1. Part of “FAST Across the Nation” ADA Webinar Series October 12, 2017
FAST IN WISCONSIN
Part of “FAST Across the Nation” ADA Webinar Series
October 12, 2017
Look at logo,

2. PROFILE 5.71 million people 72 counties
11 federally recognized Tribal Nations
Mixture of urban and rural
Home Rule State 2

3. HOME RULE STATE
Safety and well-being of every resident is the responsibility of the senior elected official at the lowest level of government impacted by a disaster.
Manage the incident using their own resources or partners.
Coordinate evacuation and shelter of people with access or functional needs.
Determine need to declare a local state of emergency.
Coordinate through the county emergency management with state partners when state and federal resources are needed. 3

4. FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT SERVICE TEAMS
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) leads a statewide initiative to identify, recruit, and train state, regional, and local Functional Assessment Service Teams (FAST).
Following national and local disasters, it is clear that preparation, planning, and response to support people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs continues to need improvement.
As mentioned before, I am the state FAST Coordinator, and have been working with our key partners of WEM, ARC, WI VOAD, TSA, Western WI PH Consortium, Counties of Milwaukee, Waukesha,
This WI’s FAST logo, right hands on green background, hopefully easily identifiable around the state.
I have vests to share with local teams, have them call me, once training and background checks have been done 4

5. PARTNERS American Red Cross (ARC)
Milwaukee County Emergency Management
Waukesha Health & Human Services Department
Western Wisconsin Public Health Readiness Consortium
Wisconsin Association of the Deaf (WAD)
Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM)
Wisconsin Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
Original FAST Guidance team morphed into core team of ARC, WEM, DHS, and WAD 5

6. WHAT IS FAST?
A trained team of state, county, tribal, non-governmental organizations, and volunteer personnel that deploy to a disaster area and support people with access and functional needs in community shelters or reception centers.
The team identifies and requests resources needed by people to maintain their independence while displaced from their homes.
As mentioned before, I am the state FAST Coordinator, and have been working with our key partners of WEM, ARC, WI VOAD, TSA, Western WI PH Consortium, Counties of Milwaukee, Waukesha,
This WI’s FAST logo, right hands on green background, hopefully easily identifiable around the state.
I have vests to share with local teams, have them call me, once training and background checks have been done 6

7. WHY? To strengthen a whole community’s disaster resilience
To reduce impact on medical support resources
To allow people the ability to stay with friends and family in the same shelter
To support FEMA’s Functional Needs Support Services Guidance (FNSS)
To identify and strengthen community partnering
Resilience, Physical science definition of metal. Resilience in metal is the point which metal can bend to a point and not break.
Resilience is our ability to bounce back from a growth perspective from an impactful life event. 7

8. EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Cognitive and Developmental Disabilities
Behavioral Health
Vision Loss and/or Impairment
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Children and Adults
Physical Disabilities
Chronic Health Conditions (including chemical sensitivities)
Local Community
Team members understand the languages and cultures of their communities and know where to get resources
These are the skills that we are looking for, these are the skills that you are looking for. These are the types of partners that need to be included now, up front. These are areas where people with disabilities and others with access functional needs can help you to make sure that your local plans are usable, useful, and will be effective.

9. TEAM MEMBER QUALIFICATIONS
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of people who have:
access and functional needs, people with
activity limitations
or may be older
Ability to communicate effectively
Ability to interact with a variety of staff, volunteers, and members of the community
Have two years of direct work experience in assessing the needs of people with access and functional needs
These are the member qualifications, over the years, I have found that some people are more comfortable than others connecting with people with access and functional needs, or you are not. 9

10. DEPLOYMENT OPTIONS Community Shelters and Reception Centers
May expand to:
Support larger scale points of dispensing health settings
Help the local elected official identify other needed county resources
Assist with door to door canvassing/outreach 10

11. CHALLENGES Involve human services in emergency planning and response
Remember that FAST is only one resource
Keep training and member engagement relevant
Inject access and functional needs scenarios in exercises
Determine how to deploy FAST on weekends/overnight
Engage more partners
Increase number of local teams
Increase state and regional team support
Share the Susan M story from first few training sessions 11

