Operation "Welcome Home Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans to LZ Lambeau" and "Boots-on-the-Ground" gave us an excellent opportunity to "benchmark" our veterans and veteran organizations and "Field Test" our CIRT (Critical Incident Response Teams), our VIPER (Visual Intelligence of Persons and our Environment Reconnicence) Squads, and our ICS (Incident Command System) protocols. Your now ready for Advanced Individual Training (AIT).

So let's review our goals:

Rich Woldt - Past Commander Liberty Grove VFW Post 8337

• Building strong mission ready veteran organizations across the U.S. that are effectively equipped and trained to come to the rescue of a community standing in harms way!

In my opinion, most VFW, American Legion, AMVET, Marine Corp League, and other chartered veteran organizations are poorly equipped, not adequately trained, and lacking the leadership needed to effectively guard our homeland before, let alone respond during, or recover after the next terrorist attack on U.S. soil.    Rich Woldt

• Homeland Security: Wisconsin deployed 3200 national guard troops overseas leaving behind families who'll need our support and communities who'll need our response if and when they find themselves in harms way. All veteran' organizations need to:

1. Form VIPER and CIRT squads... and stand mission ready to respond to the next natural or man-made disaster, terrorist attack, pandemic, or community crises that overwhelms public sector first responders.
2. Make sure all members know how to...establish a Unified Incident Command, conduct a CARVEL plus Shock threat assessment prior to community events, and how to benchmark their family emergency preparedness and contingency plans semi-annually.
3. Know how to access...Door County Emergency Government, Law Enforcement, and Fire Fighter web sites through our Door County Government site at: www.co.door.wi.gov, as well as directly access our County Veteran Service Officer site www.wicvso.org, and public-to-private partnership sites www.InfraGard.net and www.juststolen.net and international homeland security resource sites www.ASIS067.com and www.ACFE.com.
4. Establish liaisons at and mutual aid agreements with... fellow veteran organizations such as Rolling Thunder www.RollingThunderwi3.org and The Patriot Guard Riders www.patriotguard.org as well as local clubs such as the TITAN MCC and North East Wisconsin Bikers Association (NEWBA).

• Public to Private Partnerships: Throughout history, governments have emphasize the need to form cost effective and mission ready militias and Homeland Security partnerships to defend and protect our citizens. Throughout history governments have emphasized the need to form volunteer financial cooperatives to create economic opportunities, stabilize the economy during depressions, and rebuild the economic infrastructure after a community crisis.

• It stands to reason that...

• Veteran organizations such as... the American Legion (AL), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Marine Corp League, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and American Veterans (AMVET) are all well positioned and mission ready to support and mobilize veterans returning from service.
• The world credit union movement is... positioned better than any other organization, anywhere in the world, anytime in history to come to the aid of victims in need, create jobs where there's unemployment, provide credit in a depressed economy, or rebuild an economic infrastructure around a defined "fields of membership (FOM)" or common bond. FYI... In the late 70's and early 1980's we organize a credit union using Door County as a common bond. The Door County Community Credit Union was chartered at the Lull-Abi Motel in Egg Harbor in the mid 80's to provide consumer credit loans to anyone living or working in Door County. The Door County Community Credit Union subsequently merged into the Pioneer Credit Union which is part of the Brown County Chapter of Credit Unions which is a Member of the Wisconsin Credit Union League, which is a member of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA Inc.) which is a member of the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). For more information go to my RM Learning Center at: www.RMLearningCenter.com.
• In 2009 we'll... train US veterans to be a defense force and the world credit union movement to be an economic development force anywhere in the world and at anytime a credit union member or veteran's family stands in harms way.

