Major Change

Good Evening Everyone, 

I know it has been quite a while since my last post, and for that I am very sorry.  It has been a heck of a last few months for me.  After my last post, I had a chance to head home for my Thanksgiving break which was wonderful to get back into the swing of things with family, friends, and the lovely world of EMS.  The break went very quickly and before I knew it I was back at Perry Point, Maryland.  

The trip back to Maryland was an adventure that's for sure.  It was my first long train trip ever.  I took the Amtrak train from Utica, NY to NY Penn Station and then another train from NY Penn to Aberdeen, Maryland.  Total travel time consisted of about 8 hours.  What a day.  But that wasn't it for that day.  The minute I got back on campus I had to hit the ground running and work a few hours digging out necessary supplies for the teams that had arrived back.  That day was a day of all days.  There was a snow storm that struck the North East and Mid Atlantic.  Many flights into BWI were delayed and roads were awful (for Maryland standards that is).  Everyone eventually got in safe and sound though over the course of the next two days.  

Shortly after everyone arrived back Transition week started and went very quickly.  It was great getting to know all the rest of the Team Leaders better.  I felt very happy knowing everyone even if it was a really long week.  Everyone came, and then they left on Saturday.  

Over the course of the next few weeks, I made a short trip to Denver, Colorado.  I flew into Denver and then drove a 15 Passenger van from Denver, Colorado through all of Wyoming and up to Livingston, Montana.  I never thought i'd ever see Montana or Wyoming. Such beautiful states!!  It was a rescue mission for a team stranded in Montana due to some mechanical issues with their van.  My coworker and I enjoyed the trip and flew out, drove all that way, and then flew back all within about 4 days.  What a trip!  

After that it was Christmas.  Christmas was very weird not being home for the first time in my life!  I was able to get over it though and got to spend some time with my uncle who lives in Virginia very near DC.  Then not much time passed and it was New Years Eve.  

New Years Eve was an adventure, I was able to spend time in Washington, DC with some great fellow TLs.  Spending NYE in a city for the first time was wonderful.  

New Years came and went and a few days later I was on a plane back to Denver, Colorado.  This time though, I'm staying much longer.  I came out here to work as an STL with a team that was having some storming phases and would work with them to get over the phase and move forward.  This was a task i was excited and willing to take on within my STL responsibilities.  

After a week of being out here, things changed very rapidly and before I knew it, I was named the permanent Field Team Leader for the team!  I am now the TL for Otter 1!  I am very excited for this chance to lead a team of 8 wonderful individuals over the course of the rest of this year :).  

I will try to post more now, but who knows this week I worked 65 hours while getting used to the new position.  It will be a learning experience that I have no doubt i'll do well with.  

Major Update... I'm Back

Hey everyone.  So I figured that it was time for me to post again.  I have a ton of updates to mention here.  It has been about two months since my last post!  I cannot believe that it is almost December!  

So to update everyone on the past two months: 

First things first, and I need to mention how great Induction was in Vicksburg.  It was a time where I felt very proud to be serving as an AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps Team Leader!  I was able to walk alongside my fellow TLs and CMs and experience something very few Americans get the chance to participate in.   The weekend right after induction I got to go somewhere that I've always wanted to go to.  Y'all may think i'm a major redneck for this but all well.  I was able to visit the headquarters of Duck Commander (as some would know better as Duck Dynasty).  While there wasn't a ton to see, I still was able to pose for a photo op in front of the famous "Duck Commander, Buck Commander" sign. Turns out that West Monroe, LA where the headquarters is happens to only be about an hours drive from Vicksburg.  It was well worth the trip.  I got to get me a t-shirt to proudly represent and to remember the trip by.  

Next the week following induction was one that I will never forget.  We were in the midst of FEMA Academy which was the FEMA Qualification System (FQS) training where CMs would be trained in the various areas in which they are working out in the field.  The areas range from Logistics, to Public Assistance, to Disaster Survivor Assistance.  This is wonderful that our CMs are receiving the exact same training that FEMA Reservists participate in.  The catch 22 of this was that it began and ran during the midst of the Federal Government Shutdown.  It was a real challenge for everyone as the Southern Region Campus Staff was cut down significantly.  The staff was cut down to less than ten people who were excepted individuals.  The rest of the more than 30 people on staff were put on furlough.  I have nothing but praise for the staff at the Southern Region for being able to work hard to provide for the Corps during the trying time.  They did there very best in a time where it was needed.  

