William Cosgrove Email and Phone Number

I support public assistance work in the recovery division of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). My work helps state agencies and local governments obtain public assistance grants from the state and federal government. This includes acting as a liaison between local, state, and federal agencies, providing public assistance information, monitoring projects, compiling and validating grant paperwork, and conducting site inspections/preliminary damage assessments.

I supported the FEMA National Exercise Division to develop and implement exercises for state and local governments. Exercise planning included scenario development, stakeholder engagement, and drafting exercise evaluation guides, facilitator guides, master scenario events lists, ground truths, handbooks, and after-action reviews. Exercises help public safety develop better emergency plans, gain experience in controlled environments, and address gaps in preparedness to increase resilience. I also supported the FirstNet Authority to develop and provide the only telecommunications network dedicated to public safety. FirstNet provides emergency communications to over 3 million first responders around the country. I supported the Public Safety Advisory Committee, Tribal Working Group, and Emergency Communications Centers working group, which gathered feedback from leading public safety officials to help expand and improve the network. I also collaborated on after-action reviews and conducted pre-event planning for large events.

FEMA Corps is a team-based residential program with AmeriCorps and FEMA for a 10-month 1700-hour commitment. Members work with FEMA to support disaster response efforts. I attended FEMA training in Public Assistance in Vinton, Iowa. I worked at a Consolidated Resource Center in Winchester, Virginia. I was deployed to Panama City, Florida immediately following Hurricane Michael where I worked canvassing homes, connecting disaster survivors with local resources, and providing planning support to FEMA branch offices.