Interviews with California and national emergency response leaders who talk about what they've learned from the most challenging moments of their careers.
Episodes
Friday Jun 26, 2020
Friday Jun 26, 2020
In this episode of All Hazards we take a look at “contact tracing.” We began hearing about this in earnest shortly after the coronavirus hit. Health officials are trying to find out who’s had it, where they might have gotten it and with whom they’ve been in contact. And to do that they employ the dedicated services of contract tracers. We talk with one of our Cal OES colleagues, Brittani Peterson, who was recently tasked with becoming a contact tracer and she tells us about her training and what’s she’s expecting in her initial weeks on the job.
Links
Covid19.ca.gov
Cal OES Home Page
OES News
Tuesday May 26, 2020
Tuesday May 26, 2020
This is the return of All Hazards after a Covid19 Hiatus. We hope you’re all safe and well.
We sat down with members of the Cal OES Office of Legislative and External Affairs in January 2020 with the intention of posting it asap. Then the coronavirus hit. It seemed there were more pressing issues on everyone’s minds, so we didn’t want to post this episode at that time. But it’s here now.
Lori Nezhura, Patricia Utterback and Paul McGinnis bring us into the world of elected officials and how they affect each other during disaster response.
Links
Cal OES Legislative and External Affairs
California State Association of Counties (CSAC)
League of California Cities
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
Tuesday Jan 21, 2020
This episode takes a closer look at how the International Affairs Office, at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, is the central hub for matters of international policy and guidelines, working relationships and special international projects. As the focal point of Cal OES’s engagement with the international emergency management community, International Affairs is primarily responsible for:
- Annually participating in the Border Governors’ Conference
- Coordinating and facilitating all foreign delegation visits to the Cal OES headquarters
- Developing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between Cal OES and their international counterparts in order to facilitate the exchange of emergency management best practices
- Participating in the Chile-California Council
- Participating in the California-Mexico Border Relations Council
- Working side-by-side with the Governor’s Office to organize large international events such as the Trade Missions to China and Mexico
Helen Lopez is the International Liaison for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). As assistant director, she leads the International Affairs Office where she works with the international community on emergency response efforts and coordinates delegation visits for countries from all over the world. She has been instrumental in developing Memorandums of Understanding on emergency management with various countries including Chile, Mexico, Australia, and the Aga Khan Development Network. Ms. Lopez has a long history in public service. In 2008, she was appointed Assistant Director and later, in 2009, Deputy Chief of Staff to the newly created California Emergency Management Agency. In 2010, she was promoted to Chief of Staff.
During 1991 to 2007, Ms. Lopez served at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) as the Executive Director of the State Board of Food and Agriculture, Director of the Grant Management Program and Audit Director of the Internal Audit Office, as well as the Mexico liaison. In 1991, Ms. Lopez graduated from the California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accountancy.
FOR MORE PHOTOS GO TO OESNEWS.COM
Links
Cal OES International Affairs
Bracero Program
Indigenous Mixtecos
Aga Khan Development Network
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
In this episode, Cal OES Chief Counsel Alex Pal sits down with Shawn Boyd at headquarters to talk about the role he and his office played during a few recent California emergencies, and the importance legal affairs plays as a whole. Alex was appointed to this position by Governor Brown in 2018 and was reappointed by Governor Newsom in 2019. Prior to serving as Chief Counsel, Alex served in various attorney positions at Cal OES since 2013, including Assistant Chief Counsel and Senior Counsel. Alex has provided legal counsel to Cal OES on many disasters that have struck California, including 11 federally-declared Major Disaster Declaration events and nearly 100 state-only events for which the Governor proclaimed a State of Emergency. Alex earned his Juris Doctorate from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and his Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Links
Cal OES Legal Affairs
California Emergency Services Act
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
Wednesday Oct 23, 2019
We caught up with Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea just about one year after the Camp Fire broke out, and about 11 months after we first sat down with him. In this episode, Sheriff Honea talks about how the recovery effort is going, the health and wellness of the community and first responders who endured the response efforts, and what his priorities are now, going forward in the future. He also admits that he and many others underestimated just how long the recovery was going to take, and what it's going to take to rebuild the town of Paradise.
Be sure to check out our first interview with Sheriff Honea below, just a few weeks into the Camp Fire.
Kory L. Honea became the 31st Sheriff of Butte County in May 2014. Prior to
becoming the Sheriff, Honea served as the Undersheriff for nearly four years.
Sheriff Honea began his career with the Butte County Sheriff's Office in 1993,
when he was hired as a deputy sheriff. Prior to that Sheriff Honea was employed
by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.