Richard Woldt - Commander VFW Post 8337/CEO-The Risk Management Learning Center

Salute to Fallen Veterans  learn more     

• John Mahoney - April 9, 2008  Post Salute     Send Personal Message

• Richard "The Colonel" Davis - December 8, 2008

• Ruth Jischke - January 2, 2009

• George Erickson - January 24, 2009

• Phil Ortiz Memorial Service - January 31, 2009

Welcome to Door County Veterans . com

2008 Mission Briefing (Click Here)

I launched this Homeland Security R&D site on the first anniversary of the WTC terrorist attacks. This HLS project studied local, regional, national, and international private-to-private and public-to-private emergency response and recovery partnerships formed during Hurricanes Katrina and Ivan, the tsunami, the bombings at the WTC and Federal Building in Oklahoma City, as well as U.S. wildfires, earthquakes, biological waste spills, BLEVEs, floods and tornados requiring mass housing-in-place or mass evacuations. During 2008 we will continue field test and fine tune private sector response protocols, promote standard private sector' mutual aid agreements, update RM and HLS private sector tutorials, and update our "International Risk Management Performance Standards" for veteran organizations, WOCCU members, and Asian' financial cooperatives.  Veterans, click here to learn more. Credit Union Risk Managers, click here to learn more.

Please read the rest of this page before attending any of our Risk Management or Homeland Security workshops.  Pay particular attention to "Step 1: Forming HLS Partnerships and Establishing HLS Liaisons at all levels of the public and private sectors. Page down or click here to learn more...

And, "We use this site to merge private sector' crisis management systems into a unified incident command the private sector can deploy when public sector first  responders are overwhelmed by the crisis' scope or exhausted by its duration!" learn more

Basic Training -  "Private" Sector Incident Command & Control!

The Role Veterans Play During A Large Scale Community Crisis

Following are excerpts from our Door County Veterans' Operation Logs. Use them to reach case studies, white papers, and Incident Command reports based on crisis in Door County. (Note: Case studies are based on periods of highest population concentration, in communities with limited ability to house-in-place or evacuate.) 

• Staging Area Management - Based on Hasenjager barn fire in Jacksonport Wisconsin. (ASIS Chapter 067 Projects) learn more
• Biological Attacks During Fall Festival (RMLC Library) learn more
• Pandemic Scare During Pumpkin-Patch Festival (RMLC Library) learn more
• Fighting Wild Fires During a Terrorist Attack (RMLC Library) learn more
• The Role the Door County Community Credit Union Played During Katrina!
• The Role Veterans Play during Amber Alerts! (RMLC Library) learn more
• The Role Veterans Play during a Mass-Evacuation! (WP) learn more
• The Role Veterans Play during a Terrorist Attack! (WP)  learn more
• An Overview of Federal Emergency Response Team Training (ASIS Chapter 067 Speakers & Presentations) learn more
• Basic Homeland Security Training for Veterans (RMLC Curriculum 2008) (Credit Union Risk Managers and CEO's! I recommend you sponsor a Risk Management session at your next credit union chapter meeting.) learn more
• The Benefit of Embedding Veterans as Liaisons on the Frontlines! learn more
• A Major League Thank You to our Public Sector First Responders! learn more

Veterans promote HLS Mutual Aid Agreements

TO: All Door County Veterans! During Phase IV and V, we'll sign mutual aid compacts at the national level through the National Headquarters for the VFW, American Legion, AMVETs, and Marine Corp Leagues. We've already formed a mutual-aid network of International Credit Union Risk Managers through the World Council of Credit Unions and the CUNA Mutual Insurance Group. The role Door County continues to play in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast is a role model of projects we're currently managing through the Caribbean. Door County's private sector can be vary proud of you and your fellow veterans around the world. Future operations and deployments will be managed through the VFW web site network. Go to www.VFWPost8337.com to enlist.   Rich Woldt

U.S. Veteran' Missions & Goals

Private Sector - Homeland Security Liaisons:

Veteran' HLS Partnerships depend on Veteran' HLS Liaisons!:

Rich Woldt

Past Commander VFW Post 8337

Cell # 608-712-7880

We'll never forget nor be caught off guard!

Scott McFarlane Door County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO)Place www.wicvso.org in your favorites

Mutual Aid Agreements 2009 Homeland Security Private Sector Partnerships

• We updated our private sector EOC, Staging Area, and on-site Incident Command Post (ICP).
• We've updated our private sector deployment protocols to include "best practices" from RMLC post crisis surveys between 2001 and 2009.
• We've established an on-line mustering/roll-call and command system to merge veteran' and International CURM response and recovery assets.
• We continue to build liaisons with national biker organizations such as Rolling Thunder www.RollingThunderwi3.org and The Patriot Guard Riders www.patriotguard.org as well as local clubs such as the TITANs and NEWBA.and 

 Note: For security reasons credit unions not already logged into these programs are asked to go through either their league, chapter, or CMG representatives to be properly identified and qualified to join. At a minimum credit union, league and chapter liaisons must have been accepted into InfraGard.       

