Blue Cell Owner / Managing Partner Todd Manns Appears on the Disaster Zone Podcast

One of the outcomes from the coronavirus pandemic is that our normal training sessions have been disrupted. People can’t gather into classrooms. A solution to that issue, and one that will be used going forward is virtual training that goes beyond the online Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) self-paced learning. This podcast is an interview with Todd Manns, Owner and Managing Partner of The Blue Cell. In this session we discuss what their course offerings are and how the instruction is conducted. There are many benefits, to include being able to mix and match attendees from different areas of the country and from different disciplines. 

Listen to the complete podcast here 

A piece also appeared in GovTech Magazine

 

                                                  

                                     

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:  January 29, 2021

 

CWFIMA Contact: Tracy LeClair                                   The Blue Cell, LLC Contact: Jim Erickson

(970) 471-5284 / tleclair@eagleriverfire.org        1-800-866-0840 x 3/ Jimerickson@thebluecell.com

 

 

CWFIMA PARTNERS WITH THE BLUE CELL, LLC

TO PROVIDE VIRTUAL CLASSES FOR 2021 WINTER ACADEMY

 

Colorado Springs, CO – Each January, the Upper Arkansas Valley Wildland Fire Foundation hosts nearly 1,000 emergency responders during the week-long Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy (CWFIMA). Despite the challenges of COVID-19, this year’s classes are still taking place, albeit in a slightly different format. Many of the 2021 Winter classes are taking place virtually, with the assistance of a long-time partner.

 

The Blue Cell, LLC, as the most active in-person and virtual Incident Command System and consequence management training company in the United States, was the perfect choice to partner with CWFIMA to host ICS-300 Intermediate Incident Command System (ICS) for Expanding Incidents on January 26-28, 2021. The effort this week was a first of its kind, instructing over 100 students in three separate virtual ICS-300 sessions simultaneously from The Blue Cell Interactive Training Center in Aurora, Colorado.

 

Students participated from 20 states, across 5 times zones, and represented numerous local, state, and federal agencies as well as private and nonprofit organizations involved in emergency response. A similar offering of ICS-400 Advanced ICS for Command & General Staff in Complex Incidents is scheduled for March 30-31, 2021.

 

“The Academy remains committed to its mission statement of providing both cognitive and hands-on incident management knowledge, instructed by the nation’s brightest authorities,” explained Academy Incident Commander Jim Krugman. “This year we just had to get a little creative in how we fulfilled our commitment to our students.”

 

Since its inception in 1994, the CWFIMA has worked collaboratively with local, state and national agencies to deliver training to over 30,000 students, and offers courses and exercises related to all-hazard incident management, wildland fire, and leadership. This nationally-recognized Academy is one of the largest wildland fire and incident management training events in the United States. 

 

For a full schedule of in-person and virtual CWFIMA classes, visit www.cwfima.org.

 

The Blue Cell has an extensive upcoming calendar of virtual trainings focusing on ICS- 300, ICS-400 G-191 and G-2300. Visit www.thebluecell.com for more information.

                                                    

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For more information about the Academy or course offerings please visit: www.CWFIMA.com or follow us on Twitter @CWFIMA and on Facebook, Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academy.

LMS Classes and Conference

Denver— November 2, 2020 — COVID-19 or not, continuing education has changed, and the virtual world is catching on fast!  This month, The Blue Cell, LLC is excited to announce an online Learning Management System (LMS) that allows students to self-pace their learning.  For consequence and emergency managers, the courses now available will give you an edge up in your field.  The online learning management system offers courses in preparedness and response, organizational leadership and management, and incident management courses. Courses titles vary from ‘Fundamentals of Exercise Design’, ‘Agency Administration in Incidents and Disasters’, ‘Recovery Support Functional Positions’, and more. 

 

To celebrate Veterans everywhere, The Blue Cell is offering a 20% discount on all LMS Courses, now through the end of November. Use the code: Veteran20 at checkout. To read more about these courses and register please visit https://thenimsstore.com/collections/software.

