City Club to Examine Disaster Readiness in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (PRWEB) September 24, 2005
At its weekly Friday Forum luncheon on Oct. 7, City Club of Portland presents ÂLessons from Katrina: Disaster Recovery Planning for Portland, with guest speakers Mike Maguire, Portland Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief; Ken Murphy, Deputy Director of OregonÂs Office of Homeland Security; and Tom Simpson, Director of Emergency Management for Multnomah County.
Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Volcano eruptions. Flooding. If Hurricane Katrina has taught us anything, it’s to be prepared for anything and everything. When a natural disaster or terrorist attack hits Portland … whatÂs the plan? What do we do? Who’s in charge? What happens when? How are local plans integrated with those of state and federal authorities? What scenarios are covered? And what makes us think the debacle along the Gulf Coast won’t repeat itself here? Join us on Friday, Oct. 7 to hear from three local authorities about what you need to know regarding our own disaster readiness here in Portland.
City ClubÂs Friday Forum, which is open to the public, will be held in the Governor Hotel (614 SW 11th Ave.). Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Program begins at 12:15 p.m. and concludes at 1:15 p.m. Luncheon reservations must be made online at www.pdxcityclub.org or by calling 503-228-7231, ext. 102, by 2 p.m. Wed., Oct. 5 (members only may call 503-241-9242). Luncheon tickets are $ 20 ($ 16 for members of City Club). Coffee/tea table tickets are $ 5 at the door. General seating, available at the door, is $ 5 (free for members of City Club).
A NOTE TO MEDIA
Media are encouraged to attend and are invited to sit in general seating. Please sign in at the registration table on the day of the forum. For broadcast media, an audio press patch will be available, and a riser for videotaping can be provided with advance notice. Contact Tim Krause at tim@pdxcityclub.org or 503-228-7231, ext. 102.
ABOUT CITY CLUB OF PORTLAND
City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic affairs organization that promotes civic engagement and active citizenship to build a stronger community. Through unbiased research and compelling programs, City Club connects citizens with ideas and issues that affect our community. City Club is open to everyone who wants to interact with other citizens and shape the future of our city and state. For more information about City Club of Portland, visit www.pdxcityclub.org or call 503-228-7231.
ABOUT MIKE MAGUIRE
Portland Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Michael McGuire is assigned to the Office of Emergency Management. He has also served in Emergency Operations and Training. McGuire holds a bachelor of science degree in Fire Service Administration from Eastern Oregon University. He is an instructor at the National Fire Academy and at Portland Community College.
ABOUT KEN MURPHY
Kenneth D. Murphy was appointed Deputy Director of OregonÂs Office of Homeland Security on May 11, 2004 and has been the Director of Oregon Emergency Management since April 1, 2003. He has been with Oregon Emergency Management since July 1999. MurphyÂs prior assignments were the Administrative Operations Manager and the Deputy Director for the agency. These previous positions were integral to the overall organizational structure and the management of various administrative and operational processes and systems for the agency. Murphy was also responsible for legislative issues, human resource management, public information and media
liaison, and managed the development and implementation of projects to support and enhance the statewide emergency services system infrastructure.
A native of Oregon, Murphy joined the Oregon National Guard in 1970 and began his professional business career with Levitz Furniture Corporation in Portland, Oregon. During the next ten years he managed the warehouse operations and was the deputy operations managers for the Portland, Oregon location. In 1980 Murphy left retail furniture business to pursue an active duty career with the United States Army as an active duty Guard/Reserve officer assigned to the Oregon National Guard. During the next nineteen years. Murphy held numerous positions on Army Company, Battalion, Brigade,
Corps and Army staffs. MurphyÂs final two assignments included being the Chief of the U.S. ArmyÂs European Crisis Action Team stationed in Heidelberg, Germany which had the responsibility to react,
manage, coordinate and control emergency situations for 83 European countries. MurphyÂs last military assignment was the Director of Military Support to Civilian Authorities for the Oregon National
Guard and was responsible for the Oregon GuardÂs ability to coordinate and respond to state and national emergencies. Murphy retired from active military service in April 1999 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Murphy currently serves on the GovernorÂs Security Council and ChairÂs OregonÂs Domestic Preparedness key policy steering group for Oregon. Additionally, he serves on National USGS Steering
Committee for the Advanced National Seismic System, member of the Board of DirectorÂs for the Western States Seismic Safety Council, member of the Board of DirectorÂs for OregonÂs Regional Maritime Security Coalition, and is on the Board of DirectorÂs for the National Emergency Management Association. Murphy holds a bachelorÂs degree in management and communications from Concordia University.
He also is a certified Oregon Emergency Management Specialist.
ABOUT TOM SIMPSON
Tom Simpson is the Director of Emergency Management for Multnomah County. He works closely with Chair Diane Linn, emergency managers in four other counties and five cities, and the management team of the County to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from disasters and emergencies. Using technology and partnerships with organizations such as RAINS (an Oregon consortium) he has directed his efforts toward the integration of national initiatives with local knowledge of risks to position resources where they can do the greatest amount of good. In his 18 years working in the public sector, Simpson has worked as a budget analyst, fiscal and computer services manager for the District Attorney, fiscal officer for human services, analyst for fleet operations, planner for information technology, and a project manager. He holds a masterÂs degree in public administration from Lewis & Clark College, where he emphasized regional governance and management. He received his BachelorÂs degree from the University of Oregon and is currently an adjunct professor of political science at George Fox University.
###