Terrorist Target Characteristics:

Terrorist' target characteristics include concentrated populations, a high initial body count, vulnerable secondary targets, vulnerable communication links, and global media attention. Combat strategies include recruiting embedded liaisons, triggering attacks off any community crisis, and franchising operations to extremists.

Our "Private" Sector Veteran' unified command starts with 12 positions commanded by the Post Commander closest to the incident scene. Our "Private" Sector Credit Union unified command starts with 12 positions commanded by the Chairman of the Board of Directors from the credit union closest to the incident scene. Both have only one Incident Commander and both adopt to the incident scope and potential for scope creep (Concertina Principle).

Public Sector Homeland Security Strategic Initiatives

After the terrorist' attacks of 9-11-01 our Public Sector launched a four year project to hire, equip, train, and deploy public sector response assets based on incident type, scope, and potential for scope creep. When Hurricane Katrina systematically overwhelmed our Public Sector a call went out from the Department of Homeland Security to mobilize a Private Sector response following the same Incident Command System required of Public Sector' Law Enforcement, Emergency Governments, and Fire Fighters.

International Private Sector Incident Command and Control Performance Standards that evolved since 9-11-01, the tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina include:

• A 72 hour stand-alone protocols for companies with more than 500 employees.

• Improved "High-rise evacuation protocols.

• Upgraded Contingency Plans, Business Continuity Plans, Business Resumption Plans, and Management Succession Plans,

• Expanded Executive Protection protocols to include CEOs, Boards of Directors and their family members.

• Branch Banking protocols to include liquidity management programs during mass housing-in-place and mass evacuations.

• Formation of Public-to-Private Sector Partnerships following Incident Command System and National Incident Management System policies, procedures, and protocols.

• P-to P Partnerships must be based on a worst case scenario that includes a 9-11-01 scope terrorst' attacks, natural and man-made disasters, pandemic, and a large scale/level 3 community crisis.

• Private Sector ICS performance standards include:

• Operational Period #1: Stabilizing victims, defining the incident type, estimating the incident scope, predicting the potential for incident cope creep, and speeding public sector response personnel and assets to the scene.

• Operational Period #2: Set up incident appropriate "Private Sector" Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs), Staging Areas, and Mobile Command Centers three miles from ground zero.

• Operational Period #3: Mobilize a Veteran - Credit Union Movement Unified Command focused on victim recovery and community reconstruction.

• To ensure a coordinated response during the next terrorist attack, natural or man-made disaster, pandemic, or large scale community crisis, we adopted the Incident Command System (ICS) to the private sector and adopted NIMS as a private sector emergency response vocabulary.

• To improve communications we created a network of public/private sector liaisons capable of 24/7 "closed-loop" secured communications, and flexible enough to adjust to any and all  unified command structures.

• To better support public sector first responders when the incident scope overwhelms their ability to respond or incident scope creep exhausts their response and recovery assets, we created private sector supply lines to reinforce both public sector personnel and their response/recovery assets.

•  To reduce confusion and improve communications during the next crisis, we've improved private sector EOC and Staging area floor plans, simplified private sector incident plan writing, introduced GPS into private sector logistics, established standard claims settlement and claims adjusting procedures for the private sector Incident Command - Chief of Finance.

Thank You Door County!

Your support and cooperation during this 5 year RMLC Homeland Security project will not be forgotten.

"Effective and efficient Public to Private Homeland Security Partnerships work when they operate separate and distinct from each other until one reaches out to the other and requests a "Unified" response properly focused on the best interests of victims and their community in harms way"

Click here to view veteran' "Public Sector" Liaisons!

Click here to view veteran' "Private Sector" Liaisons!

Click here to view International Risk Management Liaisons!

Click here to view VFW Post 8337 Bulletin Board!

