Public Safety

Kíchgaaw Éesh

Jason Wilson Manager The Public Safety department oversees the Tribe’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program in Southeast Alaska. The department also provides public safety announcements and assists communities in developing and implementing local emergency preparedness plans.

2020 Highlights

Office of Emergency Management

The OEM was created to enable Tlingit & Haida to provide timely, integrated, and coordinated responses to emergencies.

T R I BAL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENT E R

MITIGATION PREPAREDNES S

In early 2020, the OEM worked with the Tribe’s Executive Team to develop a Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC) to provide emergency management services to tribal communities during crisis situations. The TEOC was stood up during the COVID-19 pandemic to implement the four phases of emergency management: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.

(TEOC) TLINGIT & HAIDA

RECOVERY RESPONSE

“Providing timely, integrated, and coordinated responses to emergencies."

These actions are aimed at protecting the safety and well-being of Tlingit & Haida’s citizens, clients, employees and communities. The OEM serves Tlingit & Haida’s 21 recognized communities: ƒ Anchorage ƒ Angoon ƒ Craig ƒ Haines ƒ Hoonah ƒ Hydaburg ƒ Juneau ƒ Kake ƒ Kasaan ƒ Ketchikan ƒ Klawock ƒ Klukwan ƒ Metlakatla ƒ Pelican ƒ Petersburg ƒ San Francisco ƒ Saxman ƒ Seattle ƒ Sitka ƒ Wrangell ƒ Yakutat

The OEM was initially funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs CARES Act and will continue to be funded beyond COVID-19 through Compact funding and other Federal Emergency Management Agency grants. ƒ Worked with the Executive Management Team to develop the infrastructure of the

OEM and TEOC. » Hired an Emergency Operations Administrator, Coordinator and Administrative Assistant. ƒ Ordered, received and distributed over $3.5 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) and other emergency preparedness supplies related to COVID-19. » Deployed COVID-19 Community Care Kits to the Tribe’s 21 recognized communities. The kits included a threemonth supply of PPE, basic necessities and emergency response supplies. » Delivered 42 additional pallets of COVID-19 supplies to 14 communities in need. ƒ Visited 10 tribal communities to consult with tribal leaders regarding their COVID-19 response, and to deliver emergency response supplies.

2020 Highlights (Cont.)

Office of Emergency Management (Cont.)

ƒ Responded to the Haines, Alaska landslide disaster within 24 hours with subject matter experts, emergency supplies and equipment.

Village Public Safety Officer Program

The VPSO program is administered in partnership with local municipalities and the Alaska State Troopers to provide rural Alaskan communities with public safety services such as search and rescue, fire protection, emergency medical assistance, crime prevention and basic law enforcement. The program trains and employs individuals residing in the village as first responders and was created to reduce the loss of life due to fires, drowning, lost person(s), and the lack of immediate emergency medical assistance in rural communities. The following communities participate in the VPSO program with positions paid through Tlingit & Haida’s payroll system: ƒ Angoon (2) ƒ Hydaburg (1) ƒ Kake (2) ƒ Kasaan (1) ƒ Pelican (1) ƒ Saxman (1) ƒ Thorne Bay (1)

The VPSO program is funded through appropriations by the legislature and managed by the State of Alaska’s Department of Public Safety. In 2020, the VPSO program saw an increase in response to recruitment.

ƒ Hired five new VPSOs to be station in the communities of:

Angoon, Hydaburg, Kake, Pelican and Saxman. ƒ Secured funding to hire additional VPSOs in the communities of Kake and Angoon. ƒ Continued work with the VPSO Legislative working group to update and reorganize the VPSO program. ƒ Purchased eight new patrol vehicles to phase out existing 2013 fleet. ƒ Promoted Hydaburg VPSO Corporal Buck Bazinet to Sergeant and Angoon VPSO

Bryan Shoemate to Corporal.

2021 Goals

ƒ Expand the VPSO program to other rural communities in Southeast Alaska. ƒ Secure a new Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to complete the phase out of the 2013 patrol fleet. ƒ Assist tribal communities with completing their Small Community Emergency

Response Plan (SCERP). ƒ Complete a region-wide communications system to connect Southeast Alaska communities, VPSOs and the OEM. ƒ Complete a minimum of seven community preparedness meetings to increase local disaster resiliency.