Cooperative Capacity: Boulder County's VOAD Network

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COOPERATIVE CAPACITY COLLABORATIVE RESPONSE BOCO STRONG’S VOAD NETWORK REPORT 1

CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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INTRODUCTION 6 THE FOUR “C”S

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MISSION AND PURPOSE

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LEVERAGING LOCAL RESOURCES

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DIRECTORY OF NETWORK AGENCIES VOAD Member Services

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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

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CONNECTION AND COMMUNICATION

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COLD SPRINGS FIRE RESPONSE

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WRAP-UP 18 Impact 18 Recommendations 19

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Gathered support from local partners and surveyed response organizationson VOAD viability

2013

Timeline

Recognized need for local VOAD organization during flood response in Boulder County

The need for the creation of a Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster network (VOAD) was first identified during flood response and recovery in Boulder County in 2013 when difficulties with coordinating resources and initiating a long-term recovery process led to an influx of unmanaged volunteer groups, geographic disparities in response resources, loss of population from the county, and long waits for case management services. In light of this, the Office of Emergency Management, local grassroots groups, and nonprofit partners joined forces to creat a local VOAD network to address: Coordinating spontaneous volunteers and donations to effectively use resources from the community but not overwhelm first responders or affected residents Providing information management and data sharing to prevent gaps in response and recovery 4

2014

2015 VOAD Kickoff meeting held in January 2015 with support from 60 members of the response and recovery community

Transitioning into and funding long term recovery to reduce time gaps in providing assistance to those affected by disaster Building relationships between service agencies to create more efficient resource delivery and need identification Identifying best practices for VOAD members to engage with communities affected by disaster Establishing trusted relationships with vulnerable communities to prevent gaps in risk communication and service delivery

VOAD participates in all-county wildfire response exercise to test operations plans and capacity

VOAD elects officers and ratifies governing bylaws to assist with the coordination of members

2015

2015

2016

VOAD works with Boulder County Office of Emergency Management to develop emergency operations plans

The Boulder County VOAD now includes both local partner organizations such as the Community Food Share and nationally held agencies such as the American Red Cross. The VOAD has and will fundamentally strengthen Boulder County’s capacity to respond to and recover from disaster by leveraging strategic communication and good relationships with communities across the county, strengthening access to state and national resources, maximizing coordination to identify and meet needs as they arise, and increasing resources through collaboration between organizations. Funding a project coordinator to continue building out the VOAD’s capacity will increase benefits to the county; attract new resource partners in the area; and strengthen the disaster resilience of the communities of Boulder County.

County with response and recovery. The Project Coordinator built strong and diverse relationships with local and national agencies; helped to write by-laws and hold officer elections; created communication tools; functioned as a centralizing coordination point; conducted a member survey; created a website and social media presence for the VOAD; and assisted with the Cold Springs Fire response. With these actions, new organizations have stepped forward to offer resources to disaster response, county departments have identified more resources to draw upon, and relations with local communities have benefited.

For the past year, the VOAD Project Coordinator worked to strengthen the VOAD’s ability to support the communities of Boulder 5

Influx of national VOAD organizations during 2013 flood response

INTRODUCTION

After the 2013 floods in Northern Colorado, voluntary organizations from all over the country and even abroad came to offer assistance. As there was no contact point or infrastructure to help these organizations collaborate with one another or even with local responders, many residents who had been affected by the flood were confused by multiple offers of help and unsure of whom to trust. There was also a very uneven dispersal of resources, and many badly impacted areas received fewer resources than were actually available. Because of these problems with coordination after the disaster, it became clear that a local network of response and recovery agencies was necessary to help provide holistic relief and consistent communications after an event.

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THE FOUR “C”S The Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster or VOAD network is based on a model that is found both at the state and national level that promotes communication, coordination and collaborative and cooperative action between voluntary agencies responding during a disaster.

The National VOAD works at the federal level as an association of organizations that mitigate and alleviate the impact of disasters.

Member organizations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other faith and nongovernmental organizations often partner with FEMA to provide services and donated goods to communities affected by natural disasters across the United States.

The Colorado State VOAD (COVOAD) is under the umbrella of the National VOAD, and works “to support its membership by facilitating planning and coordination efforts among response and recovery voluntary agencies. By working together before disasters strike, COVOAD member agencies are better positioned to provide more effective services and minimize duplication.”

