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.
New podcast featuring The Future of Emergency Management after 2020: The New, Novel, and Nasty
New podcast featuring The Future of Emergency Management after 2020: The New, Novel, and Nasty Jim Mullen interviewed authors, Curry Mayer and Robert McCreight on their brand new book, The Future of Emergency Management after 2020: The New, Novel, and Nasty. About the featured authors: Dr. Robert McCreight [...]
Gov. Jay Inslee holds press conference about CJTC expansion
Gov. Jay Inslee holds press conference about CJTC expansion On July 21st, governor Jay Inslee held a press conference where other law enforcement officials and legislators assembled to outline proposals on the expansion of the Criminal Justice Training Center to Pasco, Vancouver, and Everett-Bellingham. Our Center and our [...]
Breaking News – Landslides
Breaking News - Landslides Columbia River Blocked By Massive Landslide 1446-1447 AD By Nancy Aird The 1446-1447 AD Bonneville Landslide (also known as The Bridge of the Gods Landslide) blocks Columbia River where the river bisects the Cascade Range near present day Cascade Locks. The southern escarpment of [...]
COE Highlights
COE Highlights FY 22 Impact Statement Economic Development Focus Currently, 86,000 employees are documented in the CTE Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Clusters. Government and public service organizations employ about 80% of this workforce with 20% employment in private sector. There is a growing demand in this [...]
Back-to-School Programs
Back-to-School Programs Looking for a great career opportunity? Thinking about career options or looking to change careers? The climate change crisis has created significate educational opportunities in Emergency and Risk Management for industries, government, and public service. Join the workforce to help maintain national security, response to all-hazard [...]
Mental Health Resources
Mental Health Resources 2-1-1 Washington Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Stress and Coping Mental Health America Mental Health Resources in Washington Washington State Department of Health Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (Toll Free - English and Español) SMS: Text [...]
College/Program resources
College/Program Resources Below are available resources for college/program courses: Inventory of courses offered at SBCTC Colleges https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/professional-technical/default.aspx Career Pathway Course Maps Social Service Mental Health (AA-DTA) with Certificate Career Pathway Course Map Social Service Mental Health (AAS) Career Pathway Course Map Social Service Mental Health [...]
Storytime: The Equal Rights Amendment and Me
Storytime: The Equal Rights Amendment and Me by Jim Mullen From 1973-75 I was an ombudsman in Jacksonville, Illinois, an exempt employee of a self-proclaimed “reform” Governor, Dan Walker. Though my “day job” was to advocate for citizens wrongly deprived of government services to which they were entitled, my [...]
Imagine This…
Imagine This... by Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt Trauma, Resilience, Self-Care, Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, PTSD and Post Traumatic Growth… all common words these day, aren’t they? They have become such everyday familiar words we use them freely in conversation, but what do they really mean? And more importantly, why does it [...]
Acknowledgment of Recent Events
We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge recent events by Center Staff We are shocked by the most recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. No matter what, we cannot become accustomed to these heinous acts of violence. During the pandemic, our county and the world experienced unprecedented [...]
Who Needs to be Educated About Emergency Management? Who doesn’t?
Who Needs to be Educated About Emergency Management? Who doesn’t? By Jim Mullen Emergency managers often lack the political clout, or even the bureaucratic standing, to have much of an impact on policy decisions societies make. We’re there to try to mitigate, within our means, prepare the community and [...]
Climate Change: A Practical Guide
Climate Change: A Practical Guide By Linda Crerar & Nancy Aird How are more extreme weather, rising temperatures, and climate change affecting our health, homes, finances, safety, and day-to-day activities? What can we do about it? Every year, Washington faces floods, wildfires, landslides, tornadoes, and snow. Our Confluence staff [...]
Volunteers: Partners in Emergency Management Preparedness
Volunteers: Partners in Emergency Management Preparedness By Linda Crerar April is National Volunteer Month and we are recognizing the work and service of the many dedicated volunteers like those who have been so instrumental in establishing, supporting, and implementing the Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference every year. Volunteers have [...]
