SUCCESSFUL STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY OUTREACH : CULTIVATING TECHNOLOGY AND ANDRAGOGY IN OKLAHOMA

3.2
SUCCESSFUL STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY OUTREACH:
CULTIVATING TECHNOLOGY AND ANDRAGOGY IN OKLAHOMA

Derek S. Arndt* and Andrew J. Reader, Oklahoma Climatological Survey, Norman, OK


1. INTRODUCTION
Mesonet (Brock et al. 1995). Participating
agencies are typically emergency management,
For nearly a decade, the Oklahoma Climatological
law enforcement or fire service offices. However,
Survey (OCS) has delivered training and weather
many other state, regional and municipal interests
data to public safety officials through the OK-
participate, such as medical services, tribal
FIRST (Oklahoma's First-response Information
governments, educational institutions and
Resource System using Telecommunications)
correctional facilities. As of November 2005,
program (Morris et al. 2001). The program
nearly 200 public safety agencies across
provides a decision-support platform to nearly 200
Oklahoma actively participated in the program,
public safety agencies across Oklahoma, plus
plus seven in neighboring states (Fig. 1).
seven in neighboring states.
Four years have passed since OK-FIRST was
Participation in the program is free to qualified
named one of the nation's five most innovative
agencies in Oklahoma, thanks to funding support
government programs by the Harvard University’s
through the Oklahoma Department of Public
Kennedy School of Government (REF). Since
Safety and data services via the Oklahoma
then, technological advances and developments
in the program’s training regimen have allowed a
*Corresponding author address: Derek S. Arndt,
further refinement of services to OK-FIRST
Oklahoma Climatological Survey, 100 East Boyd,
participants and those they serve.
Suite 1210, Norman, OK 73019-1012; darndt@ou.edu
Fig. 1. OK-FIRST agencies actively participating in the program as of Autumn 2005. Countywide agencies
are noted in blue shading. All other agencies are placed in their town or near the center of their jurisdiction.

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2. TRAINING ADVANCEMENTS
more computer-savvy incoming participants

allowed OK-FIRST to reduce initial training from
Several factors, together, have triggered further
two weeks to one week, with a focus almost
development of training materials in recent years.
exclusively on weather data interpretation and
Among these are changes in the type of applicant
weather-related decision-making. Secondly, the
entering the OK-FIRST program, and a sensitivity
recognition that participants will use their training
to some tenets of adult learning theories.
and data in multiple ways – including more subtle
and more sophisticated ways – has broadened

the scope of OK-FIRST beyond preparing and
2.1 The Evolution of the Incoming Participant
assessing hazardous weather.

In the mid-1990s, during OK-FIRST’s first years,

much of the in-person training time was
2.2 Dimensions of Andragogy
necessarily spent familiarizing participants with

personal computers and the internet. Many
OK-FIRST has delivered effective training since
incoming participants were in their near-retirement
its inception. In recent years, however, the
years and came from rural backgrounds, and had
program has undergone a focused effort to further
never used a computer before. Ten years later,
embrace tenets of andragogy, a term introduced
most OK-FIRST municipalities, including the more
to America by educator Malcolm Knowles.
rural ones, are equipped with high-speed internet
Andragogy refers to the art and science of
infrastructure. Rudimentary computer training is
teaching adults (Knowles, et al., 1998). The term
no longer necessary in the OK-FIRST regimen.
itself contrasts with the more familiar educational
term, pedagogy, whose etymologic roots refer to
In recent years, applicants seeking training
training of children. Practices related to andragogy
through OK-FIRST have evolved from older
utilize a set of assumptions about the adult learner
volunteers to a new demographic more heavily
and how he/she is different than the traditional
weighted in younger, more professional public
(school-aged) learner. A subset of these
safety personnel. This breed of participants is
assumptions are (adapted from Knowles, et al,
often charged with the responsibility to meet a
1998):
quota of continuing education units (CEUs),
whether for law enforcement, fire service or health
• The need to know. Adults have a strong need to
service professions. These CEUs come in
know why they are learning when – or before –
addition to those increasingly required by FEMA
they learn it.
and related emergency management programs.
• Learner self-concept. Adults bring a self-
concept of being responsible for their own
As the local importance and prestige of OK-
FIRST-equipped offices have increased, so have
education.
•
the municipal demands on them. Time demands
The role of experience. Adults come into
are often beyond the reasonable capabilities of
educational activity with a substantial volume
one person. Many offices have expressed a
and quality of experience.
•
desire to send more than one staff member to OK-
Orientation to learning. Adults are task-centered
FIRST training. Unfortunately, finite funds and
in their orientation to learning.
finite time limits the number of participants OCS