Part way through that week things made a drastic change for me. On Tuesday of that week the Director of Unit Leadership who was my supervisor's (Unit Leader's) boss called me into her office. She told me that three of the STLs in Vicksburg were going to need to move to the Atlantic Region Campus based in Perry Point, Maryland.  I initially was very hesitant to even consider this idea because I'd grown so very close to Team Green in Vicksburg! I came into the program hoping to make good friends and leaving would mean I would be leaving my Ameri-family that i'd grown very close to.  Turns out with the furlough going on it was taking a toll on the Atlantic Region and they needed help because they were supposed to be in the midst of a major move of campuses from their current location at Perry Point, MD to Baltimore, MD which is about 45 minutes to an hour away from one another depending on traffic.  Many reasons were cited why they needed support.  When it all came down to it, when I found out that three of the STLs would have to either be moved, kicked out of the program, or dropped down to Corps Members, I knew that I needed to do the right thing and take the opportunity to have a new experience and prevent someone who was not from the East Coast to have to make this move. This was one of the hardest decisions of my life.  I did not know that I would be moving until a little after noon the following day.  At that point in time, we were told that we'd have to leave the following morning in order to drive the 1,100 miles distance by that same Friday before close of business (4:30 pm).  The goodbyes that ensued were some of the hardest I've had in my entire life.  It made me realize how close I had gotten to each and every one of the Team Leaders and even some of the Corps Members who I had become friends with.  Regardless of whether or not i'm at Vicksburg, i'm still always going to be a Summit at heart! Hey summit where ya at?  So thus the adventure began. Myself along with two other Vicksburg STLs were about to being a road trip that would take us 1,100 miles, across six states within less than two days.  

Looking back on the move, it was one of the hardest things in my life and while I'm enjoying my time here at the Atlantic Region, I wish things had been done in a way that took feelings and the human end of things into account.  To pull someone away from an already established group that had just gone through two long months of training, bonding, and norming was just not right.  I hope that the organization never forces something like this to happen ever again!  It is unheard of happening in the past and I believe that myself and the other two STLs may in fact be the first ever time this has happened.  

Since arriving to Perry Point, MD I have driven well over 2,000 miles for various duties.  I have taken on the Unit Support Team Leader role for the Otter Unit of FEMA Corps.  To give a little background, each unit here at the Atlantic Region is named after an animal of the unit leaders choosing.  For example the traditional NCCC units are Buffalo, Moose, and Raven.  The two FEMA Corps units are Otter and Terrapin.  The caveat to that is that once a Unit Leader leaves their position as a Unit Leader, the unit retires with the Unit Leader. Past units have included Wolf, Eagle, and Badger.  Since my arrival here I have had the pleasure to meet a ton of great people.  The staff here have been very supportive of me and that is great.  The traditional NCCC STLs were so welcoming and I am truly grateful for their generosity and their kindness in welcoming us to Perry Point. Evan, Courtney, Stephanie, Chandler, Ben, Emily, and Laura were all great! I am so glad to have met them.  I was able to go attend their graduation ceremony last week and they have since left to head home onto post AmeriCorps lives.  They will be greatly missed!  

I am currently working with the Director of Unit Leadership here on a great project.  With the new building being renovated, I recognized the need for an Emergency Action Plan to be made for it. I have been slowly working towards this.  I will be going down to Baltimore in the future to inspect the new building and brainstorm what may be needed to prepare the campus for the inevitable.  I am also working on a project now with FEMA HQ that will eliminate some of the disconnect between the five FEMA Corps campuses.  Team Leaders will have the opportunity to share resources and best practices to help make the difficult job maybe even just a little less challenging.  

It is very likely that I will be doing a lot of traveling next round as I work to complete and refine the project I am working on with FEMA HQ.  

One of the coolest things I got to do since I've been back to the East Coast was I had the opportunity to attend the New York State Governor's Conference on Emergency Preparedness in Albany, NY a few weeks ago.  It was a great networking opportunity and an even better learning opportunity.  I am pretty certain that my friend Matt and I were the youngest two people in the room.  

