In September, the state’s Training and Exercise Planning Workshop (TEPW) was held in Virginia City, NV. Many county emergency managers, FEMA R-IX, and some state agency, private sector, and non-government organization personnel partook. The result of the workshop, soon to be published and made available to all Nevada stakeholders, is a three-year training and exercise schedule representing the Attendees’ training and exercise needs for the years, 2014, 2015, and 2016. I want to share with you how to use and view this new three-year schedule.

First, this schedule is a living document! That means all agencies, organizations, and jurisdictions should view this schedule as one that needs to be kept up-to-date so that all entities viewing it will possess the most accurate schedule possible for planning purposes. This will require all who have placed any trainings or exercises on this schedule to help NDEM to keep it current. Informing the State Training or Exercise Officers of any changes, additions, or deletions is of paramount importance for all of Nevada’s stakeholders.

Second, this schedule, per the new HSEEP Guidance (April 2013) represents calendar years, not fiscal years (federal or state). For instance, the 2014 schedule represents January 1st through December 31st of 2014 solely! Trainings and exercises scheduled are placed within a particular month and quarter, but may sometimes also give the actual day(s) of the event. For those who view the schedule and want to know that specific day(s) please contact the emergency management office of that jurisdiction.

Third, there is a color-coding being used in the three-year schedule. Per the new HSEEP Guidance the state’s core capability priorities, determined annually by Nevada’s Commission on Homeland Security, are reflected by a specific color in the schedule per the legend at the bottom. Some trainings and exercises support more than one of the priority core capabilities, (e.g., an exercise may have as a purpose both operational coordination AND operational communication) so the higher priority’s color is reflected in the document itself. This gives evidence that entities who have scheduled trainings and/or exercises have considered and are working toward improving performance based on Nevada’s priorities.

Fourth, Nevada’s two largest jurisdictions, Clark and Washoe counties, held their own workshops prior to the state’s workshop and possess their own three-year schedules that were too large to include in their totality within the state’s schedule. However, the most significant of their trainings and exercises ARE reflected in the state’s document. A note placed on the bottom of the state’s schedule informs viewers to contact those two jurisdictions for a more comprehensive listing of all that they have planned for those three-years.

Last, a few jurisdictions could not attend the TEPW in Virginia City this year, but are strongly encouraged to send their schedules to NDEM for inclusion into this living document.

For comments and or questions feel free to email me at: tcary@dps.state.nv.us

Best Regards, 
Tim Cary