(COVOAD)

In addition to Boulder County VOAD, Larimer County and the South Central Region of Colorado have also developed VOAD networks to assist with disaster response. These local VOADs and their officers work to coordinate with COVOAD as well as the National VOAD to ensure that resources meet local needs.

With VOAD organizations and agencies working at all different scales, from local to federal, strong partnerships are crucial to VOAD success and collaboration. The Project Coordinator supported the Boulder County VOAD in developing inclusive membership by working to develop relationships with local government, community leaders, and a diverse faith community. Membership within the VOAD consists mainly of non-profit organizations and houses of worship, but committed partnerships from the Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Boulder County, and the City of Boulder along with the City of Longmont, and Intermountain Alliance are helping the VOAD establish a more comprehensive network and capacity for disaster response and recovery.

COMMUNICATION

COLLABORATION

COORDINATION

COOPERATION

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MISSION AND PURPOSE The Boulder County network of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster was formed after fatal flooding across northern Colorado in September, 2013. Experience from this disaster showed quite clearly that the diverse culture and topography of Boulder County required a wide variety of response options and resources.

In order to help local communities recover, representatives from faith communities, nonprofit organizations, local businesses and governments all banded together to help residents navigate the complexities of disaster recovery and to provide resources where there were none. The Boulder County VOAD builds on the relationships and connections found in that response to help inspire and implement holistic, effective disaster response that is community built and collaboratively functional.

The mission of the Boulder CountyVOAD is to build community strength, collaboration, and resilience throughout the disaster cycle; promote implementation of lessons learned from past experience; and facilitate agile and 8

effective response to human needs arising from disasters throughout Boulder County and neighboring communities. This is achieved through cooperation, coordination, communication and collaboration of member organizations.

The purpose of the Boulder County VOAD is to unite the efforts of community, government, faith based organizations, businesses and nonprofit organizations to provide collaborative support, holistic response, and effective relief to people affected by disaster in Boulder County and surrounding communities. The Boulder County VOAD strives to connect community and business leaders, government representatives, and voluntary organizations in planning and preparedness before disaster events occur. The Boulder County VOAD is not a service delivery organization, but rather strategically networks its autonomous member organizations’ efforts to maximize the capabilities of member organizations and to help disaster survivors and their communities.

LEVERAGING LOCAL RESOURCES One of the key reasons for developing a local VOAD network beyond the state and national VOADs is to develop key relationships that maximize the availability of local resources in times of need. Although VOAD networks working at national and federal levels are able to draw upon a great amount of resources, local relationships between response agencies are crucial because they: 1. Facilitate the identification of needs on the ground 2. Ensure that resources are delivered holistically rather than erratically 3. Build trust between agencies and communities before an event takes place 4. Bring crucial local knowledge and skill sets to bear during an evet 5. Create sensitivity to local culture and needs that makes resource delivery and recovery much more effective.

The coordination and communication provided by the VOAD creates opportunities for agencies

to direct their resources to needs much more effectively. Working from shared information and a common operating picture, resources can be delivered exactly where they are requested.

Developing the VOAD at a local level has also created new partnerships by connecting nationally focused agencies with resources and organizations that are important to local culture and town contexts. This is especially important when disasters are not federally declared. These partnerships bring in extra resources for recovery when federal funds are not available.

The Project Coordinator has assisted with outreach to a wide variety of organizations, including the Intermountain Alliance, the state Donations and Volunteer Coordination Team (DVCT), and Longmont OEM; identification of member capacities; and relationship building for network growth. By working to coordinate services at different scales, the VOAD has been able to work much more effectively with state services and deliver local resources much more efficiently.

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DIRECTORY OF NETWORK AGENCIES 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Fu

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VOAD MEMBER SERVICES The Boulder County VOAD currently has a membership of 16 different organizations that provide disaster response services in a variety of emergency support functions including mass care and sheltering, volunteer management, mental health, spiritual care, and post disaster cleanup.

In order to make VOAD operations transparent and accessible to both member organizations and communities in need, the Boulder County VOAD established a website on which to house a digital directory of members along with contact information for each of the member agencies and an agency description.