I have acclimated myself with many of the teams and Team Leaders here.  They are all great!  I got to spend a little more than a week bouncing between two teams.  They are both great and I am grateful for getting the chance to stay with them.  Otter 2 and Otter 4 what up!  During that mini-deployment I was able to visit college friends on Long Island and then work in New Jersey and New York working with teams on Post-Sandy recovery.  During that time I even got the chance to participate in an Independent Service project working on a Habitat for Humanity house working with New Jersey Coastal Habitat which focuses now on rebuilding and renovating homes devastated by the storm last year.  

I will be heading home this weekend for my two week break which will put my home at Thanksgiving and that will be a ton of fun seeing friends and family and getting the chance to jump back in the Ambulance.  Two weeks home i'm sure will go extremely quickly. I suppose y'all should be able to expect more frequent posts now that you know i'm in the Atlantic Region and my blog has been resurrected from the dead. 

So long for now... 

CTI

So I know it has been way too long since my last post.  Corps Training Institute or CTI as we call it has been crazy for everyone.  CMs arrived on August 26 and we have been going strong since then.  TLT ended right before that.  I have had the pleasure of working with some pretty awesome Corps Members since their arrival. 

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I will not have a team throughout the year as I am a Strategic Support Team Leader.  With that, I have had the fortune of interacting with a great number of Corps Members as I am not tied down to just one team (8-10 CMs).  Part of this interaction has been wonderful.  I even have a Team that nicknamed me Poppa Sean.  I have cooked for a few different teams and gotten to really get to know a few of the CMs pretty well.  The staff here at the Southern Region are by far some of the best people I have worked for and with in my entire life.  Being at work each and every day does not really seem like work at all. 

Induction is fast approaching!  This Friday, September 27 all of us will be participating in the induction ceremony.  Prior to that, I will be traveling with my Unit (Summit, where ya at?) down to Baton Rouge, LA to receive my FEMA ID and work out getting all of the CM's their Laptops, RSA Tokens, ID's, and Blackberry Smart Phones.  Its going to be a very long day as I'll be leaving at 5:30 a.m. and returning very late at night. 

Starting next week we will be going through FEMA Academy where we will be all learning about our specific jobs and what we will be doing over the course of the next ten months.  After next week we will be deployed to various locations across the country.  I look forward to discovering where I will be deployed to and the logistics behind Strat deployment.  I will gladly update everyone when I learn more info.  I will make a much better attempt at updating this on a weekly basis from now on. 

Sorry Everyone

Hey everyone sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything.  It's been a crazy last few weeks.  I have not posted a single post since Corps Members arrived on August 26.  The last two weeks have been filled with long but rewarding days. 

Some things switched up big time for me.  I am no longer going to have a team assigned to me.  I am still a TL for Summit Unit, however I am what's called a Strategic Support Team Leader (Strat for short).  I will be deployable anywhere in the United States and it's territories as a single entity and may not always get deployed with a team.  It is possible for me to be deployed with multiple teams to a specific location.  The majority of my deployments will be to JFO's, DRC's, and HQ offices within the FEMA network.  I will have the opportunity to work with some high level people.  I am absolutely stoked to be able to put my skills, knowledge, and experience to work and try to start off on a good foot with all of these experts within their fields.  It will be a great opportunity for me to grow as a person and to affect positive change on the communities that I will be serving in throughout the course of the next ten months.   

With that being said, a little synopsis of what I've been doing over the last few weeks would be great for everyone reading.  On the day of move in, I was stationed at Jackson International Airport welcoming and checking in Corps Members as they got off their flights.  I was there for the first half of the day and then came back to campus to assist in the move in process.  The next day or so was extremely frustrating for me, however I quickly got over that and got right to work.  I was concerned at first because I was a STRAT and did not have a temporary group and was not sure exactly what I was going to be doing.  My concerns were quickly quelled by the staff here.  They very quickly were able to get me assigned to specific tasks and keep busy.  I jumped right into the thick of things.  The first week was filled with a lot of small tasks that were able to assist the rest of the TLs who were very busy with their groups. 