 

We are also thrilled to announce the North American Virtual Training and Exercise Conference 2021 is now set for the last week of April 2021. The conference will feature the latest techniques in virtual training, testing, information management, and facilitation space. Hear from leaders in the industry on techniques, equipment, and lessons learned from the past year as we all adapt to this bold new world of interaction.  Using a custom conference platform, avatars, and state of the art concepts this conference is designed to share products, services, and do it yourself information processes for your future training and exercise needs. With 15 speakers and topics, and 20 select conference collaborators and partners we will have an exciting line up for you this coming year. Sign up today at a pre-registration pricing of $100.00 per person. https://thenimsstore.com/collections/courses-and-workshops/products/north-american-training-and-exercise-virtual-conference-2021

 

The Blue Cell is available for customized training, virtual and live delivery of exercises for any jurisdiction looking to capture ‘lessons learned’ or ‘best practices’ from the ongoing COVID response.  The Blue Cell is a by-design training, exercise, consulting, and deployment services company focusing on emergency and crisis management in the public and private sectors. 

Find us at www.thebluecell.com or 800-866-0840.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jessica LaBerge

Managing Director, Integrated Sales & Marketing Team

JessicaLaBerge@thebluecell.com

June 19, 2020

Business Operations adapt to global pandemic, The Blue Cell evolves consequence management training to Virtual options.

Denver— June 19, 2020 — During this worldwide pandemic, leaders have been forced to redefine the workspace and how their staff operate day to day.  COVID-19 has also highlighted the need for business continuity planning, long range consequence management and virtual training options.

The Blue Cell is a by design training, exercise, consulting, and deployment services company focusing on emergency and crisis management in the public and private sectors.  The Blue Cell had begun adapting training to virtual delivery options back in 2019, however with the spread of COVID-19 the launch of the virtual system became a priority in early 2020.

This week The Blue Cell is celebrating the success of its of a virtual delivery of FEMA’s G-191 or Emergency Operations Center (EOC)/Incident Command System (ICS) Interface. This is one of the first virtual deliveries of a FEMA “G” series, and it was a State sponsored class.

“The format for the class was smooth and worked better than expected” several students commented and another said “This class was awesome”.

Along with the G-191 virtual training, The Blue Cell is expanding its traditional field or live training options.  Several additional virtual training classes are scheduled for July, August, and September; student registration is now open for:

• ·         July 9^th Virtual G557 –Rapid Needs Assessment
• ·         Aug. 10-11^th Virtual G205 – Recovery for Local Government
• ·         Aug. 12-14^th Virtual G393 – Mitigation for Emergency Managers
• ·         September 9^th – Virtual G191 – EOC/ICS Interface

The Blue Cell also received a 2-year contract renewal in Wyoming for training and exercise good through 2022.

The Blue Cell is available for customized training, virtual and live delivery of exercises and for any jurisdiction looking to capture ‘lessons learned’ or ‘best practices’ from the ongoing COVID response.  Find us at www.thebluecell.com or at 800-866-0840

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The Blue Cell, LLC Activates Training Center in response to Covid-19 and a new addition to Ownership Team

For Release 0900

March 30, 2020

Denver— March 30, 2020 — This week, The Blue Cell, LLC has been busy, and yes, the Covid-19 Pandemic is amongst some of what keeps us on our toes!  Our Integrated Training Center activated this week in response to the Covid-19 pandemic to assist our partners in Arapahoe County, CO. Our team is virtually assisting in planning and ongoing operations as we practice social distancing and safety measures. 

Our very own Michael Brown, an Owner / Member Partner of The Blue Cell, LLC has been busy as well.  Michael, as a former Under Secretary of Homeland Security and FEMA Director, has intimate knowledge and firsthand experience with the federal response to disasters.  This level of experience has landed Mr. Brown several National media appearances in the last two weeks, with more to come.  We are posting all of these interviews on The Blue Cell External Media page.  