The VOAD has also conducted a survey of members to better understand organizational capacity, and data from this will continue to be worked with in order to potentially expand membership and create a more expansive membership directory.

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In addition to the website, the VOAD maintains an active mailing list with over 70 subscribees. This is a reflection of the nascency of the VOAD. Many people do not fully understand what the function and activities of the VOAD are and many organizations feel the need to build trust and understanding about VOAD agencies and officers before committing to membership themselves.

With the help of its member organizations, the VOAD has ratified bylaws and elected officers which include Foothills United Way and Red Cross representatives. The VOAD hs also developed communication and operations plans for times of disaster and are working with Boulder County Housing and Human Services as well as Boulder OEM to streamline response protocols.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES As well as working to build coordination at multiple levels, the Boulder County VOAD holds a strong commitment to communication and information sharing in order to foster

Who are the Incident Coordinators for each VOAD involved agency?

Situational Awareness Briefing

consistent and committed collaboration between agencies. The BoCo VOAD worked with the Boulder County OEM to develop both disaster and non-disaster focused communication plans.

Boulder VOAD Operational Coordination Process Map Each VOAD Agency determines operational coordinators before the incident occurs to allow for the creation notification systems and processes.

VOAD Agency performs capacity assessment

Action Items ESF 6 or 19 are contact points for VOAD Operational Coordinators Database of needs Needs by function

Database and registry of unmet needs in CrisisCleanup

1. Share existing database process with Housing and Human Services (HHS) 2. Initial shared database creation 3. ESF 19 planning meeting 5. AAR process 6. Create situational report template 7. Repeat membership capacity survey 8. Take part in another table top exercise

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VOAD Organizations claim projects

VOADS help survivors of disaster

Report status and capacity

Does information need to be reported?

Are there unmet need assignments?

Debrief and After Action Reporting Process about operation coordination

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Boulder VOAD Disaster Communication Process Map Activation Level 1: VOAD leadership begins to communicate with one another and OEM

VOAD leadership monitors situation

Officers determine role for VOAD in disaster

Need for meeting?

No

Yes Info blast to membership: email, phone, text Schedule meeting Officers do additional community outreach Meeting

End VOAD involvement

Communicate unmet needs to other partners/agencies

No

Can VOAD members help with unmet needs?

Yes

Activation Level 3: VOAD coalition members independently activate their 12 respective responses and coordinate efforts

Develop Plans and Implementation

Activation Level 2: VOAD coalition members begin communicating, collaborating, and coordinating Need to discuss: What is known about event Unmet needs and possible future needs Membership availability Communications plan Identify problems and offer solutions Assign/assume responsibilities

Boulder VOAD Non-Disaster Information Communications Plan

Information comes in through a “single point”

“Single point” sends that information to the communications committee

Is this information appropriate for distribution?

Has it been vetted and verified through the committee?

No

Action Items

Yes

Determine what audience should receive information Create messaging Review and approve the message

Is this information critical/time sensitive?

Information is kicked back to “single point” to return to sender

No

1. Determine criteria for handling incoming communications 2.Establish schedule with membership committee to update/validate VOAD membership roster 3. Periodically review the process for improvements

Include information in next monthly newsletter Did any emails bounce back?

Yes

Send information to designee/alternate charged with final dissemination

Message/information sent via email (Mail Chimp email distribution)

Yes

Notify membership committee to update roster

No

Communication complete

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CONNECTION AND COMMUNICATION Over the past year, VOAD members worked diligently to create connections between individual municipalities and VOAD agencies.

Recognizing that each town, city, and community in Boulder County has different cultural needs and ways of responding to an emergency, it has been necessary to move slowly in developing agreements and communication protocols between the VOAD network and town officials and community groups. So far the VOAD has worked with the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management to develop response and communication plans. VOAD officers also participated in the all county wildfire response exercise on May 20th. The debrief from this exercise revealed that a great deal of response and recovery work is now being directed toward the BoCo VOAD and reliance on VOAD members after a disaster will be of great importance for continued community services.

After the exercise the VOAD met with the Longmont Office of Emergency Management to discuss separate protocols and integrate response.