Washington’s Workforce Development Boards: How They Connect Employers to Job Seekers
Washington’s Workforce Development Boards: How They Connect Employers to Job Seekers By Kellie Hale What are Workforce Development Boards (WDBs)? I kept hearing about them during my time at the CoE-HSEM. However, I never had the chance to interact with them personally or professionally. It wasn’t until I began [...]
Some Modest, Hopefully Post-Covid Suggestions
Some Modest, Hopefully Post- Covid Suggestions By Jim Mullen In the spirit of the theme for this month’s Confluence, I thought that I would “volunteer” some thoughts about the situation in which we find ourselves as COVID – hopefully, fingers crossed – has begun to ease into endemic status. [...]
Women in Leadership Profile: Frances Whalen
Women in Leadership Profile: Frances Whalen By Deb Moller Every emergency manager knows that FEMA expects a “whole community” approach to preparedness. This guiding principle is sometimes seen as less critical than other doctrine. But it’s impossible to develop strong situational awareness, the foundation for effective planning and response, [...]
Growing Our Own: How can we find the next wave of Emergency Managers?
Growing Our Own: How can we find the next wave of Emergency Managers? By Jim Mullen “ My goal for our discipline is that 20 years from now, my resume won’t qualify me to do the job I currently have” – a truly iconic (now retired) state director - [...]
International Women’s Day 2022
International Women’s Day 2022 By Linda Crerar The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2022 was “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. ” Many events recognized how women around the world are responding to climate change. The International Women’s Day website provides a platform to help forge positive [...]
A Bitter-sweet Message
A Bitter-sweet Message By Linda Crerar It is again that “bitter-sweet feeling” I share with Kellie about her wonderful new job at PACMTN Workforce Development COUNCIL, working with William Westmoreland, the Director and also a Center Advisory Board Member and his great team. Kellie has received a warm [...]
Thank you, coe-hsem, for an incredible 10 years!
Thank you, coe-hsem, for an incredible 10 years! By Kellie Hale Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d spend ten years at the Center of Excellence for Homeland Security Emergency Management. I never expected what was supposed to be an internship to transform my life. When [...]
Breaking News – 322nd Year Anniversary of Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake/Tsunami
Breaking News - 322nd Year Anniversary of Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake/Tsunami By Nancy Aird January 26, 1700, at 9:00 pm, the last Cascadia Subduction Zone megathrust earthquake (CSZ) was estimated at magnitude 8 or 9, and the subsequent tsunami devastated the Pacific Northwest. How are we able to [...]
Education Journey – Brick and Mortar or Online or…?
Education Journey - Brick and Mortar or Online or...? By Nancy Aird Human Rights Watch, hrw.org, report “Years Don’t Wait for Them – Increased Inequalities in Children’s Right to Education Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic”. Bede Shepard, Hye Jung Han, and Elin Martinez, May 17, 2021. By April, 190 [...]
Interview with Jason Petrait
Interview with Jason Petrait - CoE Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Director By Kellie Hale Kellie: Tell us about yourself? What is your educational and professional background? Jason: I’m a Northwest native and I found my passion for getting people good jobs when I lucked into work at South Seattle [...]
Pierce College’s HSEM Degree Program Named One of the Ten Best
Pierce College’s HSEM Degree Program Named One of the Ten Best The World Health Organization estimates that 160 million people are impacted by natural disasters each year. These disasters are compounded by thousands of terrorist attacks, accidents, and other incidents around the world. From first responders to agency administrators, [...]
Rising Star Award Video Interviews
Rising Star Award Interviews The Center of Excellence – Homeland Security Emergency Management has always been focused on student success and helping people to positively change the trajectory of their lives and who have demonstrated excellence in their professional endeavors working for the advancement of people in education and [...]