Iowa Homeland Security Conference Session Summaries

Integrating ASAR Teams into Your ESF for Effective Animal Response

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Eric Thompson, Executive Director ASAR Training and Response/AIM

Summary: Join us for an engaging discussion on integrating Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR) FEMA resource-typed teams into your Emergency Support Functions (ESF), with a focus on ESF-9 and ESF-10. This session will explore the adaptability of ASAR teams in search, rescue, and response efforts, while aligning them with Animal Incident Management (AIM) to support ESF-6 mass care partners in animal welfare operations. Learn how these specialized teams can enhance your disaster response strategies, and gain insight into the latest NASAAEP Best Practice Workgroup updates. We will also dive into recent animal decontamination case studies, providing practical lessons for your team’s preparedness and response. Whether you’re a seasoned responder or new to animal-focused emergency management, this session will offer valuable tools for optimizing your team’s ability to create mission-ready packages for animals and the people that care for them in crisis situations.

Websites: Technical Animal Rescue Training, Animal Incident Management

Improving Outcomes for Communities Affected by Disaster: 3 Design Challenges

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Jolie Wills, M.Sc. Cognitive Psyc, CEO of Hummingly

Summary: Jolie, a cognitive scientist and specialist in psychosocial recovery, has spent the last decade packaging up the learning from disaster to make recovery a little easier for those affected, and those working to support communities in the wake of disaster.

Jolie set herself three design challenges to improve outcomes for those affected by disaster. In this presentation, Jolie draws from her lived experience as a survivor of the Christchurch Earthquakes and her role in leading recovery teams. She explores three critical design challenges we face in improving outcomes for disaster-affected communities and introduces three practical tools developed to support both communities and those working hard to support them.

Social Media: Jolie Wills LinkedIn, Hummingly LinkedIn

Emergency Response for Water Systems

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Zeb McFarland, Circuit Rider, Iowa Rural Water Association

Summary: This presentation will explain the importance of water, how to deal with damaged infrastructure and how to restore a water supply. This presentation will include many of Zeb’s emergency responses from 2019-2025.

Website: Iowa Rural Water Association

Airport Safety and Security

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Brian Mulcahy, CEO, Des Moines Airport Authority, Dave Kalwishky, Operational Officer, Ankeny Regional Airport

Summary: During this session we will discuss the following: Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting at General Aviation and Commercial Service Airports. To include the process of investigation that will follow any rescue efforts, aircraft incident statistics, and emerging aircraft issues such as the growing number of aerial applicators (manned and unmanned systems).

Website: Des Moines Airport

What is IATF1, How We Can Assist You?

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Rick Halleran, Training Chief, Cedar Rapids Fire Dept Tom De Bondt, Captain, Sioux City Fire Rescue

Summary: If the local emergency agencies and services need assistance outside their 28E Agreement, mutual aid compacts, or regional resources, Iowa Task Force 1 (IATF-1), can assist with key areas of capability including Search, Confined Space Rescue, High Angle Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Trench Rescue, Breaching and Breaking, Structural Shoring, Incident Command System, Canine Response, Engineering, Emergency Medical Services, Communications, and Logistics.

Requests for IATF1 resources are initiated by the County EMA Directors through the incident commander. Each county’s EMA Director can call upon state resources to aid in managing an incident in their local communities and counties across the State of Iowa via the State Duty Officer.

Iowa Task Force 1 has two (2) Divisions based out of two (2) locations in Iowa, they are: Cedar Rapids and Sioux City. Each Division operates independently under one (1) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU is under the direction of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

We will provide an overview of previous missions we were tasked with throughout the state and discuss how that process worked.

Making MPACT: How a Non-Profit & Law Enforcement Team Built an Effective Co-Responder Program

Speaker(s) & Professional title: David Hicks, Senior Director of Community Engagement, YSS of Marshall County

Summary: The Marshalltown Police and Community Team (MPACT), is a unique co-responder program where YSS of Marshall County Social Workers “community advocates” are embedded with our local police department to address non-criminal, social service-based calls. MPACT advocates are dispatched by law enforcement personnel or the 911 communications center to respond to mental health, family conflict, homelessness, juvenile issues, or substance abuse-related calls. We’ll discuss the origins and evolution of this unique service, including data, processes, assessments, and case examples. MPACT is helping to divert people from the criminal justice system, reduce emergency room visits, and increase services to people in need.

