School Readiness Unit

Since 2014, NH’s School Readiness Unit has been assisting NH’s schools with physical security assessments, training, and developing, implementing and reviewing their emergency response plans.  In order to evolve with an ever-changing environment, the program will be undergoing a number of changes in the coming months in order to best serve and assist the schools of New Hampshire to be the safest in the country.

In that vein, the unit is excited to announce that they are bringing on board a School Training/Exercise Coordinator, who will be responsible for assisting with the facilitation of trainings and exercises with schools throughout the State. Currently, the School Readiness Unit is in the process of building out this initiative and a number of trainings and exercises are being piloted with several schools over the next few months.

As part of this new approach, on March 8, members of the School Readiness Unit held a tabletop exercise at Ellis School in Fremont. School staff members, SAU administrators, and members of the Fremont Police and Fire Departments joined with HSEM staff to discuss the school’s emergency operations plan and their response actions for responding to an armed assailant. Conversation centered on real-time response actions if an incident were to occur at the school.  This exercise will help the school to improve practices and planned response to any hazard.

Annually, the School Readiness Unit conducts an average of 117 security assessments. Going back to 2014, they have conducted 875 security assessments for New Hampshire schools. Over 300 schools have had a second security assessment and more than 50 have had a third assessment completed.

In one example of these assessments,  HSEM visited Amherst Middle School on Thursday, February 10,  to conduct a school physical security assessment. School Readiness Liaison Scott Lambertson, Community Outreach Program Assistant TJ McPhee and local police and fire representatives convened to discuss the safety capabilities and practices of the school in an attempt to optimize security systems on campus. Among the topics discussed during the meeting were surveillance, access control and emergency alerting. Afterward, a physical inspection of the building was conducted and a list of observations and suggestions were given to the school. This was the third security assessment of Amherst Middle School since the program began in 2014.

To schedule a security assessment, request technical assistance for a school emergency operations plan, or to inquire about training and exercise opportunities contact schoolreadiness@dos.nh.gov to be connected with your School Readiness Liaison.

2022 Flood Safety Awareness Week

During this year’s Flood Safety Awareness Week, New Hampshire and Maine partnered to provide resources and preparedness information to residents and visitors.

In 2021, 146 people in the United States died during floods, according to the National Weather Service.

Flooding is the top natural disaster threat to the Granite State and is the second highest natural disaster threat in Maine. In 2021, New Hampshire had two federally declared disasters and Maine had one federally declared disaster due to damages from flooding.

Each day during New Hampshire and Maine Flood Safety Awareness week (Monday, March 14, through Friday, March 18, 2022), the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management along with the Maine Emergency Management Agency, the New Hampshire and Maine Floodplain Management programs, and the New Hampshire Insurance Department and Maine Bureau of Insurance shared information on how to be prepared before, during and after a flood.

The agencies offered the following resources for preparation before, during and after a flood:

• Emergency preparedness information for individuals can be found at ReadyNH.gov or Maine.gov/MEMA.
• “Low Risk Doesn’t Mean No Risk”: A website compilation from the NH Floodplain Management Program with fact sheets, social media messaging and links to more resources.
• Information on the Floodplain Management Program in New Hampshire and Maine, including the National Flood Insurance Program, mapping resources, ordinances and links to other resources.
• Flood insurance information for homeowners, property owners and business owners in New Hampshire and Maine.

Booster Blitz 2.0

On Saturday, January 8, HSEM joined our DHHS, civilian medical and National Guard partners to hold Booster Blitz 2.0.  Despite the inclement weather, close to 10,000 New Hampshire residents received the COVID-19 vaccine booster at one of the 14 locations around the state of New Hampshire.

Additional vaccination opportunities can be found at nh.gov/covid19.

COO Outreach Presentations

The Community Outreach Office (COO) has resumed in person presentations for service clubs and other organizations, with this quarter seeing presentations for the Bedford Lions Club, the Bow Rotary Club, the Derry Rotary Club, and the Manchester Rotary Club. Community Outreach staff are available to speak with your local organization about HSEM and its mission, emergency preparedness, and what you as an individual and a community can do to be part of the solution.  For more information or to schedule a presentation for your organization, contact the Community Outreach Office at hsempio@dos.nh.gov or by calling (603) 271-2231.

Training & Exercise Opportunities

L0376 State Public Assistance Operations – Concord, NH – April 26-28, 2022 , 0800-1700

https://training.fema.gov/netc_online_admissions

This course provides State, local, and tribal staffs with an overview of FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Program, process, and policies. Course topics include introduction to program laws, regulations, policies, the PA process, grants management, eligibility, and hazard mitigation in the PA Program, compliance with other Federal laws and regulations, and project formulation.

MGT-450 Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) Community Liaison course NHFA Concord NH – May 3, 2022, 0800-1700

https://cdp.dhs.gov/apply?temporaryId=5c51218d-1881-409a-81f2-e489d21a9bda PROMO CODE 22N-1005 BMAP CL, MUST HAVE FEMA SID NUMBER PRIOR TO APPLICATION

The Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) Community Liaison course prepares participants to conduct outreach in their communities by familiarizing them with explosive precursor chemicals and components found in common household products used to make bombs. It also provides them the ability to recognize suspicious purchasing behaviors, and access BMAP resources.

