A while ago now we put in an application to Microsoft Innovation Centre for some development funding. The application was about getting a tab designed inside MS Groove that provides us with the functionality of SMARTboard's notebook and Bridgit conference capability. This means that you could share the information on your SMARTboard with people you have invited to your Groove workspace. This is just another way of providing for that information exchange. Being a SMARTboard of course doesn't put the information into a database type environment for use in other applications but it does mean we can see each others handwritten notes on the board.
Canterbury are also doing some work in developing forms for use in SharePoint and I can see us working closely with the Canterbury Group on future developments.
Both the Canterbury Group and our Group have been successful in having our proposals get through to the second round for funding. Hopefully sometime in the future I'll be reporting our success.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Keeping a finger on the pulse
Ruapehu had a bit of a hiccup in September last year and since that time things haven't really returned to normal background levels. In fact some of the volcanic indicators that our volcano experts keep an eye on have remained elevated or even increasing.
Given this snippet of information, we thought it appropriate to have a bit of a get together of some of the members of the Central Plateau Volcanic Advisory Group. Yesterday, we had a meeting in Taupo to make sure that our co-ordination plans were up to date and we were all on the same page. The snow storms of Tuesday night resulted in many of the roads around the region being closed and Annie (Ruapehu District) was unable to get through. We did have reps from DoC, GNS Science, Police, Waikato CDEM Group EOC, Horizons Regional Council (and Manawatu-Wanganui CDEM Group), Environment Waikato, Taupo District Council and the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.
The meeting was very focused after an update from Brad Scott and I'm please to say that coordination arrangements are good to go. The agreement around the table about roles and responsibilities is excellent. Police are clearly the lead agency and the incident control point will be at Whakapapa. Good coordination of response agencies on the mountain is in place and an annual check of response plans has already been undertaken for the ski season.
We have tweaked the coordination arrangements and have agreed to exchange plans and improve inter-agency communications. Expectations on the CDEM Groups will also be minimal unless we have a volcanic event in conjunction with other incidents. The CDEM Groups will largely take a monitoring role and support the Incident Controller where requested.
So, for all those keen skiers and trampers out there, we are keeping our fingers on the pulse of the Central Plateau volcanoes and are confident that our emergency co-ordination arrangements are ready if they are needed. In the meantime though it looks like a fantastic season ahead so enjoy!
Given this snippet of information, we thought it appropriate to have a bit of a get together of some of the members of the Central Plateau Volcanic Advisory Group. Yesterday, we had a meeting in Taupo to make sure that our co-ordination plans were up to date and we were all on the same page. The snow storms of Tuesday night resulted in many of the roads around the region being closed and Annie (Ruapehu District) was unable to get through. We did have reps from DoC, GNS Science, Police, Waikato CDEM Group EOC, Horizons Regional Council (and Manawatu-Wanganui CDEM Group), Environment Waikato, Taupo District Council and the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.
The meeting was very focused after an update from Brad Scott and I'm please to say that coordination arrangements are good to go. The agreement around the table about roles and responsibilities is excellent. Police are clearly the lead agency and the incident control point will be at Whakapapa. Good coordination of response agencies on the mountain is in place and an annual check of response plans has already been undertaken for the ski season.
We have tweaked the coordination arrangements and have agreed to exchange plans and improve inter-agency communications. Expectations on the CDEM Groups will also be minimal unless we have a volcanic event in conjunction with other incidents. The CDEM Groups will largely take a monitoring role and support the Incident Controller where requested.
So, for all those keen skiers and trampers out there, we are keeping our fingers on the pulse of the Central Plateau volcanoes and are confident that our emergency co-ordination arrangements are ready if they are needed. In the meantime though it looks like a fantastic season ahead so enjoy!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Group Plan mini workshops
At yesterday's meeting of the Co-ordinating Executive Group the revised timeline for the review of the Group Plan was agreed to and the conduct of mini workshops supported. The CEG also recognised this blog as an official, albeit informal, means of communication for the Group.