Website: MPACT Website

The State Fire Marshal Division: What Do They Do?

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Dan Wood, State Fire Marshal

Summary: The State Fire Marshal presentation will cover what the division is responsible for across the state. The State Fire Marshal Division’s responsibilities include fire and explosive investigations in the Arson and Explosives Bureau. This would include the dos and do nots of fire and explosive investigations. This presentation will also cover firefighter training at the Fire Service Training Bureau. The bureau training provided is free to all firefighters and their departments.

Social Media: Iowa DPS Facebook, Iowa DPS Twitter X, Iowa DPS YouTube

PHMSA/IAFC Hazmat Roundtables

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Timothy R Gablehouse, Attorney, Gablehouse Granberg, LLC

Summary: Hazardous materials planning, training and response is not consistent across the country. PHMSA regulates hazmat transportation. International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) provides leadership to enhance professionalism and capabilities in emergency services agencies.

For guidance we rely on consensus standards from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and some regulatory programs such as those from OSHA and EPA. This produces inconsistent approaches to the prevention of accidents, training and response. Understanding that this can endanger the public and responders, PHMSA and IAFC convened the Roundtables.

The Roundtables were created to bring together a wide range of stakeholders in the hazmat planning and response universe. The goal is to discuss challenges in HazMat preparedness, offer recommendations and solutions to these challenges, and review the best practices that the Roundtable members and their organizations have adopted.

The Roundtables are coupled with a Summit of Railroad HazMat Thought. The summit was held as a neutral forum to openly discuss the various forms of training, planning, outreach, and best practices available to the emergency preparedness community relating to the transportation of HazMat by railroads. The summit engaged thought leaders from the emergency preparedness community, industry, and government to share their insight and feedback with a specific focus on rail-related training, planning and community outreach issues.

This presentation will review products and information produced by these programs emphasizing the information and lessons valuable to state and local emergency managers.

National Weather Service Flood Inundation Mapping - A Game Changer

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Jeff Zogg, Senior Service Hydrologist/NWS Des Moines, Chad Hahn, Warning Coordination Meteorologist/NWS Des Moines

Summary: Flooding is the most frequent severe-weather related and the costliest natural disaster in the United States. To improve flood warning communication and help emergency managers prepare for and respond to flooding, the NWS will add Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) services to the state of Iowa. This new service will complement and support the issuance of flood watches and warnings by providing near-real-time, high-resolution, street-level visualizations showing where, when, and how much flood waters are forecast. The FIM will be available to Iowa emergency managers by Fall of 2025. This session will take an in-depth look at the intricacies of this tool and how it will benefit emergency managers for years to come.

Website: NWS Des Moines

Mass Attacks in Public Spaces (MAPS)

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Ed Oslica, Domestic Security Strategist

Summary: For over 20 years, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has conducted research on the thinking and behaviors of those who commit acts of targeted violence, to prevent future acts from occurring. To inform these efforts, NTAC will present on the findings and recommendations from its latest research on Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016-2020, a multi-year analysis of incidents in the United States, in which three or more persons were harmed or killed.

This presentation will highlight past incidents, discuss behaviors of those who commit acts of violence, and focus on how communities can use a multidisciplinary approach to identify, assess, and intervene with individuals exhibiting concerning or threatening behaviors as early as possible.

From the Ground Up: Building a Rural SAR Team That Delivers

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Chris Hayes, Boone County Emergency Management, Andy Godzicki, Boone County Sheriff, Seth McCrea, Detective, Boone County Search and Rescue

Summary: Boone County Search & Rescue is a volunteer-based team operating under the Boone County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management. In this breakout session, representatives will share the journey of developing a rural SAR capability from scratch, culminating in a successful and widely reported rescue operation in 2024.

The presentation will explore the team’s formation, interagency partnerships, and the real-world challenges of operating in a resource-limited rural environment. Speakers will walk through the key event, outlining tactics used, operational coordination, and lessons learned. Attendees will gain insight into how small counties can build, fund, and sustain SAR capabilities that save lives, while aligning with ESF-9 and NFPA standards.

This session is intended for emergency managers, law enforcement, and public safety professionals interested in scalable SAR development, volunteer coordination, and rural response strategy.