First Responder & Emergency Services Explosives (FRESE) Briefing, NHFA Concord NH, May 4, 2022 0800-1000

https://prd.blogs.nh.gov/dos/hsem/?page_id=561&ee=1311

This two hour briefing is designed for first responders including: police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency management professionals who may be tasked with or assigned to respond to calls for service. Calls for service may include explosives, bomb-making materials (BMM) and/or homemade explosives.

Retail Explosives Awareness Prevention and Reporting (REAPR) Briefing, NHFA Concord NH, May 4, 2022 1030-1200

https://prd.blogs.nh.gov/dos/hsem/?page_id=561&ee=1312

This hour and a half briefing is designed to educate retailers and promote the awareness and reporting of suspicious activity to prevent the misuse of common household items such as HME precursor chemicals and IED components. It is designed for retail and corporate employees involved in online or point-of-sale (POS) customer service, sales, security, loss prevention or any other type of retail outreach.

First Responder & Emergency Services Explosives (FRESE) Briefing, NCTF Bethlehem NH, May 4, 2022 1430–1630

https://prd.blogs.nh.gov/dos/hsem/?page_id=561&ee=1310

This two hour briefing is designed for first responders including: police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency management professionals who may be tasked with or assigned to respond to calls for service. Calls for service may include explosives, bomb-making materials (BMM) and/or home-made explosives.

First Responder & Emergency Services Explosives (FRESE) Briefing, DES Building Portsmouth NH, May 5, 2022 0830-1030

https://prd.blogs.nh.gov/dos/hsem/?page_id=561&ee=1309

This two hour briefing is designed for first responders including: police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency management professionals who may be tasked with or assigned to respond to calls for service. Calls for service may include explosives, bomb-making materials (BMM) and/or home-made explosives.

First Responder & Emergency Services Explosives (FRESE) Briefing, Cheshire County House of Corrections Keene NH, May 5, 2022 1330-1530

https://prd.blogs.nh.gov/dos/hsem/?page_id=561&ee=1308

This briefing is designed for first responders including: police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency management professionals who may be tasked with or assigned to respond to calls for service. Calls for service may include explosives, bomb-making materials (BMM) and/or home-made explosives.

MGT-418 Readiness: Training Identification and Preparedness Planning , Concord NH, May 19-20, 2022 08:00-1700

https://train.ncbrt.lsu.edu/Student/Register?ClassID=28857, Password NCBRT418

This course teaches participants how to create effective training plans for their agencies and jurisdictions. By evaluating their abilities to meet their emergency operations plan (EOP) using traditional and national preparedness tools, participants can answer the following critical readiness questions:

• How prepared do we need to be?
• How prepared are we?
• How do we prioritize efforts to close the difference?

MGT-405 Mobilizing Faith-Based Community Organizations in Preparing for Disasters, Concord NH, June 22, 2022 0830-1700     

https://ruraltraining.org/course/MGT-405/?scheduled=tru&id=4485

This eight-hour, planning and management-level course trains faith-based community organization (FBCO) representatives, management-level emergency managers, and first responders from small and rural communities to strategically mobilize and engage members of FBCOs, including religious charities, nonprofits such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, churches (both affiliated and unaffiliated), temples, synagogues, mosques, and NGOs etc., in a reciprocal approach to disaster planning that is integrated into current local and statewide emergency management efforts. This course emphasizes grassroots mobilization and coordination efforts as a means of engaging all faith communities, thereby reaching those marginalized communities most vulnerable to disaster, most frequently excluded from the planning process, and ultimately, most difficult to aid in recovery.

MGT-416 Continuity of Government Operations Planning for Rural Jurisdictions, Bethlehem NH, June 29, 2022 0800-1700

https://ruraltraining.org/course/MGT-416/?scheduled=true&id=5565

This eight-hour course is designed to help government officials and emergency responders from rural communities in the development of plans that will ensure the continuity of essential government functions across a spectrum of emergencies. History demonstrates that disasters and emergencies often interrupt, degrade, or destroy local government’s ability to perform essential functions. This is especially true in rural communities where resources are typically limited under the best of circumstances. These jurisdictions must develop plans that address succession planning, redundant communications, and alternate site needs for their communities to face increasingly frequent threats. This tuition free course will expose participants to the benefits of developing continuity of government plans for rural communities with special focus on succession planning, delegation of authority, redundant communications, and alternate facilities.

See Something, Say Something® Resources

Did you know that there are school-specific See Something, Say Something® materials available free from HSEM?  To find out more, or to place an order, go to the HSEM resource center See Something Say Something for Schools Order Form.

There are also free See Something, Say Something® materials that are available for distribution to other interested partners.  To place an order, go to the HSEM resource center See Something Say Something Order Form.

You can also contact the Community Outreach Office at 271-2231 or hsempio@dos.nh.gov to place an order or for more information.