The first weekend on campus with CMs around was an extremely interesting one for both good and unfortunate reasons! I had the pleasure of spending the day Saturday with my fellow TL Yusra's group. They are a great group of people!  We were able to visit some fun places in Vicksburg, enjoy a lunch together, and I spoiled them by cooking a great dinner Saturday Night.  The next day a few of us ventured to Jackson, MS to get some delicious food at Two Sisters Kitchen! 

Then Monday came.  Oh Monday!  Well we had planned to play some sports that afternoon.  I had a fun game of Ultimate Frisbee planned with a bunch of people, but as I was walking over to the field I was alerted by one of the other TL's that one of our TLs had dislocated his shoulder in the gym.  I was not far away from the gym so high tailed it there.  I arrived to see an obvious deformity to the right shoulder.  My EMT skills kicked right in and was able to assess the situation, I had someone fetch my first aid kit from my room and my wallet.  I determined that immediate transport to the ER would be required.  I stabilized the extremity and ensured that he was stable.  That was my first visit to the ER that week.  We got to the hospital and they took great care of him and got him in really quite quick.  As much as I hated to see him hurt, it was great to be able to step up and I was glad I was in the right place at the right time to ensure that care was provided to him. 

The rest of the week went very well.  I volunteered to handle the development and execution of the AmeriCorps NCCC Southern Region FEMA Corps Team Reveal event.  It was by far one of the most extensive projects that I have ever worked on in that it would directly affect about 200 Corps Members, 32 Team Leaders, and all of the Staff on campus.  With many long days, the help and motivation from many fellow TLs and Staff members I was able to make the event a true success. It was one of the greatest feelings ever seeing something go so well that I had planned!  I also learned that I absolutely love to program and organize large scale events.  I never realized that I enjoyed it so much.  I cannot wait to get the chance to do it again. 

I have a few plans up my sleeve and am working with a few of the staff members to keep busy for the rest of this week helping organize a few events for CMs to gain some insight of the First Response / local level of Emergency Management and response as well as what first responders do on a daily basis. 

I am extremely excited to see what comes over the course of the next few weeks!  From here on out I will try and make an attempt to post at least once a week at the very least.  It is way too much to remember and type out for two weeks of events.  I was able to only provide a spattering of details of what occurred over the last few weeks on here. 

Good night all, time to go to bed and be ready for PT at 6 am tomorrow. 

Quick Update

Well this is just going to be a quick update.  The weekend was a blast! I had a great chance to spend time with my fellow Team Green members in NOLA.  Great experience in such a cool old city. 

Tonight when I got back I had to prepare a few last minute items for the morning.  I have to be up at 5:45 am to head off to the airport and leave by 6:15 to start checking in Corps Members as they arrive on various planes.  The chaos ensues tomorrow.  I'm ready for it! 

I will update y'all in a bit when I have more time as my FQS position (my specialty position) has changed greatly. I am no longer going to have a team and will instead be a Strategic Support Team Leader and am deployable as an individual rather than as a team throughout the country.  This is designed for projects that may only need or or two people to work on versus an entire time.  I will also be working in JFO's and HQ and other offices supporting what teams are doing in the field.  More of an explanation and update soon. 

Bed time for me as I have to be up in less than six hours. 

Hands of Peace and Such

Well last week finished off with a few sessions that really gave insight into the situation Team Green will be facing over the course of the next ten months.  Our FEMA POC(Point of Contact) A.C briefed us on what we should expect.  We also were able to get some insight from a former Team Leader who now works at CNCS HQ in Washington, D.C.  It was great hearing what she had to say, as she is a seasoned TL and received recognition as the Southern Region FEMA Corps T.L of the year last year.  Aside from that I learned one of the most important things I've learned all year! 

I am now proud to say I'm a Team Leader for Summit in charge of a Mass Care mixed team.  I'm extremely excited for the next few months and look forward to always being on top! (Summit motto for now) 

This past weekend was a blast for me!  I got to head over to the Vicksburg National Military Park and check that out.  It was so cool seeing the park and noticing the vast difference between Gettysburg and Vicksburg parks.  I had previously been to Gettysburg a few years ago.  The park does a remarkable job at memorializing both the Union and Confederate Armies efforts. I spent two hours there with a friend and it wasn't even nearly enough time to see everything I wanted to see!  I will post pictures later, sorry guys I'm pressed for time now :-(.  

