-620, Area Command courses scheduled.
• IAEA Training: In February, we are scheduled to deliver a new leadership course to members of the Incident and Emergency Centre from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.
• Course and Job Aid Updates: Throughout 2018, we plan to update all of our ICS training courses and job aids with refreshed and enhanced content, furthering our position as a global leader in the training and application of ICS.
Since inception in 2000, EMSI has played a major role in helping government and industry clients alike, prepare, train, and respond to emergencies of any cause or size. Comprised of national and international all-risk, all-hazard response experts, EMSI’s seasoned cadre gives us a unique background and perspective in dealing with incident and responder needs at every level of government and industry, to include the international community. As a global response leader in all-risk, all-hazard, multi-discipline incidents, EMSI has a proven track record in helping the myriad of local, state, national, international, and private sector entities with their incident management and emergency management programs.
EMSI is a service-disabled veteran owned, minority business enterprise (MBE) that supports a broad range of clients. To learn more about EMSI and how we can help your organization’s response preparedness, please visit www.emsics.com.