Oregon emergency managers launching ‘Mass Casualty Impact and Recovery’ virtual seminars

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Department of Emergency Management, in partnership with federal, state and private sector entities, is launching a Mass Casualty Impact and Recovery virtual seminar series from 9-10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The nine-session series is designed for companies and organizations interested in enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the impact and recovery of an active shooter or other mass casualty event. 

“As emergency managers, we strive to make our communities more resilient and better prepared to handle unexpected disasters of every kind,” said OEM Interim Director Matt Garrett. “While it’s disheartening that there’s a need to hold such a series, the reality is, no matter where we live, work or go to school, we’re all vulnerable to mass casualty events. These seminars will provide our partners with the resources they need to be better prepared to respond to a future tragic situation.”

More than 1,100 individuals from 49 states and 25 countries – representing the private sector, nonprofits and government entities – have signed up for the series, which will feature subject matter experts sharing critical infrastructure best practices, valuable lessons, and planning resources and tools to assist with mass casualty impact and recovery.

“One of the most difficult disasters to deal with is the man-made variety that results when a person with a gun enters a business and starts firing,” said Idaho Emergency Management Public Private Partnership (P3) Program Manager Jon Hanian, who helped develop the series. “These traumatic, emotionally charged, chaotic events are happening with alarming frequency around the country. We believe it’s incumbent on us to help business owners and managers educate themselves on how best to plan, prepare and respond for what could be the worst day of their lives.”

The Mass Casualty Impact and Recovery seminar series will be held every third Thursday from March through November on Microsoft Teams live events. Each month will cover a different topic, including addressing immediate needs; crisis communications for media response; providing immediate crisis support; reopening and resuming operations; negotiating short-, mid- and long-term recovery; post incident scams and fraud; and civil and criminal judicial processes.

OEM’s P3 Program Manager Sonya McCormick worked closely with Hanian to develop the series. Together, they pulled in their P3 counterparts from Alaska and Washington and brought in specialists from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the private sector.

“The region’s P3 program managers have recently seen a groundswell of interest from private sector partners looking to become more resilient and prepared in the face of ongoing active shooter type events,” said McCormick. “The topics covered throughout this seminar series are important and timely, and the resources will ensure our partners are better equipped to recover should a tragic situation unfold.”

The seminars are free, not cumulative and may be taken individually. Each seminar counts toward continuing education with CEU credits through IACET Accredited Provider G&H International, Inc. All PSPR2 sessions will be recorded, but registration is required to receive all materials and recordings. Learn more and register for one or all seminars at Eventbrite.