The training sessions this week have been great for the most part.  The stress is starting to get to some of us.  Its only a matter of days before the Corps Members arrive on campus!  They all arrive on August 26 (next Monday)!  I am going to apologize in advance, because my blog posts will become much more sporadic from here on out.  Life is about to get really crazy for me!  I have already been working hard preparing for my members to arrive.  I called each and every Corps Member who will be assigned to my Temporary Team and welcomed them and gave them a chance to ask questions and a person to serve as a POC. I am really beginning to allow these acronyms flow off my tongue now.

With all that is going on, I have begun working with three fellow Team Leaders on a project that I will disclose at a later date.  It's very exciting and directly related to Emergency Preparedness and Management.  It's taking up a great deal of time but i'm so very excited to see the end result and how it will benefit our campus we call home for the next ten months of our lives.  

The next two days will be spent by preparing for the arrival of Corps Members and final training sessions and a Team Leader Training wrap up and final debrief.  We as TL's also are tasked with presenting a debrief to the NCCC staff tomorrow about our Positives, Even Better If's, and Suggestions regarding the TLT.  

The best yet however is against better judgement, I'm going to have an amazing weekend with great people this weekend in NEW ORLEANS!  It will be a great cultural learning experience for me and a ton of fun with great new friends!  Pictures will come I'm sure.  

Well time to get food and head off to bed.  Good night everyone!   

Flexibility

The definition of flexibility is defined as being: 1.capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent: aflexible ruler. and 2. susceptible of modification or adaptation; adaptable: a flexible schedule

This is something that we've come to get used to hearing our entire time here.  Even more specific, the term FEMA-Flexible is commonplace.  We had to be flexible the last day or so.  I mentioned a few days ago that we'd be heading up in a Black Hawk helicopter.  Well that wasn't able to happen today unfortunately.  Mississippi is gearing up for the potential landfall of a Tropical Storm.  Our plans for today initially included flying in the Black Hawks and visiting the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency office in Jackson, MS.  Both of those plans were quashed with the coming of the storm.  The state is preparing for the tropical event to make landfall within the next week or so and therefore they did not have time for us to visit.  

Instead of that though we did something else that was pretty darned cool!  We visited the largest Nuclear Power Plant in the United States that is only a few miles from Vicksburg.  It was so cool seeing the EOF (Emergency Operations Facility) for the plant.  We were able to get a little bit of insight into what is involved in preparing for a more man made disaster that could occur.  

After going to the plant, we then headed off to a Military Park that was right down the road.  I got to see the Mississippi River for the first time ever today!  It is huge!  Also while at this park, we got the chance to walk around and view the historical artifacts present.  

Backtracking a bit, Wednesday was a day full of a lot of vital information.  I learned my Myers-Briggs personality type which will help me compare myself to my CM's when they arrive and figure out who is most fit for specific positions.  The best part of the day was the late session we had. We had the pleasure to hear Retired US Army Brigadier General Robert Crear, a native of Vicksburg, MS.  Click Here for a biography of the General.  He is truly inspirational.  He did a full 360 degree turn around in his life, beginning his life in Vicksburg as a child and returning here as a Colonel and Brigadier General commanding the Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg Division as well as serving as the President and Commander of the Mississippi River Commission that controls the entire Mississippi River and its tributaries from the Canadian Border to the Gulf of Mexico.  He served as President during the Hurricane Katrina disaster that struck Mississippi and Louisiana.  He gave so many insights on leadership that I can not get into completely right now.  A fun fact that he gave us was that Coca Cola was invented here in Vicksburg!  That's a fun fact. He also gave us some insight on how it was to grow up in the deep south during the implementation of the infamous Jim Crow laws.  It is a huge part of understanding the past and the history of the place that we call home for the next 11 months.  It has given me the initiative to really research and learn more about the City of Vicksburg and the surrounding areas from a historical perspective.  

Ok well time to go enjoy a new food for dinner tonight. What-a-burger will be new and supposedly very good! So much for eating healthy.  I guess I can take one day off from it.  Anyways tomorrow shall be an exciting day as we will find out our Unit Assignments!  I cannot wait.  I hope to be placed on a Mass Care team! I will update everyone tomorrow.  

For now I bid you all farewell for the night.