Emergency management is a cycle of learning and improving. After an exercise or drill to practice emergency response or recovery activities, documented lessons learned can be used to improve planning and preparedness efforts. Likewise, after a real life disaster, it is important to reflect and identify strengths, areas for improvement, and recommendations for future events. This reflection process is called an After Action Review and results in an After Action Report (AAR) and Improvement Plan (IP). The goals for this training are to walk participants through what an AAR/IP is, how to conduct an After Action Review to create an AAR/IP, and who to involve in the process. It will also provide tools and techniques to empower clinic staff to conduct their own After Action Review and write an AAR/IP for their clinic. 

 Following this course, participants will be able to:  

1. Describe the After Action Review process.  
2. Identify next steps to conducting an After Action Review at their clinic. 
3. Prepare an AAR/IP for their clinic using provided templates. 

Trainings are scheduled as a part of the Emergency Management Workgroup and open to all Members and Affiliates. The July 19th session from 1:00pm – 2:00pm invites all attendees back to share best practices and receive compliance coaching with our instructors.

Presented by Jim Sims, MURP, Volunteer, Subject Matter Expert, Susie Schmitz, MAIDP, Volunteer, Associate II, Evan Koepke MPL, MPA, CEM, PMP,  and Hieu Vo, Policy & Public Administration Specialist. 

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Complimentary for CCALAC’s Emergency Management Group Members

Cost: $25 for Non – Emergency Management Group Members

Instructor Biographies:

Jim Sims, MURP, Volunteer, Subject Matter Expert

Mr. Jim Sims brings over 35 years of experience spanning emergency management, urban planning and executive management. He specializes in assisting governmental, private sector and non-profit organizations prepare for emergencies by developing strategies, plans and procedures for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. He also has an extensive background in transportation planning, including transit, aviation, and highways. Mr. Sims has a strong reputation for completing projects on schedule, and has successfully managed numerous complex, multi-agency projects. He is especially adept at shepherding complex, multi-agency projects to successful conclusion. His previous positions include serving in executive management positions with Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; the Southern California Association of Governments; the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission; and Commuter Transportation Services Inc.  Mr. Sims’ served in the United States Air Force as an ICBM Missile Launch Commander. 

Susie Schmitz, MAIDP, Volunteer, Associate II

Ms. Susie Schmitz is a disaster preparedness, response, and recovery professional who blends operational experience and research into planning and training. She has a passion for building community resilience at the local, national, and international levels. Ms. Schmitz specializes in integrating behavioral health into disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Over the past 14 years, Ms. Schmitz has worked with nonprofit organizations to write continuity of operations plans and has contributed to community clinic and hospital preparedness efforts in Northern California. As an Associate II and the Healthcare Preparedness Practice Area Lead she has managed numerous projects to create After Action Reports. She has also assisted healthcare and public health entities to analyze the impacts of COVID-19 and prepare for future public health emergencies.

Evan Koepke MPL, MPA, CEM, PMP

Evan Koepke MPL, MPA, CEM, PMP is an emergency management and business continuity consultant based out of Los Angeles. He has spent the last 15 years helping local, state, federal, nonprofit, and international organizations overcome complex challenges while developing and implementing their emergency and disaster management programs. This has included extensive experience leading and scaling non-profit and volunteer organizations that work in austere and resource-constrained environments. He most notably served as Team Rubicon’s first lead national operations planner from 2013-2016 – where he developed and implemented an extensive internal after-action review and continuous improvement program among other endeavors. Evan has served in both emergency operations center (EOC) and incident management roles supporting response and recovery operations for over 100 major emergencies and disasters in the United States and abroad.

Hieu Vo, Policy & Public Administration Specialist 

Hieu Vo is a policy and public administration specialist who is experienced in promoting safety and resilience for all communities in emergency management and homeland security. He has served as project manager providing guidance and assistance on projects regarding emergency and crisis management planning and evaluation. With an emphasis on whole community outreach, he has been able to provide leadership and support on projects in the aftermath of complex incidents, including COVID-19, wildfire response, and community rapid needs assessments.