As our nation and the world responds to the Covid-19 pandemic, we know that professionals are still needing assistance to their operations and with multi-agency coordination.  The Blue Cell has spent years building and delivering personalized training to our customers.  We want you to know that we are still here for you, and we are able to provide the same responsive field and technical assistance services.  Additional new virtual training options also can be found at

https://bravocharlieready.com/lms.html.

New Addition to Ownership Team

In addition to pandemic response, The Blue Cell also announces a new addition to the ownership team.  We are welcoming David Cain as new owner / member partner to The Blue Cell, LLC.  David brings over 34 years of experience as Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Boulder Fire Department.  His experience in, collaboration and special projects is welcomed by The Blue Cell team.  

“We’re really proud to see our team growing and new products and virtual services we are now able to provide,” said Todd Manns, Owner / Managing Partner of The Blue Cell, LLC.

Founded in 2009, The Blue Cell, LLC, LLC is a leader in emergency management and business resiliency consulting, training and exercise. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to better prepare our local agencies, businesses and communities in times of disaster.

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For more information, press only:

Jessica LaBerge, Managing Director

800-844-0840 x 3

jessicalaberge@thebluecell.com

For more information on a new addition to Ownership Team:

Todd Manns, Owner

800-844-0840 x 1

toddmanns@thebluecell.com

www.thebluecell.com

The Killing of Al-Baghdadi

Watching President Trump’s announcement of the killing of Al-Baghdadi – and the capture of a huge cache of intelligence – it seemed to me that his words were precisely what was needed at a time like this.  And watching the Twitterverse and talking heads pontificate about his language and wording, I am even more convinced that his blunt, derisive tone, is not only what those who voted for him expect, but eighteen years into the global war on terror, that that blunt, derisive tone is what the world needed to hear.



You could almost hear a collective boasting of pride by Americans that we’re still able to hunt down and kill those murdering, raping, torturing terrorists, even if it takes years to do so. 



But that collective pride was pushed back by the talking heads who to this day continue to argue that killing terrorists only serves to “galvanize” ISIS and other terror organizations in their will to destroy the United States. 



Despite the comments from Michael Morrell and any number of so-called smart people on television, I have never seen (even during my tenure as the Under Secretary of Homeland Security, when I received regular CIA briefings) proof that our war on terror or the killing of Osama bin Laden or Al-Baghdadi, has resulted in any less anti-American activity by American-hating Islamic terrorists. 



President Trump’s insistence on colorful language to depict Al-Baghdadi as a coward cowering in a dead-end tunnel, dying a horrible death (and killing children as he detonated his own suicide vest) is language chosen by his National Security advisors for a very specific reason.  His language rejects the false and failed diplomacy of appeasement.  It also reminds Americans who may be considering joining ISIS or other terrorist organizations that doing so is not a brave move, but one which very well might result in them dying a horrific, cowardly death at the hands of the United States military. 



POTUS’ language tells those wannabe terrorists that you’re signing up to die horribly in a dark tunnel. 



But back to the appeasers, especially former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.  In a media appearance this week he said the killing of Al-Baghdadi would only serve to “galvanize” ISIS members.  Let’s think about that logic.



Is James Clapper saying that in order to defeat ISIS we must first capitulate to ISIS?  Is James Clapper saying that in World War II the storming of the beaches at Normandy only served to galvanize Hitler’s army?  Is James Clapper claiming that President Nixon’s decision to bomb Hanoi, only served to galvanize the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese army?  If I recall correctly Normandy was the beginning of the end of World War II on the Western Front.  The bombing of Hanoi brought the North Vietnamese to the table in the Paris Peace Talks. 



Enemies respond to strength and resolve, not olive branches and weakness.



President Trump rejected the diplomacy of appeasement, opting instead for the blunt, direct language that represents the strength and determination of a first world superpower that will not be pushed around.



Michael Brown served as the Under Secretary of Homeland Security and Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President George W. Bush.  You can follow him on Twitter @michaelbrownusa.

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