Members have asked me to publish the dates for the mini workshops in the blog. The idea behind these workshops is for smaller focus groups of the CEG to debate and discuss best practice for the Group and how we go about achieving that through our Group Plan. We would like to maintain a consistent core of 4-5 people across the workshops to avoid going over old ground. Other Group members are welcome to participate in areas that particularly interest them.
The mini workshop dates are:
July 28 - Strategic direction
August 28 - Management & governance
September 11 - Risk profile
October 16 - Readiness & response #1
November 18 - Readiness & response #2
February 25, 2009 - Recovery
April 8 - Monitoring & evaluation
May 14 - Reserve workshop
Emergency Management Officer workshops are also scheduled to either 'operationalise' the discussions of the mini workshops or to inform discussions prior to the workshop. Discussions will also be had during regular EMO meetings. Either way, local EMOs will be fully involved in the redevelopment of our Plan. EMO workshops are scheduled for:
July 29 - Strategic direction
October 16 (pm) - Readiness & response
November 19 - Readiness & response
March 9 - Monitoring & evaluation
Members have asked me to publish the dates for the mini workshops in the blog. The idea behind these workshops is for smaller focus groups of the CEG to debate and discuss best practice for the Group and how we go about achieving that through our Group Plan. We would like to maintain a consistent core of 4-5 people across the workshops to avoid going over old ground. Other Group members are welcome to participate in areas that particularly interest them.
The mini workshop dates are:
July 28 - Strategic direction
August 28 - Management & governance
September 11 - Risk profile
October 16 - Readiness & response #1
November 18 - Readiness & response #2
February 25, 2009 - Recovery
April 8 - Monitoring & evaluation
May 14 - Reserve workshop
Emergency Management Officer workshops are also scheduled to either 'operationalise' the discussions of the mini workshops or to inform discussions prior to the workshop. Discussions will also be had during regular EMO meetings. Either way, local EMOs will be fully involved in the redevelopment of our Plan. EMO workshops are scheduled for:
July 29 - Strategic direction
October 16 (pm) - Readiness & response
November 19 - Readiness & response
March 9 - Monitoring & evaluation
Monday, June 23, 2008
Meet the gang
Welcome aboard to Ross Brannigan. Although I'm in Gisborne for a family funeral today, Ross #2 starts with the team today. Ross Fothergill started with us a few weeks ago and has taken up his role as Principal Rural Fire Officer for Manawatu (and Rangitikei in July).
So... Ross Fothergill is ex. NZ Defence Force and will be known to many for the role as Fire Master at Waiouru.
Ross Brannigan is ex. NZ Police and will also be known to many (for all the right reasons I hope) for his role as sole-charge officer at Foxton Beach. Ross B will be undertaking the role of Emergency Management Officer for Manawatu and Rangitikei Districts.
We will definately be giving someone a nickname in the near future. So the two Ross' join Evan and me in the Emergency Management Office but they will also be working out of the Marton office. Evan continues in his role as Risk Management Coordinator for Horizons and as Harbourmaster. My role will change slightly with more consideration being given to operational delivery of CDEM Group business and not just the strategic stuff.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Regroup relief
Well it's been a couple of days since my last message. The Group ECC and five of the local EOCs have been busy with Exercise Regroup. A pandemic influenza exercise with a focus on the CDEM Group activities.
On the whole I think the exercise was worthwhile. The aim and objectives have been achieved and a little bit more to boot. The formal debreif is not until 4th July but already a few things are standing out for me. We will be adjusting the CDEM Group's Pandemic Plan to reflect changes in communications process between the DHBs and the local EOCs. For routine matters that are best dealt with at a local level, this should be direct rather than via the ECC (which deals with more strategic issues).
The ECC will be refreshing some internal procedures in particular to build on the technological advances in our processes. I think we have enough training recommendations to last a year or more - at least now we can write the 08-09 training programme!
All in all - good job everyone. Thanks to all who participated and especially those who came in to assist us in running and assessing the exercise and the Group's capability.
