Sandra Pedersen

Sandra has spent many years focused on making the public aware of what will happen in the event of a major disaster in the Wellington region. This has included education and training, developing emergency response plans for schools and developing and facilitating workshops and practical exercises for schools and businesses.

Working for the Wellington City Council Emergency Management Office, Sandra gained extensive experience in emergency management planning and response co-ordination. This included practical experience while assisting in local flooding and fire events.

In 2003 Sandra attended the multi-hazard emergency planning for schools course at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Emmitsburg, USA gaining extensive knowledge in planning for educational facilities.

Sandra developed the Wellington City Emergency Management in Schools package. In recognition of this work, Sandra was invited to lead the development of a national emergency management school resource, What's the Plan Stan? funded by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.

Recently she has co-ordinated the development and delivery of a training package for operational personnel in the Auckland CDEM Group Emergency Operations Centre.

Projects

• Development and Delivery of Group Emergency Operations Centre Training (December 2007)
• Mass Evacuation Plan for the Auckland Region (December 2007)
• Maritime New Zealand - BCP Development and Training (October 2007)
• Exercise Capital Quake (November 2006)
• Assessment of the Capacity and Capability of the Auckland Region CDEM Group (August 2006)

Kestrel Group was engaged to provide a training manual and specific training modules for the Group Emergency Operations Centre (GEOC) staff on behalf of the Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (ACDEM Group) in 2007. The focus of this training was to provide the personnel from Auckland Regional Council, who were drawn form a range of departments, with the appropriate EOC knowledge and skills.

Kestrel was contracted by the Auckland Region CDEM Group to prepare a Mass Evacuation Plan (> 1,000 people) for the Auckland Region.

In 2006 Maritime New Zealand undertook to consolidate and recast their team based business continuity arrangements into a whole of organisation business continuity plan. Kestrel Group was engaged to develop the structure of the new plan and to work with Corporate Services to update Resumption Team profiles within the new BCP.

Kestrel was also engaged to provide training for Maritime New Zealand Resumption Teams on the principles of business continuity and the implementation of the MNZ BCP.

Exercise Capital Quake ‘06 was an all-of-nation earthquake simulation exercise held over two days in November 2006. Approximately 1,000 participants from more than 50 organisations were directly involved, including local and central government agencies and private companies, making it one of the largest exercises held in New Zealand at that time.