Hello CUPA Managers and Supervisors:
For some time now, it has been a goal of CalEPA and the Unified Program Administration and Advisory Group Training Steering Committee to reorganize, and revise as necessary, the training, education and experience requirements of Unified Program Agency (UPA) staff detailed in Sections 15260 and 15270 of Title 27. These requirements will also be accurately reflected in the Unified Program Training Framework.
A small workgroup consisting of UPA and state agency representatives was established and first met in March 2018 to begin review of Sections 15260 and 15270. In realizing the need to develop clarifying language and definitions for existing terms, it quickly became apparent that the review of the language would be more successful if the workgroup were expanded to include additional UPA representatives to better signify the various ways of meeting the requirements throughout the state as well as provide a historical knowledge of the initial development and original intent of the requirements within the sections.
Because UPAs operate differently throughout the state (as CUPAs and PAs, and in different regions with variation in regulated facilities), additional representatives will expand the knowledge and experience of the workgroup to obtain a complete understanding of staffing qualification dynamics at local levels.
Additionally, by incorporating better statewide representation, we will reduce the likelihood that any revisions made to the existing language will impact the education, training and experience qualifications of current staff at UPAs.
The Training Steering Committee openly welcomes participants on this workgroup. It is our hope to obtain representatives of CUPAs and PAs, with small, medium and large numbers of regulated facilities in respective jurisdictions, as well as rural and urban locations in the state. However, to ensure the efforts of the workgroup are productive, and manageable, we will have to keep the number of participants reasonable.
Because it is going to be quite the task, we ask that participants be available and dedicated to this effort.
If you have an interest in participating, please email Kristen Riegel (kriegel@sbcfire.org) or Melinda Blum (Melinda.Blum@calepa.ca.gov) by Friday, May 18th.
Thank You.
Please direct all questions, comments and concerns to CUPA@calepa.ca.gov . Thank you!