can fully accommodate.
2.3 A Growing Diversity of Educational
Options and Services
Additionally, it has become obvious that the

meteorological basics covered in OK-FIRST
OK-FIRST’s educational services have evolved in
training are utilized in many situations beyond
response to its changing participants and
hazardous weather. Participants in many cases
available technologies (see next section). They
become their town’s municipal weather are also informed by the tenets of andragogy
consultant. By relaying forecast and weather
listed above. Some examples of these new or
information, they are involved in money-saving
evolved services are:
public works decisions, such as scheduling
maintenance around optimum days.
Streamlined self-directed learning modules. These
modules feature real hazardous weather cases
The combination of these and other factors has
from Oklahoma and a few from other states. They
changed the scope – but not the fundamentals –
are added at rate of two or three per year, in an
of OK-FIRST training. Firstly, the evolution of
effort to appeal to the recent experiences of OK-

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FIRST participants (many of whom were likely
reference to law-enforcement radar training (for
involved in the presponse, response and recovery
traffic control), and three-dimensional conceptual
related to the event). The modules are provided
models of storms with strong updrafts hearken to
on OK-FIRST training web pages in two formats.
fire service structure fire training.
The first format is a self-navigable library of data
An increased presence of operational NWS
and documentation related to the event. In this
personnel. OK-FIRST certification workshops and
format, the learner can sample data of his/her
re-certification workshops are frequented by
choosing. This may appeal to the self-directed
operational personnel from the National Weather
learner who likes to explore datasets more fully.
Service. This is because, in most day-to-day
The second option is a more streamlined and
situations, OK-FIRST participants will deal with
guided presentation of the data. Learners are
operational NWS personnel more than they will
guided in a step-by-step fashion through the
with OCS personnel. Healthy interaction with field
sequence of the event, and asked probing
personnel from local Forecast Offices and the
questions about the data and its interpretation.
Storm Prediction Center helps underscore the
Face-to-face workshops typically use this second
importance of OK-FIRST to the decision-maker in
option, with participants responding to the
the field. Additionally, the influence and support of
questions in a team environment.
the Warning Decision Training Branch is vital to
Regionally-held recertification and assistants’
the quality and validity of OK-FIRST training.
workshops. To save time and travel expenses for

participants, many OK-FIRST recertification 3. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
courses are held away from OCS’s offices in

Norman. Two-day assistants’ courses, which offer
In recent years, technological advancements
multiple participants a subset of the week-long
inside and outside of OCS allowed OK-FIRST to
OK-FIRST certification course, are also held
improve and expand its data services, as well as
regionally. The reasoning is simple: it is more
its training and education. The implementation of
cost-effective and time-effective to move two or
a self-contained NOAAport system allows OCS to
three OCS personnel into the region than to move
custom-process NOAA products for its OK-FIRST
the region’s emergency managers to Norman.
participants. These are packaged with products
The state’s network of 56 regional Technology
from the Oklahoma Mesonet into decision-support
Campuses (which serve both K-12 and Adult
and self-briefing web portals that are tailored by
Education interests) provides an excellent venue
hazard and by the participant's geographic
for training.
location.
Continuing education credits for workshops. In
NOAAport ingest. OCS now ingests National
response to the increasing needs for CEUs by our
Weather Service text, radar and satellite products
professional participants, OK-FIRST began via satellite and has transitioned away from
seeking public safety accreditation for its courses
internet options. The system reduces the number
in 2005. Law enforcement and peace officers may
of obstacles and potential points-of-failure
now meet a substantial portion of their annual
between OCS and the data origin. It also allows
CEU requirements with their OK-FIRST for further customization (see below) of NWS
coursework. Accreditation requests for health
products for OK-FIRST users.
service and fire service programs are under
review and are hoped to be available in 2006.
Five-minute updates of Oklahoma Mesonet data.
In the last year, the update cycle for Mesonet data
Re-furbished face-to-face training materials. OK-
and almost all related real-time products improved
FIRST’s face-to-face training materials have
from quarter-hourly to every five minutes. This
always provided a clear meteorological or
change provides much more up-to-date surface
engineering explanation of many fundamentals,
weather conditions to inform emergency
processes and interpretations. However, the vast
managers during critical situations, such as wind
majority of OK-FIRST participants are neither
shifts during fire-fighting or hazardous materials
meteorologists nor engineers. Care has been
operations
taken to incorporate the participants’ experiences,
perspectives and language into the OK-FIRST
New "Weather Briefing" page. OK-FIRST handles
workshop training, without sacrificing the high-
and potentially serves hundreds of weather
quality training already established. Some tangible
products. Traditionally, the OK-FIRST user would
examples are: radar velocity lectures now make
drill into detailed data directly from the web site's

