Upcoming Webinar

Webinar Description

This webinar provides a general introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS) based on the principles taught in the FEMA ICS 100 course. Designed to support participants in the upcoming workshop in San Antonio, it will also provide practical information and best practices that can help any cultural heritage institution organize effectively in the event of an emergency.

The session will explore the history and development of ICS, how it can help create an organized, efficient, and scalable response structure, and key positions, resposibilities, and expectations associated with each role to help bring a better understanding of what is expected from the individual filling it. The instructors will also cover incident planning, management by objective techniques, and transfer of command protocols to help participants feel comfortable in the roles they may find themselves in.

Finally, the webinar will introduce ideas for practice and staff training to help attendees sharpen their skills and keep their knowledge up to date.

Dr. Kara Griffin

Dr. Kara Griffin is an emergency management professional and educator with more than fifteen years of experience in public safety, disaster response, and emergency preparedness. Their background includes work in law enforcement, hostage negotiation, search and rescue, federal emergency management, and cultural heritage disaster recovery.

As a historic preservation specialist, field manager, and Secretary of the Interior-qualified archaeologist, Kara has supported disaster recovery efforts and helped communities protect and recover cultural and historic resources following emergencies. They hold a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, a master's degree in Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management, and serve as an adjunct professor of anthropology.

Kara is a member of the Advisory Board of the Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance (TX-CERA) and is dedicated to advancing emergency preparedness and resilience within the cultural heritage community.

Jared Yax

Jared Yax is an Independent Consultant for Cultural Heritage Emergency Preparedness and Response and a Lieutenant Firefighter for the City of Walker, Michigan. Jared has over 20 years of experience in the museum field and is a community-minded historian. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Jared earned a specialized bachelor's degree in history that focused on how individual perspectives, motivations, and biases of the past and present share our concept of history and influence our understanding of historical events. In 2003, he joined the Grand Rapids Public Museum, where he worked in a variety of departments, including collection, exhibits, and education. He joined the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in 2018 and has been a vocal advocate for increasing community access to the museum through digitization of the collection, new educational partnerships, and exhibit updates. 

As a 14-year veteran firefighter for the City of Walker, Michigan, Jared has earned Firefighter level I and II, Fire Instructor, NIMS/ICS 100-800, Fire Officer I and II, Hazmat Operations, Blue Card, and other certifications.

Bridging his background in museums and firefighting, Jared consults with the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENFT) and has gone through the Heritage Emergency and Response Training (HEART) through FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution. In May 2020, he led recovery operations at the Midland History Center following catastrophic local flooding. Coordinating over 400 volunteers over just a few days, he helped save over 12,000 artifacts. Jared has consulted with institutions in Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia.

“Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)" has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this webinar, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.”