Confluence News Magazine
Our new news magazine “Confluence” serves as an intersection where we come together to share Center events and activities each month and important information about our all hazard emergency management career pathways. Our video and pod casts will bring together our pathway programs, their faculty, students and employers, and our communities across the state to discuss a variety of issues, interests, trends and discussions about our career pathways.
Year of Resilience 2024
Year of Resilience 2024 By Linda Crerar In 2012, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) introduced the Whole Community Emergency Management Strategy to coordinate all levels of government, increase individual preparedness, and engage [...]
Paid Internships in Conservation Law Enforcement
Paid Internships in Conservation Law Enforcement By Captain Phil Johnson For the past several years, Washington state has finished last in law enforcement staffing, lagging behind all 50 states and the District of [...]
Apprenticeships, Internships, and Skill Centers
Apprenticeships, Internships, and Skill Centers By Nancy Aird What is your future? The future is always part of life. There are no one-size-fits-all plans for career and educational pathways after graduation, unemployment, or changing [...]
July is Disability Pride Month
On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed in to law which prohibits any discrimination based on disability. Since then, July has been celebrated as Disability Pride Month. In 1990, the first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston and the first Disability Pride Parade was held in Chicago in 2004.
FEMA’s Whole Community Continuity Brochure
FEMA's Whole Community Continuity Brochure Every day, individuals, organizations, and government institutions conduct critical services and perform essential functions upon which neighbors and communities depend. The ability to continually perform such services comprises [...]
Women in Leadership 2025 Location Announcement
We are thrilled to announce the Women in Leadership Symposium 2025, hosted by the Center of Excellence - Homeland Security Emergency Management, will be held at Lower Columbia College in Longview, WA.
Happy Juneteenth 2024
Juneteenth is not only a day to celebrate freedom, but also a time to reflect on the struggles of the past, honor the achievements of African Americans, and renew commitments to justice, equality, and unity in our communities.
Strategic Foresight III – The “Quiet Part”
Strategic Foresight III - "The Quiet Part" Emergency Management Once Removed July 12, 2024 By Jim Mullen “Strategic foresight’s” absence was evident on January 6, 2021. Warnings signs were clearly “missed. Outnumbered, heroic police [...]
Strategic Foresight II
The non-partisan federal Government Accountability Office (GAO ) is entrusted with responsibility “to investigate and oversee the activities of the executive branch, to control the use of federal funds….” Housed within GAO, the Center for Strategic Foresight analyzes trends that will likely impact the federal government and society in the next 5-15 years.
Happy Pride Month 2024
Happy Pride Month! By Jasmine May Each June, the LGBTQIA+ community celebrates Pride Month which started after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York. Pride Month serves as a tribute to the [...]
Strategic Foresight I: A Pathway to National Resilience
The non-partisan federal Government Accountability Office (GAO ) is entrusted with responsibility “to investigate and oversee the activities of the executive branch, to control the use of federal funds….” Housed within GAO, the Center for Strategic Foresight analyzes trends that will likely impact the federal government and society in the next 5-15 years.
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter By Nancy Aird The iconic face of Rosie promoted the female defense workers during World War II, but the name of the worker was unknown. The first poster image was titled [...]
A Salute to “Rosies” Past and Present
It never hurts to look back on our history, if for no other reason than to avoid repeating it!
Not Nearly Enough
Even predictable natural disasters frequently catch elected officials by surprise. A discouraging number of elected officials and senior staff act as if foreseeing and managing potential disaster impacts is a job for “another budget cycle.” So what are they doing in the meantime? Not nearly enough”.
After the Wildfire – Recovery and Reclamation of Land Tips
After the Wildfire – Recovery and Reclamation of Land Tips By Nancy Aird As the population builds out into rural areas, the chances of wildfire impacting your life increases with damage possible away from [...]
Are You Wildfire Ready?
ARE YOU WILDFIRE READY? Mitigate, Prepare and Prevent By Nancy Aird The wildland urban interface (WUI) is the area where homes are built near or among lands prone to wildland fire. Homeowners value their [...]
What Goes Around…
The Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) program has long been the life’s blood of state and local government’s ability to prepare, mitigate, respond, and recover from disasters.
Goldilocks Zone Resilience Against Climate Change
Weather specifically happens over a period of hours or days, while climate influences show over years.
Why We Need More Women in Leadership Roles!
From 2015 to 2018, the Center put on four Women in Leadership Forums centered on different topics from HSEM, Criminal Justice, Information Technology, and Politics.
Whodunnitt!
WHODUNNITT! By Jim Mullen I have observed the renewal of a “debate” of sorts that seems to preoccupy some emergency management academics and practitioners: aren’t most disasters man- made and not ”natural?” -an interesting [...]
Volunteer to Change the World by Planting Trees
Volunteer to Change the World by Planting Trees Trees are Resilience Equalizers By Nancy Aird Arbor Day (April 28) encourages us to join the world in making a step to resolving disparity, [...]
National Volunteer Month Volunteers Supporting Community Resiliency
National Volunteer Month Volunteers Supporting Community Resiliency By Linda Crerar Society needs resilient communities. Volunteering is a major engagement tool with open positions available in most communities. Joining people together helps to [...]
“Back to the Future” – Taking Control and Personal Responsibility Over Our Destiny-reclaiming our future to Engage and Take Action
“Back to the Future” - Taking Control and Personal Responsibility Over Our Destiny-reclaiming our future to Engage and Take Action By Linda Crerar The main theme of the movie “Back to the [...]
Holiday Message from the Center Director and Staff
As we look back upon the past year, we would like to acknowledge those who have helped and inspired us to keep plugging along.
Center of Excellence for Clean Energy: Helping to lead the way in alternative fuels for our future
Center of Excellence for Clean Energy: Helping to lead the way in alternative fuels for our future By Nancy Aird On October 24, 2022, Nancy Aird (staff for CoE HSEM) attended the Hydrogen [...]