Click here to preview "Private Sector" Homeland Security tutorials!

Rich Woldt CPP, CFE, CEO ----     The Risk Management Learning Center

www.RMLearningCenter.com

Answer: Our public sector first responders i.e. law enforcement, fire fighters, emergency governments, etc. are our first line of defense. After Katrina, it became obvious that at some point our first line of defense can and will be overwhelmed by the scope or exhausted by the duration of the crisis. The order went out from the top levels of the public sector to launch an initiative focused on mobilizing the private sector if and when they're needed. This study was an answer to that call. 

Question?  What role did Door County play in this five year Homeland Security Study?

Answer: Because I was born and raised in Fish Creek and have now retired in Sturgeon Bay, it was convenient to use use Door County as a role model for the world. While Door County represented less than 1/10 of one per cent of the counties/parishes/shires studied, it was convenient for collecting visuals for Risk Management case studies, tutorials, and videos. In the study, Door County was pooled with Pitkin County (Aspen) Colorado, Jamaica, Ireland, So. Korea, Hawaii, and coastal regions of the United Kingdom. Why? All pose similar Risk Management challenges. For example, all have similar population concentrations that fluctuate based on international tourism. Door County is on a peninsula and Aspen is in a valley. Consequently, emergency response protocols are similar. Both need to focus heavily on housing-in-place during the first operational period, preparing shelters to stand-alone for the national standard 72 hours. If a mass evacuation is ordered, both counties and communities pose the same terrorist threats, transportation bottle necks, and pandemic' "social distancing" challenges. Door County is unique because communities on the west side of the peninsula along highway 42 face distinctly different risks than communities along highway 57. And, in my top ten list of reasons I used Door County in this study, I've been involved with law enforcement, fire fighters, and emergency government in Door County since the 1950s.

Each study group was benchmarked annually, comparing where they were to where they were expected to be based on benchmarks set by US emergency government and homeland security performance standards. Door County residents can be proud of our public sector. Note: to avoid any bias, everyone studied was given a coded number so benchmarking judged only the performance and not the person.

Benefits from this project include:

• To ensure every man, women, and child in the private sector is on-board before the next terrorist attack, natural or man-made disaster, pandemic, or large scale community crisis, we developed a series of private sector "basic training" tutorials and field tests to benchmark the private sector's readiness to respond.

Without a doubt the most enjoyable part of this Homeland Security R&D project was having an opportunity to learn from Public and Private sector professionals who willingly and without reservation shared their knowledge and experience. I will always cherish the time we shared. I will always look forward to the next time our paths cross. I'm confident, whether we meet during the next tornado, gas explosion, toxic waste spill, wildfire, flood, pandemic or terrorist attack we'll together step-up-to-the-plate and work together like a well oiled machine under a community "unified" command!   I owe a special thank you to Door County's Public Sector for the role they played during our field testing of "private sector" emergency response and recovery protocols.

VFW Post 8337 Gibraltar High School Scholarships 2008 Evaluations Special Operations - Incident Command and Post' Reports Search Death Records

Click here after January 1, 2009 to record memories of the Colonel for our summer farewell salute.... Note: go to your respective post' web site such as www.VFWPost8337.com or our CVSO website at www.wicvso.org to determine your eligibility to belong to one of the seven veteran posts in Door County. Click here for a tribute to John Mahoney --- Click here! Click here for a word copy of VFW Post 8337 January news letter and tribute to Richard S. Davis to post. Click here for pdf file! Note:  Per our CVSO... http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html is an excellent site to learn about flag etiquette.

United States Veterans Salute Richard S. (Dixie - The Colone) Davis Jr. Stop!  Born August 7, 1925, WWII Purple Heart Recipient, Stop!  Died Tuesday, December 9, 2008, STOP!

Keep in touch our legislators: Click on...

State Representative Gary Bies

Go to www.co.door.wi.gov to fully appreciate the quality of service and high level of professionalism demonstrated daily at the county level. Rich Woldt - VFW Post 8337 Commanding

A message to all our elected officials! Now is NOT the time to cut back on missile defenses or limit our ability to collect intelligence needed to stop the next terrorist attack.

Return to the top!