Citizen Preparedness Roundtables

Homeland Security Regions – Citizen Preparedness Roundtables

The State’s Homeland Security Strategic Plan Workgroup members and the Center of Excellence for Homeland Security-Emergency Management (COE HSEM) at Pierce College hosted a series of regional community resilience roundtables. The purpose of the roundtables is to complete an analysis of our citizen/community preparedness to identify gaps, needs and issues. The roundtables include a cross-section of the community, including businesses; the non-profit sector; local and tribal government, emergency management, and first responders; the community college systems; and citizens to discuss and analyze gaps around the theme of community resilience. Sessions are 3 to 4 hours in length and begin in September 2010 and occur approximately quarterly throughout a year. Participants are divided into workgroups and discuss and identify 3 to 4 priority areas of focus for the discussions to produce specific action plans and provide the basis for the updates to the State’s Homeland Security Strategic Plan, local, state and tribal government plans and can be utilized by other organizations and private industry. Roundtables are hosted by a community college in a Region and the audience includes college representatives, strategic planning workgroup members, nonprofit and business groups and community members. The goals of the Roundtable events are to:

Complete a gap analysis and assess capabilities for HSEM programs and their community partners by region.
Identify and prioritize needs and issues around 3 – 4 pre-identified focus areas.
Use information and actions plans from these sessions to update/enhance the Statewide Homeland Security Strategic Plan.
Develop and affirm an “action agenda” to address gaps/needs that all collaborating agencies, organizations and community groups will proceed to implement.

Roundtable events will be held in all nine (9) Homeland Security (HS) Region. Six events have been held to date in Regions 1 to 5 and Region 9 with over 450 people attending and supported by over 50 volunteers serving as facilitators and support staff from colleges, local, state and tribal emergency management organizations and nonprofit. Completed Roundtable summaries are listed along with a sampling of Regional agenda’s, flyers, power points and other documents for your information.

Document Downloads:

Center of Excellence Homeland Security, Pierce College, 9401 Farwest Drive S.W., Lakewood, WA 98498-1999