Harvey - "What to do Next" Panel Discussion

Expert Panel, lead by Frank Slater, DRIE Ottawa  

 

 
     



Panel:
Frank Slater - President of DRIE Ottawa
BIO - As a semi-retired BCP/ITDR consultant Frank is in the enviable position if being able to choose engagements of particular interest to him. He does them because he wants to – not because he has to. As a subject matter expert, he is invited to present at international, national and local conferences on topics of interest to Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Risk Management Planning communities. He is known to always choose and deliver on topics that will pique the interest of his audience. Frank is the current President of the DRIE Ottawa Chapter and looks forward to leading the panel in discussing what happens after everybody leaves and one is left to his or her own devices to sort things out.

Pete Karageorgos - Director, Industry and Consumer Relations, Ontario
BIO - With over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Pete began his career as a Claims Representative with State Farm Insurance. He held a series of positions in their public affairs, sales, claims, life insurance, education and development departments. In 2009, he joined IBC as Manager of Media Relations before assuming his current role. He oversees the Ontario Consumer Information Centre and its management of consumer queries, which numbered nearly 10,000 in 2015. Pete is a frequent event speaker on a range of insurance topics including business insurance and the insurance industry’s response to severe weather. He works closely with member company representatives on local issues and guides IBC’s Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion in Ontario to provide on-site insurance assistance to disaster victims. He has represented IBC on the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services, Towing and Storage Advisory Group. Pete graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He has achieved the following professional designations: Fellow, Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP); Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI); Canadian Risk Management (CRM); Associate, Customer Service (ACS); Competent Toastmaster (CTM). He is an active community member, serving as Vice-President of  the York Jets Soccer Club and as a youth soccer coach. He has served on the Board of Directors for COSTI Immigrant Services and as a Trustee with the former City of York Board of Education. Pete has also been a member of IBC’s Ingage  Network, supporting community outreach since 1994.


Dennis Lenard - DR Senior Technical Consultant, CGI
BIO - Dennis Lenard, PMP, CBCP, MBCI is a Senior Technical Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Consultant.  With over 35 years of experience in industry, he offers expertise in the areas of business continuity, IT disaster recovery, project management, IT security operations and IT Management. Mr. Lenard holds certifications in project management, business continuity and ITIL.
Currently with CGI he has aided clients with analysis, creation, and exercise of their Disaster Recovery environments. Mr. Lenard’s background includes experience as a senior management professional with a proven track record of providing teams/projects with direction, process, and automation to maximize efficiency, improve service levels, and gain cost reductions via transformation and re-engineering.

Jeff Gill, CEM, ABCP  - Deputy Director, Disaster Management (Ontario), Canadian Red Cross
BIO - Jeff’s primary responsibility is to ensure the preparedness and conduct of systems and operations for the Disaster Management program in Ontario.  In his ten years with the organization, Jeff has been involved with responses to numerous disasters, most recently having supported the 2017 Ontario Floods response and 2017 BC Fires response.  Other prominent response support includes the 2015 Fort McMurray fire, 2013 train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Québec, and deployment to the United States in 2012 following Hurricane Sandy.
 
Previous to his time with the Red Cross, Jeff was a Senior Consultant for an Emergency Management/Business Continuity firm in Western Canada.  In this role, he worked with over 50 organizations over a five-year period.  Primary sectors involved with include utilities, education, oil and gas, government, and health.  

Jeff also spent 13 years with the Department of National Defence (Infantry), where he deployed on multiple national and international operations.  He assumed many leadership roles throughout his career, working both in team and operations centre environments from the platoon to brigade level.  Jeff has a BA and MA in English from the Royal Military College of Canada and University of Alberta respectively.  He is also a published novelist.
 
Betsy Sayers, MBCP, CEMC retired Fire Chief  for Calabogie
Betsy will talk about the restoration challenges resulting from the 2012 Ottawa CTV news report  (#2 story of the year) about the Calabogie tornado/macro-burst that destroyed or damaged over 100 homes and cottages and downed an estimated 200,000 old growth trees in her local Municipality.
BIO - In 2004 Betsy was the 2nd person in Canada to earn Masters level professional certification from the Disaster Recovery Institute International.
She was one of the first female Fire Chiefs in Ontario (2009-2013).
She has been an instructor for the Disaster Recovery Institute International and DRI Canada since 1996.
Prior to leaving the Federal Government in 2005, Betsy was the Director of IT Security & Continuity Management in the Information Technology Branch of Canada Customs & Revenue Agency.

Marc Chiarelli, Large Loss Project Manager at ServiceMaster of Ottawa
"With nearly 60 years experience, 'Service MASTER Restore' is the name that Canadian families and businesses count on for comprehensive, full-service disaster restoration services."

Jim Montgomery, Deputy Chief Emergency Management, City of Ottawa
BIO - After 32 years of service with Ottawa Police Service, Jim retired at the end of May 2009 and became the Deputy Chief for the City of Ottawa’s Office of Emergency Management.  Over the past three years, Jim has played a critical role in the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated emergency management program. 
 
Jim has extensive experience in planning, coordinating and commanding operations for major events on the municipal and international level.
 
Jim is a Steering Committee Member and an Instructor for Emergency Management Ontario’s Incident Management System, at all levels; from Introduction to Intermediate.  He currently sits on Algonquin College’s Emergency Management Advisory Committee and the Emergency Management Accreditation Program’s Technical Committee.

Presentation  Title - What to do Next?

Synopsis - The adrenaline has stopped pumping, first responders have left and you are left with the big question - what to do next?  As a survivor, this can be the beginning of a nightmare, especially if you have lost your home or become displaced. In light of Hurricane Harvey, the wild fires in BC this past summer and our own Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec spring flood, your DRIE Executive have assembled an expert panel to discuss just this.
You and the panel will look at:

  • Emergency Services - What decisions are likely to present themselves immediately after the first responders leave?
  • Displacement and Relocation - With a dwelling uninhabitable, families will be required to relocate.
  • Disaster Relief and Financial Assistance – Where and how do families find and apply for needed support services or assistance, and financial aid
  • Homeowners and Renters Insurance Information – What types of coverage do households have (owner vs. tenant), acts of god, force majeure:
    • Personal Property – How are personal belongings handled and the value of having a personal property inventory (that survives the event)
    • Smoke and Water Damage - The impact of smoke and water damage
    • Dealing with Insurance Adjusters
  • Rebuilding/Repairing:
    • Estimating the Cost of Repairs
    • Selecting a Contractor
    • Hazardous Materials
  • Safety After a Disaster - Personal safety after a disaster (precautions that must be taken before entering a damaged structure, reestablishing utilities, making sure food and water are safe)
  • Recovering Valuables – Think about valuable documents and who to contact to replace them
  • Trauma Intervention and Grief Counseling – Dealing with the aftermath - trauma intervention
  • Avoiding Disaster Scams – Fly by night operators, con artists, door knockers and high-pressure sales


Key Points that an Attendee will take away from the panel discussion:

  • Participants will come away with a list of possible challenges and ideas for mitigating those challenges - possibly even learning some tips that will give their families a better chance of working through the recovery stage and getting on with their lives.