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The VOAD also held a joint meeting with the InterMountain Alliance in order to discuss what procedures mountain communities would like to VOAD agencies to follow when offering services after a disaster. Most recently, VOAD officers presented at the Boulder County MultiAgency Coordination team meeting to introduce more local governmental agencies to the concept and functionality of a VOAD. This resulted in an immediate connection and new partnership with the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District.

Building these relationships is incredibly important for the VOAD and was a critical piece of work for the Project Coordinator.

Lack of cultural senstivity and a dearth of local relationships made resource delivery spotty and reduced utility during the 2013 floods.

During the 2016 Cold Springs Fire, however, Boulder County VOAD agencies were able to work efficiently and collaboratively to deliver resources in a way that was acceptable to and effective for the local community.

COLD SPRINGS FIRE RESPONSE After participating in a tabletop exercise for wildfire response in May, the Boulder County VOAD had an opportunity to implement their operations and communication plans during the Cold Springs Fire near Nederland. The VOAD agencies responded quickly, with the Red Cross and Salvation Army ready to shelter and feed people as soon as they were evacuated.

The Project Coordinator monitored social media throughout the event in order to assist with public information and to understand how the community was reacting. Because of this, officers were able to make contact with the Facebook group “Cold Springs Fire Response� and share information back and forth. This was a preemptive measure to assist with management of spontaneous volunteers and create productive relationships with community members. This was assisted by also contacting and working with local leaders who maintain active communication groups in the area.

2,000 PEOPLE EVACUATED

528 ACRES BURNED

On the ground, VOAD officers helped to coordinate local volunteers and other response agencies as needs arose and recovery began.

In order to maintain effective coordination for the VOAD network itself, officers organized conference calls to share information and provide situational awareness. These calls were scheduled as needed and advertised on the website and through the mailing list. The state VOAD (COVOAD) participated on these calls, but was supportive of the Boulder County VOAD taking the lead on planning and response. The Boulder County VOAD officers chose to open the conference calls to community leaders as well as to all VOAD members and partners. This transparency resulted in much better information sharing and more efficient operations.

The work done by the Project Coordinator assisted in supporting and expanding VOAD communications as greater outreach reduced the number of non-affected residents approaching the fire and evacuation zones. BoCo VOAD 15

social media established by the Project Coordinator reached over 4,000 people not covered by the Office of Emergency Management when messaging about staying out of Boulder Canyon.

Minimizing duplication of efforts meant that residents affected by the fire encountered less confusion when trying to find resources to recover: Both Mental Health Partners and Red Cross were trying to provide mental health services until VOAD relationships improved their communication Better coordination led to quickly identified needs and efficient response: When the county ran out of gift cards to replace spoiled food, the Faith Network and Salvation Army could immediately be contacted to contribute more.

Encouraging collaboration resulted in five new organizations stepping forward: Four churches and one nonprofit that hadn’t contributed during the flood joined the VOAD to contribute resources to those affected

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The VOAD officers and member agencies coordinated closely with Boulder County HHS throughout the response and maintained a presence at the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) as long as it was open. VOAD volunteers at the DAC entered requests for assistance into Crisis Cleanup in order to create a database of needs. Having these needs collected directly on the scene by for dispersal to VOAD agencies was a decision that came out of lessons learned in the flood, where there was a severe time gap and data loss in transmitting needs to service providers.

Following immediate disaster response, the VOAD network played an important role in recovery processes and resources. VOAD officers followed up with individuals whose needs were recorded in CrisisCleanup and created a aggregate of need that could be transferred to member agencies for recovery projects. Team Rubicon was able to offer sawyers to help with burned trees; a skill set that was unavailable from local groups. Their services were, however,

complimented by a local non-profit, Saws and Slaws, which provided removal of tree limbs and wood chipping. Over the course of several months, VOAD agencies provided food, shelter, gift cards, ash sifting, general clean-up, demolition, fence repair, and burned tree felling.

Overall, the Boulder County VOAD was able to successfully implement the operations and communications plans that they had developed in partnership with the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management. Having learned several lessons from disorganization and poor communication during the flood, the VOAD was able to successfully coordinate organizations and share information between agencies.

Communication and outreach to the affected community was also much more streamlined and effective than during the flood. CrisisCleanup functioned well as an intake and needs identification tool, and social media outreach helped to contain spontaneous donations and volunteers.