Social Media: Boone Co. SAR Facebook, Boone Co. SAR TikTok

2024 Greenfield Tornado Response

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Jeff Vandewater, Adair County Sheriff

Summary: On May 21, 2024 at approximately 3:30 P.M., an EF4 Tornado ripped through Greenfield, Iowa, taking four lives and injuring dozens more; it destroyed or severely damaged upwards of 200 homes; disabled critical infrastructure within the town of approximately 2,000 people and caused approximately $50 million dollars in property damage.

Initial challenges faced by first responders that day and in the following days will be touched on. Sheriff Vandewater encourages active participation from the attendees in hopes that the continued discussion may further enhance future planning and response efforts for all first responders.

Iowa Hazard Mitigation Processes and Projects

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Mathew Noble, HSEM Mitigation Bureau Chief

Summary: The extensive history of Iowa Hazard Mitigation has helped reduce and avoid damages to public and private property. Acquisition and Demolition (buy-outs) of flood prone properties has been the primary focus mitigation in Iowa. Iowa has also made significant progress since 2008 improving Rural Electric Cooperative resilience across the state utilizing both HMA and PA Mitigation funding. The session will also address other project types including drainage infrastructure, back-up generation, warning sirens, tornado safe rooms, and mitigation planning. Iowa HSEM’s Mitigation Bureau provides guidance and technical assistance to locals navigating mitigation programs.

Website: HSEM Hazard Mitigation

Technology and Teamwork for Underwater Search and Recovery

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Sarah Shearman, Chief of Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue, Jim Sholly, Assistant Chief of Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue

Summary: Readily available technology has significantly advanced the capabilities of emergency services in conducting underwater searches for victims, vehicles, and evidence. In this session, we will present the sonar tools currently deployed by the Ventura Fire Department and highlight our operational partnership with the divers of Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue. Together, we use sonar to detect anomalies on lake and river bottoms, then guide divers to investigate and recover what has been identified.

We will explain the underlying science of sonar technology and its practical application in emergency scenarios, supported by case studies and real-world recovery missions. Additionally, we will demonstrate how these tools enhance situational awareness and support incident command staff in making informed decisions during time-critical operations.

Social Media: IUSR Dive Facebook

How does Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act Compliance Impact your Disaster Planning and Projects?

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Heather Gibb, State Historic Preservation Officer

Summary: Please join the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in a discussion on how SHPO can be a valuable planning partner, focusing on the shared goal of planning for resilient communities while preserving Iowa’s rich history. Whether it is prior to or recovering from a disaster, historic properties remain important to local communities. The State Historic Preservation office identifies, preserves, and protects Iowa’s historic and prehistoric resources, administers state and federal preservation programs, and maintains a comprehensive inventory of historic properties. All of these resources may benefit your local community in planning for future disasters and recovery.

Website: State Historic Preservation Office

When the Smoke Clears: Introduction to First Responder Wellness and Emotional Survival

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Jeremy Sprague, Lieutenant, Des Moines Police Dept

Summary: Drawing from more than 20 years of firsthand experience in facing officer-involved shootings, Line of Duty Deaths (LODDs), police suicides, and various traumas, the presenter shares deeply personal life experiences. This course delves into the challenges inherent in a lifelong career as a first responder, offering participants valuable insights on surviving the unique stressors that impact both professional and personal aspects of their lives.

Explore topics such as hypervigilance, critical incident survival, and overall wellness, with a focus on the three R's: resistance, resiliency, and recovery. The course provides a comprehensive discussion on stress, delving into common psychological reactions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants will gain a profound understanding of the essential building blocks for becoming a resilient and effective law enforcement officer, equipped to navigate the complexities of their career with resilience and strength.

Website and Social Media: Peer Support Foundation Website, Peer Support Foundation Facebook, Jeremy Sprague LinkedIn

Finding Your Beat, the Rhythm of Life

Speaker(s) & Professional title: Tim Eggebraaten, Off Duty Chief and Speaker

Summary: Tim knows the importance of paying attention to the rhythm of life. Having worked in the Criminal Justice field for 28 years, he is an expert at "Working the Beat" and has learned through experience the value of discovering the harmony in it all. We all face challenges that create our own beat in life when balancing family and careers and struggling to find time for ourselves and our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Prepare to be energized, inspired, and entertained as “The Off-Duty Chief” shares strategies and tactics for finding YOUR RHYTHM!

Website and Social Media: Rhythm of Life Website, Tim Eggebraaten LinkedIn