Host Site Guidance

HOST SITE GUIDANCE

Organizing a Successful S-CAP Workshop

Version 2.0 – July 1, 2010

Thanks for your commitment to be the Host Site Coordinator for an Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Strengthening Community Agrosecurity Planning (S-CAP) Workshop in your state. Your efforts will help enhance your state’s local agrosecurity plans. We are excited to work with you as we bring this valuable training to your state. Be sure to consider participating in our Train-the-Trainer program (outlined in the S-CAP Train-the-Trainer Program document) as a way to certify trainers in your state to expand educational coverage of the workshop.

We appreciate the support of your Extension Administration for your leadership role in this workshop. Feel free to share this document with your supervisor to help them understand and evaluate the extent of your efforts.

As Host Site Coordinator, there are several details that will be your responsibility. Appendix A – Host Site Coordinator Checklist conveniently outlines these responsibilities in chronological order. These responsibilities are described in more detail below:

Marketing/Promotion

As Host Site Coordinator, you are responsible for all local marketing and promotional efforts for the S-CAP Workshop. To facilitate your efforts, the S-CAP Team has developed several tools to simplify the process. They include:

Flyer

The promotional flyer describes what the workshop will cover and allows you to insert the workshop location and your contact information. We suggest you email this flyer to all potential participants, your Extension Director, and potential sponsoring agencies (that can provide funding for meals or facility costs). Encourage everyone to forward the flyer to anyone who might be interested in attending the workshop.

Agenda

A template agenda has also been developed for you to customize with your location and identification of local speaker involvement. The agenda can also be a useful promotional/marketing tool and we suggest you include it in any participant recruitment efforts.

Press Release

The following sample press release can be adapted to help promote the S-CAP Workshop in your area. We suggest you send the press release to your College and/or University Communications Department, local newspapers, radio stations, local Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) (to include on their calendar of activities), etc. Please notify the S-CAP Liaison of any media coverage the workshop garners so it can be cataloged.

Sample Press Release

The [insert Host Institution name here] is hosting the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Strengthening Community Agrosecurity Planning (S-CAP) Workshop at [insert facility name here], [insert facility location here], on [insert dates here].

The recent [insert recent disaster here – such as tornado, ice storm, flood, etc.] reinforced the need for improved emergency planning, and unfortunately, agriculture is often one of the most overlooked components of a local emergency operations plan.

[Insert quote from local stakeholder here that emphasizes the need for planning for a disaster that affects agriculture.]

The S-CAP workshop is geared for community stakeholders that can assist in the enhancement of the local agricultural emergency operations plan. Individuals such as local emergency planning personnel, Extension educators, public health personnel, first responders, elected officials, veterinarians, agricultural producers, and volunteer organization representatives are all encouraged to attend.

[Insert quote from local stakeholder that emphasizes the need for input from a variety of local subject matter experts for effective planning.]

Workshop participants will work together in teams to develop the portion of their plan that deals with agriculture, natural resources, pets, and related issues. They will also work on standard operating guidelines and resource lists required for response to an agricultural emergency.

Interested individuals should contact [insert Host Site Coordinator name here] at [insert contact information here] to reserve a space at the workshop. Deadline for registration is [insert date here].

More information about the EDEN S-CAP project can be found online at http://www.eden.lsu.edu/s-cap.

Participant Recruitment

A successful workshop is more likely to occur when the right mix of individuals is recruited to participate. The following guidelines should help ensure a productive meeting:

Approximately 20 – 60 total people (more participants can be accommodated if necessary)
Divide participants into teams – each team should represent a single locality (e.g.,, county, parish, borough)
Each team should have no more than eight people
No more than seven teams should be assembled
Jurisdictions with smaller representation can be combined into a single team; however, the most effective teams have robust participation from single community
Critical agency representation includes the following individuals on each team:
Local Extension personnel
Local emergency management personnel
Teams should encompass a complete planning group that represents a variety of disciplines – examples of additional types of individuals to invite include:

o Public health personnel

o Volunteer organization representatives (Red Cross, local Humane Society, etc.)

o Local and state emergency management/planners

o Local government officials (mayor, magistrate, commissioner, judge/executive, etc.)

o First responders (police, sheriff, fire, etc.)

o Veterinarians

o Producers/commodity representatives (Pork Producers, Cattlemen’s Association, local dairyman, corn grower, etc.)

o Agribusinesses

o Animal control officers

o Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) members

o State government officials (state department of agriculture, state veterinarian, plant health official, etc.)

o Federal government officials (regional USDA/APHIS representatives, AVICs, NRCS, FSA, FBI, etc.)