On the whole I think the exercise was worthwhile. The aim and objectives have been achieved and a little bit more to boot. The formal debreif is not until 4th July but already a few things are standing out for me. We will be adjusting the CDEM Group's Pandemic Plan to reflect changes in communications process between the DHBs and the local EOCs. For routine matters that are best dealt with at a local level, this should be direct rather than via the ECC (which deals with more strategic issues).
The ECC will be refreshing some internal procedures in particular to build on the technological advances in our processes. I think we have enough training recommendations to last a year or more - at least now we can write the 08-09 training programme!
All in all - good job everyone. Thanks to all who participated and especially those who came in to assist us in running and assessing the exercise and the Group's capability.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Science Alert Bulletin - White Island & Ruapehu
GNS have issued a new Science Alert Bulletin for White Island. No change in alert level though. Read the bulletin here.
GNS have also issued a new SAB for Ruapehu. No change in alert level. The bulletin is not yet on the GNS site but reads as follows...
GNS scientists are continuing to monitor Ruapehu. Elevated gas output and high lake temperatures continue, while volcanic tremor has declined. Unrest continues at Ruapehu and it remains unclear if this is a sign of further eruptions. The volcano last erupted on 25th September 2007.The Alert Level remains at Level 1.
Ongoing monitoring at Ruapehu, including a Crater Lake visit to measure the lake temperature and collect water samples, data from airborne gas measurements and seismic activity have continued to show variations. The airborne gas plume measurements show the SO2 emission has gradually increased since last year’s eruption and the CO2 flux has varied. The emission rates of both SO2 and CO2 gases, have shown significant increases since April 2008, being about ten times above the typical background. Our latest measurements on June 12 remains high. The Crater Lake temperature has remained elevated and fluctuates between 34 and 37° C. The latest measurement was 35.2° C (12 June). Sustained heat from depth is required to keep the temperature this high, for this length of time. It is believed that the source of this heat is magma within the volcano conduit. This magma is also producing the higher than normal gas flow and other chemical changes in the lake. The slight increase in the background level of volcanic tremor we previously reported has now declined to typical background levels. These observations remain consistent with the volcano-hydrothermal system responding to recent eruptions and ongoing interaction with magma in the volcano conduit. The volcano remains in a state of unrest and the possibility of further activity remains at the volcano. If further eruptions occur, they may occur without warning. The Alert Level remains at Level 1 (Departure from typical background surface activity, signs of unrest) and will continue to be re-assessed regularly.
GNS have also issued a new SAB for Ruapehu. No change in alert level. The bulletin is not yet on the GNS site but reads as follows...
GNS scientists are continuing to monitor Ruapehu. Elevated gas output and high lake temperatures continue, while volcanic tremor has declined. Unrest continues at Ruapehu and it remains unclear if this is a sign of further eruptions. The volcano last erupted on 25th September 2007.The Alert Level remains at Level 1.
Ongoing monitoring at Ruapehu, including a Crater Lake visit to measure the lake temperature and collect water samples, data from airborne gas measurements and seismic activity have continued to show variations. The airborne gas plume measurements show the SO2 emission has gradually increased since last year’s eruption and the CO2 flux has varied. The emission rates of both SO2 and CO2 gases, have shown significant increases since April 2008, being about ten times above the typical background. Our latest measurements on June 12 remains high. The Crater Lake temperature has remained elevated and fluctuates between 34 and 37° C. The latest measurement was 35.2° C (12 June). Sustained heat from depth is required to keep the temperature this high, for this length of time. It is believed that the source of this heat is magma within the volcano conduit. This magma is also producing the higher than normal gas flow and other chemical changes in the lake. The slight increase in the background level of volcanic tremor we previously reported has now declined to typical background levels. These observations remain consistent with the volcano-hydrothermal system responding to recent eruptions and ongoing interaction with magma in the volcano conduit. The volcano remains in a state of unrest and the possibility of further activity remains at the volcano. If further eruptions occur, they may occur without warning. The Alert Level remains at Level 1 (Departure from typical background surface activity, signs of unrest) and will continue to be re-assessed regularly.