During his law enforcement career Sheriff Honea has held assignments in
corrections, patrol and investigations. In 2000, Sheriff Honea transferred
to the District Attorney's Office as an investigator. While at the District
Attorney's Office, Sheriff Honea promoted through the ranks to become the
Chief Investigator in 2008. Sheriff Honea held that position until his return to
the Sheriff's Office as Undersheriff in 2010.
Sheriff Honea holds a Juris Doctorate from the Taft School of Law and is a
member of the State Bar of California. He also holds an Associate of Arts
degree from Butte College. Sheriff Honea has extensive law
enforcement training certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer
Standards and Training (POST).
Links
Podcast Episode 56: Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea Talks Candidly About the Camp Fire
Friday Jun 14, 2019
Friday Jun 14, 2019
California Volunteers, together with the Office of the Governor, announced on May 30, 2019, they kicked off the California For All CERT and Listos Preparedness Conference during an opening ceremony in San Diego, CA on Thursday, May 30, according to their own description. CalVolunteers officially launched the volunteer teams – CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) and Listos – who will help engage diverse and socially vulnerable Californians most at risk for wildfires and other natural disasters as part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s California For All Emergency Preparedness Campaign.
“We are ushering in a new era of disaster preparedness in California,” said Suu-Va Tai, California Volunteers’ Director of Disaster Volunteering and Preparedness. “Governor Newsom is leveraging the power of tens of thousands of trained volunteers and service members to increase community resiliency throughout California.”
This conference marked the first milestone of the California For All Emergency Preparedness Campaign. Grants were awarded to assist California-based CERT and Listos members to attend the multi-day conference occurring May 31-June1, to help launch their involvement as part of the California For All Emergency Preparedness campaign with workshops, trainings and discussion on preparedness and disaster recovery. A press release from April 15, 2019 announced all grants associated with the campaign. More than 700 participants from the US, Mexico and Chile attended the first national CERT Conference held in San Diego.
In this episode we talk with:
KAREN BAKER — CHIEF SERVICE OFFICER, CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS, OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
ANDY BURROWS — CITIZEN RESPONDER LEAD, FEMA
Links
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
Sheriff Kory L. Honea
In this episode (#56) we sit down with the sheriff of Butte County, California, Kory Honea. His county, of course, was ravaged by the Camp Fire which broke out on November 8, 2018. The Town of Paradise, located within his county, was nearly completely destroyed by the fire that was stoked by 55+mile per hour gusts. Sheriff Honea is facing a death toll that could exceed 100, managing his law enforcement team as well as mutual aid and keeping his citizens safe while they're displaced from homes that were either destroyed or just can't be reached due to the town's closure. Honea also had the responsibility of evacuating tens of thousands of people to get them out of harms way. He talks about all that, plus some of the more challenging stresses he's faced and how he's dealing with all of the responsibility that goes along with California's deadliest wildfire disaster.
Kory L. Honea became the 31st Sheriff of Butte County in May, 2014.
Prior to becoming the Sheriff, Honea served as the Undersheriff for nearly four years.
Sheriff Honea began his career with the Butte County Sheriff's Office in 1993, when he was hired as a deputy sheriff. Prior to that Sheriff Honea was employed by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.
During his law enforcement career Sheriff Honea has held assignments in corrections, patrol and investigations. In 2000, Sheriff Honea transferred to the District Attorney's Office as an investigator. While at the District Attorney's Office, Sheriff Honea promoted through the ranks to become the Chief Investigator in 2008. Sheriff Honea held that position until his return to the Sheriff's Office as Undersheriff in 2010.
Sheriff Hone-a holds a Juris Doctorate from the Taft School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of California.
He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from Butte College.
Links
Tuesday Jul 03, 2018
Tuesday Jul 03, 2018
Kim Zagaris, or Chief Z as some call him, is the State Fire and Rescue Chief for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES); he was appointed on April 1, 2001. He admits his appointment rattled cages, nerves and even a few careers. He’s not only survived the highly political position, he’s succeeded. In this episode (#48) of All Hazards Chief Z reflects on his storied career, the changes he’s seen at Cal OES and in the business of putting the wet stuff on the red stuff, and what he’s learned.
Prior to his appointment, he was the Assistant Fire Chief for Cal OES with assignments in Region I, II, III, IV and V since 1987. He started his career as a Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) seasonal firefighter in 1977 and promoted through the ranks of the local, state and federal fire agencies to the State Fire and Rescue Chief. Chief Zagaris has extensive background in fire service, emergency management, and homeland security which includes working with local, state, federal and international agencies over the last 40 years.