o Others as locally applicable

Recruit participants from neighboring localities. Inviting people from one concentrated region of the state is more important than recruiting lots of representation from across the state (see the S-CAP Train-the-Trainer Program document for information about how to expand your statewide educational coverage).
It is helpful to have one or more state and/or federal experts (state emergency planners, state department of agriculture, APHIS, etc.) attend the workshop to address state- and federal-specific questions
Make every effort to get the local emergency plan writer(s) involved in the workshop and to attend for both full days

Continuing Education Units

A good tool that can be used to help recruit participants is the acquisition of Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The Host Site Coordinator should look into applying for any relevant CEUs that may encourage attendance. Some examples of groups that may offer CEUs for the workshop include:

Law enforcement
Emergency management
Local elected officials
Veterinarians
Fire
Emergency Medical Services
Public Health
Certified Crop Advisers
Department of Transportation
Sanitarians
Environmental Protection Agency
Medical personnel

It is up to the Host Site Coordinator to pursue, apply for, and obtain CEUs (if applicable). During the planning process, ask invited stakeholders what type of CEUs may attract participants in their field. It is crucial to begin the application process early because some professional groups may take a few months to approve the paperwork.

Facility

When choosing a facility to host the S-CAP Workshop, the following characteristics provide an environment for effective presentation:

Sound system (some of the PowerPoint presentations have audio components - having the ability to integrate the laptop computer into a sound system or the use of external speakers is necessary)
Screen (or large blank white wall)
Projector
Flipcharts (with sticky-backed sheets) and easels (one set per team)
Minimum of two wireless microphones (three wireless lav microphones is ideal) plus a handheld portable microphone for participant interaction (if needed due to acoustics, crowd size, etc.)
Layout of the room should facilitate team interaction – classroom style and/or table rounds/rectangles work well
Enough space so that participants can move around the tables and chairs for their group activities

Lunches/Refreshments

The Host Site is responsible for all meals and refreshments. At a minimum, two lunches, two morning refreshment breaks, and two afternoon refreshment breaks should be provided. Continental breakfast on each morning during registration is also recommended, but optional. If sponsorship cannot be obtained, a small fee to cover the costs of the facility and food may be charged to participants; however, we strongly recommend you seek sponsorship from participating agencies (e.g.,, Extension, emergency management, law enforcement, commodity groups) to defray costs and eliminate as much expense for participants as possible.

Local Speakers

There are several opportunities throughout the two-day workshop for local speakers to provide relevant information. The Host Site Coordinator should recruit specific types of individuals to complement the national program. Information below describes the type of local speakers to be recruited, their place on the agenda, time allotments, and a description of topics they should cover:

Day #1: Welcome and Opening Remarks (9:00am – 9:20am)

This entire timeslot is provided for the Host Site Coordinator and local dignitaries to give any opening remarks deemed appropriate. The time allotted for each speaker can be designated by the Host Site Coordinator.

· Host Site Coordinator (approximately 5 minutes speaking time) – This will be an opportunity for the Host Site Coordinator to provide welcome and opening remarks to participants and elaborate on any housekeeping issues that need to be addressed. The Host Site Coordinator can also welcome and introduce any local dignitaries.

· Local Dignitaries (approximately 5 minutes speaking time each) – Each local dignitary (e.g., Extension administrators, local elected officials, state emergency planners) can provide opening remarks, but local dignitaries should not speak beyond the end of the 9:20am timeslot. If no local dignitaries are available (or willing) to speak, the workshop will just begin a little ahead of schedule. Most host sites limit the local dignitaries to a single individual to avoid a time crunch at the beginning of the program.

Day #1: Lesson 1 – Introduction (9:20am – 10:45am)

This timeslot will be mostly used for the Lesson 1 content presented by the S-CAP Teaching Team. At approximately 10:10am (at the conclusion of Lesson 1 – Introduction), 35 minutes are available for local speakers. The amount of time allotted for each speaker can vary and one individual can present both topics, if desired. The total speaking time should not go beyond 10:45am so the remainder of the workshop can remain on schedule.

· Local Agricultural Expert (approximately 15 minutes speaking time) – A local agricultural expert (e.g., Extension educator, agricultural lender, local FSA personnel, or local elected official or Chamber of Commerce representative with agricultural knowledge) should provide information about the importance of agriculture in the local community – this talk should emphasize why agriculture and natural resources are important locally. This is an opportunity to highlight the local agricultural statistics handouts provided by the Host Site Coordinator to illustrate the agriculture and natural resource assets of economic importance in the area. This information is often illuminating to local emergency planners and local elected officials who may not fully appreciate the diversity and economic impact of local agriculture.