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menu system. A new “Weather Briefing” page now
radar data OK-FIRST serves.
allows the user the same access to the OK-FIRST
The WeatherScope application. OCS's latest
decision-support pages, but informs the visualization tool, WeatherScope, is stand-alone
navigation decision with a "quick look" at regional-
software that runs independently of internet
scale weather conditions, hazards and advisories
browser or platform (Wolfinbarger et al. 2006). It
(Fig. 2). The page is designed to increase
allows the OK-FIRST participant to overlay
situational awareness - an element of OK-FIRST
numerous data sets on one map, and zoom, scroll
training - for the decision-maker. Each panel in
or project to any location on the planet (Fig.3). In
the situational awareness window checks for new
addition, users can create and save different
data every 60 seconds. The site is customizable
"modes" or configurations of weather data for
so the emergency manager can see some local
different weather scenarios. The software can
details (such as conditions at the local Mesonet
also access OCS radar and surface observation
station, and relevant NWS watches and warnings)
archives. This access to archived data yields
in context with larger- and longer-scale data.
training in a "near real time" simulation mode for
More pervasive local customization. On each OK-
recent weather events, and allows for quickly-
FIRST data page, a scrolling situational assembled case studies. This is crucial for
awareness banner alerts the user of any
introducing events while still fresh in the memory
hazardous weather advisories (such as watches
of the participant, and therefore more relevant
or warnings from the NWS) in effect for their
training material. While many of OK-FIRST's
county. The bar will change color and provide
decision-support capabilities are not yet supported
cursory information within 60 seconds of an
by WeatherScope, it is already a valuable training
advisory’s issuance. It will also direct the OK-
tool and remains a promising platform for future
FIRST user to more detailed information about the
development.
advisory. The geographic outlines of watches and
Lightning data. Through OK-FIRST, public safety
warnings have been integrated into compatibility
personnel now have access to a nationwide
with OCS's WxScope viewing software, and are
lightning detection network, whose data can be
provided as a visible layer over all Mesonet and
overlaid with radar data for quick interpretation. As

Fig. 3. A screen capture of OCS’s WeatherScope
visualization software, with time and date set to
2230 UTC, 8 May 2003. Data shown are:

Oklahoma Mesonet air and dewpoint temperature
(red and green numerals), wind observations
Fig. 2. The OK-FIRST Weather Briefing page,

(purple barbs), objectively analyzed dewpoint
showing current surface observations, regional
temperature (green-brown shading), and base
radar reflectivity, and advisories. In this example,
reflectivity from WSR-88D units KTLX (Oklahoma
custom advisory preferences are set for Ottawa
City), KVNX (Enid, OK) and KFDR (Frederick,
County, and custom surface observations are set
OK).
for Miami. Both are in far northeastern Oklahoma.