As the State Fire and Rescue Chief, Chief Zagaris serves as the Executive Coordinator for Cal OES Fire and Rescue Services Advisory Committee/ FIRESCOPE Board of Directors. The Board provides a State level forum for addressing Statewide Mutual Aid, Incident Command System, Multi-Agency Coordination, Resource Typing, Training, Certification, Safety, Standardization and Fire Protection issues of statewide concern. Chief Zagaris is responsible for managing the FIRESCOPE Program, California Incident Command Certification System, the California Fire Assistance Agreement, State Assistance for Fire Equipment Program, as well as, serve on numerous state and national committees, associations and programs, including Cal OES representation on the California State Strategic Committee on Terrorism, the California Wildfire Coordination Group, the National Fire Protection Association 1500 Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, he currently chairs the International Fire Chiefs Associations (IAFC) Emergency Management Committee/ National Fire Service Mutual Aid System, the National Fire Service Incident Management System Consortium. He is the past chair of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Mutual Aid/ Resource Typing Project Team, and a past member of the National Incident Management System ICS Competencies Change Management Board, and the National Wildfire Coordination Group/ Urban Interface Working Team.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services owns 114 all-risk Type I Fire Engines, 40 Type III Fire Engines, 12 Water Tenders, 6 Communications/ Support Units, 13 Swift Water Rescue Caches, 12 Type II Hazardous Material Unit and manages California’s 8 Local/State/National Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces in cooperation with those sponsoring agencies. Chief Zagaris is responsible for several major program elements including the day-to-day management of the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which includes over 1,100 fire agencies, and some 55,000 professional and volunteer firefighters that operate approximately 6,000 fire engines Statewide.
Links
Oklahoma City Bombing: California Sent its Best to Midwest Terror Response
Tuesday Apr 10, 2018
Tuesday Apr 10, 2018
It's been six months since the October 2017 wildfires ravaged Northern Califorina. Through coordination with California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and in close partnership with FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. EPA, Cal EPA and CalRecycle, all major work for the removal of fire and ash debris has now been completed in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Sonoma and Yuba counties. So far, nearly 1.7 million tons of debris, across all seven counties, have been removed.
Since the Oct. 10 disaster declaration, nearly 4,500 households have been approved for FEMA individual assistance, for a total of more than $15.7 million. Of this amount, more than $9.6 million has been approved for housing assistance that can assist with home repairs or replacement, rental assistance to be used to find another place to live temporarily while repairs are being made to their home and more than $6.1 million for other needs assistance. Other needs assistance is a grant to pay for other uninsured or underinsured expenses such as disaster-related medical, dental or funeral costs or personal property losses.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is another partner agency that plays an integral role in disaster recovery. The SBA provided assistance to businesses of all sizes, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters in the form of low-interest disaster loans. The SBA has approved nearly 1,200 loans for homeowners, renters and businesses for more than $151 million.
We caught up with Assistant Fire Marshall Paul Lowenthal of the Santa Rosa Fire Department to talk with him about the challenges he and his community faced, what he and his deparment have learned and what changes have come into play in the short six months since the fires broke-out.
Links
Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshal Signs Right of Entry Form, Begins His Own Recovery
Tuesday Mar 13, 2018
Tuesday Mar 13, 2018
The term active shooter has been in the news a lot lately, unfortunately. Whether it’s Parkland, Florida, Marshall County, Kentucky, or Yountville, California, armed attacks often leave a trail of dead and injured and shock the communities in which they happen. It’s the kind of tragedy for which law enforcement trains yet can’t always prevent.
In this episode, Cal OES Law Enforcement Chief Mark Pazin, talks about how the agency has increased and improved its active shooter program, the training and some of the more recent challenges state and local law enforcement have faced in order to protect the public from potential attacks. He also expresses his firmly held belief of what it will take to reduce the number of active shooter (or active aggressor, as it’s more often called since not all attackers use firearms) incidents.
Mark Pazin, of Merced, was appointed chief of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Law Enforcement Branch in December, 2013. Pazin has been sheriff-coroner for Merced County since 2002, where he has served in multiple positions at the Sheriff’s Department since 1981, including area commander and assistant sheriff. Pazin has served on the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission since 2011 and is a past president on the California State Sheriffs’ Association President’s Counsel. He earned a Master of Science degree in national security from the American Military University.
Links
Cal OES ACTIVE SHOOTER AWARENESS GUIDANCE