Sea Grant Fellowship Opportunity

Project Title: Oregon Emergency Response System Assessment

Program Overview

The system the State of Oregon uses to respond to oil spills and releases of hazardous materials has evolved and grown through time to incorporate multiple federal, state and local agencies in coordination with the parties responsible for the release(s), their contractors and the public. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the lead state agency for responding to oil and hazardous material releases, including releases in the coastal zone. DEQ partners with federal, state, and local agencies in the preparation for and response to environmental and public health threats. For additional information on DEQ’s emergency response program, see: http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/cu/emergency/index.htm.

Project Description

This fellowship opportunity includes developing new tools to help Oregon respond to all levels of disaster and emergencies. The tools will allow Oregon to efficiently scale a response to the need for an incident, and to incorporate additional internal and external resources. The project includes several core elements which will be tailored to suit the fellow’s strengths and interests, including:

• Implementing of recommendations to facilitate use of “convergent volunteers”, i.e., mechanism and tools to responsibly accommodate citizens and other interested parties who show up at a significant natural disasters and/or spills to assist with response actions;

• Utilizing Geographic Information Systems to collect data and update Geographic Response Plans (GRPSs are spill response strategies for immediate protection of resources);

• Evaluating the positioning of response caches and equipment relative to their need for potential spills;

• Developing a database of subject matter experts in Oregon to quickly expand a response;

• Outreach to industry, community groups, and local and state government agencies about the importance of emergency preparedness and response activities.

Project Scope

This project will include opportunities to work with DEQ staff and state, federal, and local partners. There will also be opportunities to attend interagency meetings between Northwest Area Committee and Regional Response Team members. The fellow will work within DEQ’s Land Quality Division at DEQ Headquarters in Portland, and DEQ will provide computer/GIS workstation, state vehicle use, training in agency databases, regulations and resources, and guidance & feedback throughout the project.