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a result, training on the uses of lightning data and
Interpretation guides, online glossaries and online
lightning safety has been developed. This
instructional material. The OK-FIRST website also
educational material has even propagated through
has a number of products to help bring OK-FIRST
the public safety office into several Oklahoma
training into the participant’s home or office.
schools and communities.
These online case studies, glossaries, training
modules, posted lectures and interpretation
Decision-support pages. To help support OK-
guides are designed to help the self-directed
FIRST participants after their initial training, a
learner re-visit past training and explore new and
number of "decision support" pages have been
emerging OK-FIRST datasets before coming to
made more visible to the participant. These
re-certification courses.
decision support pages - one for each of six
common weather hazards - provide a clear link

between their training and the situation at hand
4. REPLICATION BY OTHER STATES
(Fig. 4). They guide the user through a checklist of

typical products, assessments and decisions
By accepting the Innovations in American
made before and during each of these scenarios.
Government Award from Harvard University’s
Kennedy School of Government in 2001, OK-
FIRST was charged with helping other states
replicate its function in their setting. Elements of
OK-FIRST’s training, data service and decision
support have been shared with representatives
through a number of venues with varying degrees
of success (Morris, et al., 2006).
In March 2005, OCS hosted "Innovations in
Managing Weather-Impacted Situations", a
workshop for officials from state-level emergency
management offices. The meetings were held in
Oklahoma City and designed to help participants
replicate and adapt the OK-FIRST program for
use in their states. Thirteen representatives from
eleven states attended.
As of August 2005, four of the states have made
substantial progress toward implementing or
improving their own public safety decision-support
systems. The Illinois Emergency Management
Agency recently upgraded to a NOAAport data
feed to support some operations. Representatives
from Pennsylvania have returned to further
evaluate OK-FIRST’s training regimen and
discussions with representatives in New Jersey
and North Carolina are ongoing.

5. SUMMARY


The OK-FIRST program continues its efforts to
Fig. 4. OK-FIRST’s decision-support presentation
implement innovative ways of teaching and
for flooding. Links to real-time data are included,
serving its participants. In coming months, OCS
along with interpretation guides, sample products
staff will publish the first of what will hopefully be
and alternative sources of information. For a
an ever-growing set of distance learning modules
particular hazard, products are organized which combine audio, video, interactivity and
according to pre-event decisions and during-event
evaluation in an asynchronous delivery. In this
decisions. Similar decision support pages exist for
way, public safety officials can participate in OK-
severe weather, winter weather, fire danger, heat
FIRST training and educational exercises from the
and drought, and tropical systems.

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comfort of their office or home at the time of their
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology,
choosing.
12, 5-19.

The advent of the National Weather Center in
Knowles, Malcolm S., Elwood F. Holton III and
Norman offers exciting collaborative opprtunities
Richard A. Swanson, 1998: The Adult Learner (5th
with several academic and operational units of the
Edition). Woburn, Massachusetts, Butterworth-
University of Oklahoma and the National Weather
Heinemann.
Service, respectively. In fact, the OK-FIRST

program will be in the same building – literally
Morris, Dale A., Mark A. Shafer, Derek S. Arndt,
across the hall. OK-FIRST will also be present in
2006: Replicating Innovation: Successes and
the local forecast office's "situation room" when
Challenges. Preprints, First Symposium on Policy
conditions warrant. This real-time cooperation is a
Research. Atlanta, Georgia, Amer. Meteor. Soc.
testament to the continued success and

dedication of OK-FIRST participants and the
Morris, Dale A., Kenneth C. Crawford, Kevin A.
innovative and imaginative approach to weather
Kloesel, and J. Michael Wolfinbarger, 2001: OK-
decision support by OK-FIRST's partners.
FIRST: a meteorological information system for

public safety. Bulletin of the American
6. REFERENCES
Meteorological Society, 82, 1911-1923.


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Wolfinbarger, J. Michael Justin R. Greenfield,
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Thomas A. Cannon, Thomas B. Stanley, Nicki L.
Opportunities and Dilemmas. Washington, D.C.,
Levit, and Renee A. McPherson, 2006: A powerful
The Brookings Institution Press.
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Macs. Preprints, 22nd International Conference on
Brock, Fred V., Kenneth C. Crawford, Ronald L.
Interactive Information Processing Systems for
Elliott, Gerrit W. Cuperus, Stephen J. Stadler,
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