Besides asssisting homeowners, one of the best outcomes was a stronger relationship with the Peak to Peak Human Services Task Force and the Intermountain Alliance. These relationships will be crucial to the future success of the VOAD and better disaster response in Boulder County as a whole. Without the activities of the VOAD, there would have been a much less active and robust recovery; the Project Coordinator followed up with all families whose information had been entered into CrisisCleanup and the VOAD chair helped to organize community recovery meetings. Coordination provided by VOAD officers was also a crucial piece during the immediate response. Confusion between responding agencies was greatly reduced becasue of VOAD involvement and action and member capacities was easily communicated and resources delivered to those community members in need.

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WRAP-UP IMPACT The Boulder County VOAD has successfully initiated and formalized a network of nongovernmental disaster response organizations that can leverage non-governmental resources for both short term response and long term recovery. The completed activities of the VOAD include: Writing and adoption of a network mission statement Writing and adoption of network by-laws Election of officers Incorporation of 16 voluntary member organizations and four governmental partner organizations Establishment of a website and digital member directory Development of disaster response operations plans

Integration into Boulder County Housing and Human Services Disaster Operations Center planning Participation in table top all-county fire response exercise Successful coordination of member organizations in response to the Cold Springs Fire that occurred in Nederland in July, 2016.

Special recognition of activity and accomplishment from the Colorado State VOAD (COVOAD)

Development of communications plans for both disaster and non-disaster periods

“BoCo VOAD has been active from day one. We currently have three members of the leadership in Nederland, and have had a presence for the last few days. We’ve been able to organize a couple of volunteer efforts to assist the Sheriff’s department and National Guard with resident check-in. The Salvation Army provided garbage bags, buckets, gloves, etc.

They’ve also been feeding at the high school where the Red Cross is running the shelter. The LDS Church has also been assisting with volunteers and community organizing.”

-Boulder County VOAD Officer Update, Cold Springs Fire Response 18

RECOMMENDATIONS In order to increase the effectiveness of the Boulder County VOAD as effective as possible, the following actions are recommended: Aggregate and visualize existing response plans from local to federal level. There is currently no coherent map of response plans detailing which agencies respond and what times and what their activation protocol is. This has resulted in confusion; poor communication; and at times conflicting decisions between state and local chapters of the same organization. If these plans and contracts are located in one place and visualized for easy access and understanding, it would provide tremendous support for coordination and collaboration between VOAD members.

Determine clear protocols for managing donations. There continues to be some lag in decisions on how to manage spontaneous donations during a disaster. and it would be useful for Boulder County HHS staff to work with VOAD agencies to establish a process and tool set for dealing with spontaneous donations.

Increase interest and participation in VOAD communications. The VOAD has the potential to play a much bigger role in disaster communications and managing public expectations during a response and during a recovery phase. As a non-governmental network, the VOAD is able to compile information from all member agencies and share as appropriate on social media without putting the spotlight on any one agency.

Involve VOAD in Boulder County’s recovery plan. The VOAD network has many of the resources necessary to recovery processes and should be actively involved in the development of Boulder County’s recovery plan.

Work with the diverse communities of Boulder County to develop guidelines for VOAD response and activity. Some agencies with resources to contribute had a difficult time offering help after the flood and friction arose as communities didn’t know whom to trust. The VOAD can help ameliorate this by working with communities and municipalities to develop procedural plans before disaster strikes.

Assess member strengths and identify service gaps. Several VOAD member agencies offer day-to-day services as well as emergency response resources. Clarifying the timeline of resources availability as well as identifying gaps that need to be filled will make future response much stronger.

Increase official membership. While the VOAD has 16 official members, there are many more organizations on the mailing list. If those organizations would become members, their contact information would be more readily available and relationships would be stronger.

Contact National VOAD and State VOAD to establish communication protocols for disaster. Organizations coming in from out of state usually contact COVOAD before they contact the Boulder County VOAD. This has resulted in a few surprise appearances by non-local organizations. As the Boulder County VOAD continues to establish and advertise its presence, these surprises will be less likely, but it would still be of benefit to develop communication processes to help VOADs connect across local, state, and national scales.

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