# Presentation: 400188

## NWS HQ All Hazards Vision and Goals

- Al Mongeon
- NWS Homeland Security Activities

**Notes:**
Good morning.  Thanks Rich, I’m Al Mongeon and I work as the NWS Homeland Security Activities Group.  My immediate supervisor is Mark Paese, Director, of Maintenance, Logistics, and Acquisitions.  Together we constitute the Homeland Security Activities Group.

This morning I will I will be discussing the NWS HQ All Hazards Vision and Goals.  This vision and these goals have developed and continue to evolve.  Most recently they were modified based on discussions at a users forum during the annual IAEM Conference.  They are not static. In fact, I would hope to take home additions and enhancements from this conference.

## Core Values

- Local offices are critical
- Need to maintain presence and service to community
- Direct communications between Emergency Managers and WFO
- Support local WFOs innovative efforts tailoring products to EMs needs
- Involve EMs early in development and getting feedback

**Notes:**
NWS core values as they relate to All-Hazards have not changed.  That is to say the relationship between the local office and the community is critical and the most critical part of that relationship is the relationship between the local office and the local emergency management community.  We do this through education, outreach, and, most importantly, direct communication with the Emergency Managers.  

Education works both ways – you the Emergency Manager educate us and we educate you. You tell us what’s important to you, how you do your job and what and when you need information from us.  Direct communication between the local Emergency Manager and the WFO must an absolute.  We need , for instance, to understand your language, we need to understand your timelines. If there is an event in progress that requires a briefing at 3:00 PM local – we’ve got to anticipate that and respond.  It’s your schedule not ours.

Many of our regional and local offices have developed very innovative products and methods of supporting the emergency management community. At headquarters we support the local WFOs innovative efforts to tailor products to support the local Emergency Manager.  For instance, when some of the WFO’s told us that their customers didn’t find the version of HYSPLIT (our dispersion modeling product) useful we investigated and developed a fix. 
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Lastly, we will involve the emergency management community early in the development of products and more energetically seek your feedback. 

## Slide 3

**Notes:**
This s what you formerly received.  Not good.
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## Slide 4

**Notes:**
This is the “new” HYSPLIT.  Actually, it’s a version of HYSPLIT that has been available for some time but was not considered operational.  Now, as of 1 April, this will be available to all WFO’s.  It’s web-based, returns a product in less than 2 minutes, output is available as either Googlearth file with all of the bells and whistles that come with it or shapefiles.  We are working to incorporate the CAMEO source term database for more flexibility and are also developing a version of the output which will be less techy, if you will.
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## Needs

- Products are not confusing but could be simplified by better consolidation or integration
- Need probabilistic and certainty information, but the information must be easily understood
- StormReady program is a great program and we are ready to take it to the next level within the county
- Need to work with EM community earlier in development process; we would like more lead time to invest in infrastructure, as it is very expensive to adapt (i.e. adaptability of polygon warnings with county sirens)
- Pick some industry formats (for GIS, Instant Messaging) and move forward, EMs will adapt
- Happy there is movement forward with Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

**Notes:**
Based on our discussions at IAEM in November, these are the needs expressed by the EM community.

We hear you. 

## Way Forward

- Focus Groups
- Emergency Management (IAEM, NAEM)
- Federal Departments and Agencies
- Participation in Federal, State and local activities
- Federal Exercise Program
- Interagency Modeling and Atmospheric Advisory Center (IMAAC)
- Federal, state and local Operations Centers
- Expand NWS training to encompass Emergency Management Support
- EOC operations

**Notes:**
In answer to the needs expressed at IAEM and other initiatives within NWS,  we are expanding the focus groups we have organized to gain more insight and review of our way forward. We will add some new groups and expand existing ones.  One expansion will be include members from IAEM and NAEM as permanent members of the emergency management focus group and form a new group specifically for Federal Departments and Agencies.

We are expanding our participation in Federal, state, and local activities.  We are members of a number of DHS working groups such as the Federal Exercise Planning Group (we are the lead for the environmental sub-group of the scenario planning group). And the Technical working Group f the IMAAC.  NOAA has a watch desk in the DHs National Operations Center  and FEMA will be modifying the staffing of the JFO to include a meteorologist in most cases.
WE will be expanding training for NWS meteorologists to include supporting operations of EOC’s.

Questions?