· Local Agricultural Industry Representative (approximately 15 minutes speaking time) – Someone within the agricultural industry (e.g., producer, agricultural lender, Extension educator) should provide a locally relevant example (i.e., a mini case study) of a recent disaster that affected the community’s agricultural assets. Their example should illustrate any lessons learned that might assist emergency planning and highlight unique local response needs during an agricultural emergency.

Day #2: Working Lunch (12noon – 1:00pm)

· Emergency Planner (approximately 30 minutes speaking time) – A local emergency planner (e.g., emergency manager, plan writer, first responder) should bring a copy of a local emergency operations plan so participants can see the format of the local plan. The emergency planner should talk about the extent to which agricultural issues are addressed in the plan (if at all) and talk about the historical risks to agriculture in the area.

The local speakers can be individuals other than the examples above; however, we suggest you identify speakers who can talk about the information indicated to keep the workshop on topic. If local speakers cannot be recruited, the S-CAP Teaching Team will be able to fill in the time with relevant information. However, local speakers help provide participants with a customized training and we strongly suggest you engage local speakers in the workshop. When identifying local speakers, you may consider lining up a contingency speaker in the event the primary speaker has a last minute conflict and cannot attend.

Local Agricultural Statistics Handouts

To complement the presentation of the local agricultural expert on Day #1, we suggest you provide handouts summarizing the important commodities in each community represented at the workshop. This can be a real eye-opener for some participants. Some data can be accessed at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Data_and_Statistics/index.asp. You can also visit your state department of agriculture’s statistical database for some handouts.

Questionnaire

Complete S-CAP Host Site Questionnaire and submit no later than two weeks prior to your scheduled workshop.

Nametags

Provide nametags for all participants. Nametags should include the participant’s name, title, their agency affiliation, and work location (e.g., county name).

Team Signs

Create table tents or signs to identify each team’s seating area in the meeting room. This will be helpful for the participants to know where to sit and it will also assist the S-CAP Teaching Team as they facilitate activities during the workshop.

Travel Information

At least two months prior to the workshop, send finalized facility location to the S-CAP Liaison, so they can begin to make travel arrangements.

Agendas

Print color copies of the agenda for participants using the template provided (items highlighted in yellow on the template need to be customized for your location). Once you have finalized the agenda, please email a copy to the S-CAP Liaison for reference.

Shipping Address

If the S-CAP Teaching Team is flying to your location, they will need to ship the teaching materials to your site. Please provide a shipping address that can receive packages (this may be different than the US Postal Mail address). Materials will be shipped via FedEx so a valid street address is required (no PO boxes allowed).

Equipment & Supplies

Easels and flipcharts with sticky-backed pages (one set per local team), projector, sound system, extension cords (power strip), and screen need to be provided by the host site.

Registration List

Provide copies of the registration list to all attendees. The list should include everyone’s name, title, agency, work address, work phone number, and work email address so participants can contact each other after the workshop concludes to continue development of their plan.

Door Prizes

Many Host Site Coordinators choose to solicit donations for door prizes/incentives for participants. If you are able to do this, it helps get attendees back from breaks more quickly and can also serve as marketing for your institution (or other sponsoring agency). Some examples of door prizes include: Extension (or other sponsoring agency) branded merchandise, Cattlemen’s Association aprons, first aid kits, emergency response gear, etc. Providing door prizes is not required, but is suggested.

Follow-Up

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of our program, we will rely on you as Host Site Coordinator to conduct a follow-up evaluation of progress made by the Community Agrosecurity Planning teams after the workshop. We ask you to provide follow-up guidance and encouragement to workshop participants to ensure successful completion of the agricultural component of their emergency operations plan and provide progress reports to the National S-CAP Teaching Team.

National S-CAP Teaching Team Responsibilities

The National S-CAP Teaching Team will be responsible for providing all of the following for the initial workshop in your state (if you conduct additional workshops through our Train-the-Trainer program, you will be responsible for providing these items for all subsequent workshops):

Training materials for participants (up to 56 manuals will be provided per workshop; if you anticipate greater attendance than that, talk to your S-CAP Liaison about purchasing extra manuals)
Shipping costs to send training materials to host site
Evaluations
Sign-in sheets
Laptop computer
Laser pointer

Lodging and transportation for three S-CAP Teaching Team members will also be provided by the National S-CAP Project for the initial workshop in your state.

Last Updated:8/31/2010 10:16 AM