12. WHAT HAS HAPPENED
Since 2013, Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), Department of Health Services (DHS), Western Wisconsin Public Health Readiness Consortium (WWPHRC), American Red Cross (ARC), and Wisconsin Association for the Deaf (WAD) have provided FAST training.
The world and FAST look different than they did 3.5 years ago when Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), the Western Wisconsin Public Health Readiness Consortium (WWPHRC), the American Red Cross (ARC) and many other partners within the State FAST Guidance Team worked together to promote FAST development as a statewide initiative. Since then, the core training team of ARC, DHS, WEM and the Wisconsin Association for the Deaf (WAD), has helped human services departments and related agencies join ARC, emergency management and public health at the emergency response and planning table. The core team has also successfully spread the word about FAST, training more than 450 individuals representing most Wisconsin counties and many tribal nations. Most attendees came for informational purposes with 30 volunteers recruited as members of a regional and/or state level team. Local teams have started around the state and two existing local teams changed their names to FAST.
Recently DHS, ARC, WEM, WAD, and the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) met to discuss the next steps in the program’s evolution. 12

13. WHAT HAS HAPPENED
During the floods in July 2017, Red Cross opened 10 community shelters—the most community shelters opened since the floods of 2008.
Large apartment fires continue to negatively impact people with access and functional needs throughout Wisconsin.
The world and FAST look different than they did 3.5 years ago when Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), the Western Wisconsin Public Health Readiness Consortium (WWPHRC), the American Red Cross (ARC) and many other partners within the State FAST Guidance Team worked together to promote FAST development as a statewide initiative. Since then, the core training team of ARC, DHS, WEM and the Wisconsin Association for the Deaf (WAD), has helped human services departments and related agencies join ARC, emergency management and public health at the emergency response and planning table. The core team has also successfully spread the word about FAST, training more than 450 individuals representing most Wisconsin counties and many tribal nations. Most attendees came for informational purposes with 30 volunteers recruited as members of a regional and/or state level team. Local teams have started around the state and two existing local teams changed their names to FAST.
Recently DHS, ARC, WEM, WAD, and the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) met to discuss the next steps in the program’s evolution. 13

14. HOW PREPARED ARE WE? Not as ready as we should be or could be.
Started quarterly FAST conference calls
Created FAST refresher training
Fill the training gap
Remind people of the access and functional needs support services resources that exist
Encourage sharing and collaboration
Keep a spotlight on access and functional needs resources and needs 14

15. LOCAL TEAMS* Calumet Waukesha Brown Washburn Portage Dodge
Ozaukee/Washington Milwaukee
*In varying stages of development 15

16. LOCAL TEAM DECISIONS FAST member qualifications
Type of deployment setting options
Response areas, i.e., within or outside county
What teams can and can’t do
Who will be team leader or coordinator
How alerting and notification protocol occurs
In this home rule state, keep this in mind…. 16

17. REGION AND STATE TEAMS State - 14 members Region 1 - 6 Region 2 - 217

18. STATE TEAM
Consists mostly of regional members selected by skill and availability
Members are assigned by State FAST Coordinator.
All completed FAST training and have key skills needed in a response.
Credentials are verified within Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry or WEAVR.
Background checks are done and vests provided prior to deployment.
Might deploy as a full team or partial team
Gap: Need more involvement from other state agencies 18

19. REGIONAL TEAMS Members are assigned by State FAST Coordinator.
All completed FAST training and have key skills needed in a response.
Credentials are verified within Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry or WEAVR.
Background checks are done and vests provided prior to deployment.
Based on needed skills, might deploy as a full or partial team
Regions are based on the healthcare coalitions. 19

20. REGIONAL TEAMS 20 Caches or go-kits will be located in each region
Include forms, vests, badges, contact lists, lists of regional assets, American Red Cross/Salvation Army contact info
Regional team leader will be a “regional champion”
Meet core training and skills
May serve as liaison to local Emergency Operations Center to support Human Services Branch Director
Gap: Need regional team leaders and more members in some of the regions 20

21. HOW DOES FAST WORK TODAY?
Ensure that local FAST contact information and notification procedures are embedded in local plans and procedures
Know how to reach out to access resources in the next county, the region, the state, or federal partners 21

22. NEXT STEPS
Talk with partners to discuss the future of FAST in Wisconsin
Recruit regional team leaders to help define role and relevant policies and procedures
Talk with more state agencies
Work out alert and notification flows
Relook at training requirements
Get caches defined and located 22

23. FOR MORE INFORMATION Jan Devore State FAST Coordinator
Emergency Human Services Coordinator 23