BRPA 20th Anniversary
This meeting was a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the BRPA organization, which took place the Office of Emergency Management and Communications in downtown Chicago. There were over 110 members in attendance, probably our largest turnout ever! Our members were very pleased with the location, the program, the speakers and the networking opportunity.
David Pomerantz from Latisys (breakfast sponsor) gave an overview of his organization and all the benefits that Latisys has to offer. After David spoke, there were four presentations that were given. The first was Raymond Orozco, Executive Director of the OEMC who educated everyone on the current city of Chicago security initiatives and the role that the OEMC has in them. Bob Troy, also from the OEMC, gave a presentation on the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) from the City of Chicago. The second speaker was Gene Ryan, Deputy Fire Commissioner, Bureau of Operations who presented “Evacuation and Decontamination Effects of COOP”. The third speaker was Jody Weis, Chicago Police Superintendent who gave a terrific overview of the police department’s current initiatives and the tools they use to combat crime.
After lunch, Julie Gibson (co-lunch sponsor along with BRPA) gave an overview of Recovery Point. Tom Dziurgot, BRPA President, then presented Arnie Miller, BRPA Treasurer, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 20 years of service to the BRPA organization. The fourth and final speaker of the program was Lynn Willenbring, Chief Information Officer, City of Minneapolis who presented “From Bridge Collapse to National Convention Action: Minneapolis Uses Technology to Respond”. Attendees then enjoyed a slice of BRPA cake to conclude the program.
All of the presenters were incredibly poignant and straight forward with their presentations. From the survey responses, the attendees appreciated their professionalism and intellect on the topics they presented. They were all blown away by the top-notch national level speakers that were on hand and thoroughly enjoyed the entire day.
See the photos at BRPA's Facebook Page