Monday, June 16, 2008
My view - thumbs up
This weekend I was on the receiving end of an EMANZ course in Taupo and like all good emergency managers I was excited about giving up some of my weekend. In reality the fact that the course was on a Sunday, in Taupo, in the middle of winter was a bit of a pain. By lunchtime however I had thawed to the idea and in fact had a bit of a reality check.The course was well run - thumbs up Steve Glassey & EMANZ and well attended - thumbs up response teams. For the last few years I have been removed from the volunteer aspect of civil defence and this course proved to me that vollies play an important part in our organisation. The fact that about 20 response team staff have given up their weekend to come to Taupo from as far as Auckland and Wellington was evidence enough to prove that volunteerism is alive and well in CD. What did impress me was the capability of these team members. If this is what NZ-RTs are about then I'm all for it. As full-time officers we need to be aware of this capability and incorporate them into our plans.
Phil Parker's set up in Taupo is pretty good too. Phil has been creative in his use of 'hand-me-downs' and proudly showed off his make-over of the old Central Zone publicity trailer (now a support unit complete with kitchen) and two fire engines (one shown here has been converted for flood response). This got me thinking that once we've identified a need, we can take advantage of opportunities as they arise... we don't need to wait for the Guicci gear all the time. Phil has been right on the money with his focus on response capability.
Thanks to all involved for a great day.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
IRIS - an eye to the future
Many of the CDEM Group managers will be aware that there is quite a big project underway at the moment called IRIS. This project is looking at ways that regional councils can collaborate on the development of software applications for use in local government (among other things).
From a CDEM perspective, I am aware that an emergency management module has been discussed as a possible project for IRIS and that some members of the team will be visiting me shortly to find out what I would want from a software package for CDEM. For me the big three are accountability, consistency and best practice. If we can achieve this in an environment of collaboration and information exchange (vertically and horizontally) then we will be significantly further down the track than we are today.
In preparation for their visit, I would welcome feedback from anyone about how you see the software future of CDEM at Group strategic and operational levels. I'll keep you posted on discussions.
From a CDEM perspective, I am aware that an emergency management module has been discussed as a possible project for IRIS and that some members of the team will be visiting me shortly to find out what I would want from a software package for CDEM. For me the big three are accountability, consistency and best practice. If we can achieve this in an environment of collaboration and information exchange (vertically and horizontally) then we will be significantly further down the track than we are today.
In preparation for their visit, I would welcome feedback from anyone about how you see the software future of CDEM at Group strategic and operational levels. I'll keep you posted on discussions.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Council staff moving to high alert
THIS IS AN EXERCISE STORY
As part of Exercise Regroup Horizons staff will today move to high alert. Emergency Management staff yesterday reviewed the Council's Pandemic Influenza Plan and checked arrangements should the current outbreak reach New Zealand shores.
Arrangements for the redeployment of pandemic response resources are underway, instructions on personal and family preparedness offered and programmes for reducing face-to-face work requirements investigated. Additional measures are being taken to safeguard key staff and ensure that an ability to work from home is available.
The CDEM Group's Emergency Coordination Centre at Horizons has been activated but will be operational only during work hours at this time. The normal Council duty officer system remains in effect.
A Groove workspace will be created today to enable agencies to share information with agencies who have installed this tool already.
Some Group members have already addressed issues with their pandemic plans in anticipation of the exercise activation dates of 18-19 June.
As part of Exercise Regroup Horizons staff will today move to high alert. Emergency Management staff yesterday reviewed the Council's Pandemic Influenza Plan and checked arrangements should the current outbreak reach New Zealand shores.
Arrangements for the redeployment of pandemic response resources are underway, instructions on personal and family preparedness offered and programmes for reducing face-to-face work requirements investigated. Additional measures are being taken to safeguard key staff and ensure that an ability to work from home is available.
The CDEM Group's Emergency Coordination Centre at Horizons has been activated but will be operational only during work hours at this time. The normal Council duty officer system remains in effect.
A Groove workspace will be created today to enable agencies to share information with agencies who have installed this tool already.
Some Group members have already addressed issues with their pandemic plans in anticipation of the exercise activation dates of 18-19 June.
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