BCFS’ Emergency Services Division has named Dee Grimm, RN, JD as Associate Executive Director of National Preparedness.
In this post, Grimm will be responsible for establishing consultation, training, and response contracts, and customizing programs and services for states and jurisdictions across the country.
Grimm will also oversee the agency’s training curriculum, expand upon existing services, and serve as a national subject matter expert at conferences. This position will work in tandem with the division’s Associate Executive Director of Policy, Planning and Operations, Mario Guerra.
“Dee is a well-respected leader in the
emergency management industry, specifically in the areas of caring for vulnerable populations and addressing the legal and ethical issues of disaster response,” said Kari Tatro, Executive Director of BCFS’ Emergency Services Division. “I am confident that she will be a valuable asset to BCFS as we continue to serve as the ‘go-to’ resource for state and jurisdictional emergency managers focused on planning for Functional Needs Support Services, alternate care sites, medical sheltering and more.”
Grimm has more than 20 years’ experience in emergency medicine, serving as an EMT, paramedic, emergency department nurse, nurse manager, and hospital Director of Training and an Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.
Since 2009, Grimm has been BCFS’ National Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and part of the national team that trained each FEMA region and U.S. territory on the Functional Needs Support Services guidance. She has also been CEO of Emergency Management Professionals; Program Manager for the Nevada Statewide Evacuation, Mass Care and Sheltering Initiative; Project Manager for the Nevada Mass Fatality Preparedness Initiative; and Western Regional Director of Pets America.
Grimm teaches the “Fundamentals of Healthcare Emergency Management” course at FEMA’s Noble Training Center. She is also a certified instructor in Weapons of Mass Destruction, Hospital Incident Command System, HazMat and Decon Training, Disaster Exercise Design, and Continuity of Operations Planning. She holds a Juris Doctorate in Law and has provided consultation regarding legal and ethical issues of emergency management, as well planning related to at-risk populations in disasters.
BCFS’ nationally-recognized expertise in providing preparedness consultation, incident management and response support continues to garner the attention of local, state and national agencies throughout the U.S. The agency conducts trainings and serves as a consultant to jurisdictions throughout the nation regarding shelter operations, emergency preparedness and community capacity building. As a result of BCFS’ contract with FEMA to develop the national guidance for sheltering individuals requiring Functional Needs Support Services, the agency has become the national subject matter experts on integrating such services into all levels of emergency operations plans.
