Fusion in the Storm: Tennessee's Intelligence Role in Natural Disaster Response and Active Threat Response

This presentation explores how the Tennessee Fusion Center (TFC) supports emergency management and public safety during natural disasters and emergency responses. Since the initial days of the Tennessee Fusion Center, the TFC has been an all hazard, all crimes center. Over the last 20 years, the Tennessee Fusion Center has responded to several major hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires as well as active threat response situations. Using recent events like the Gatlinburg Fires, Hurricane Helene, the Middle Tennessee tornadoes, and responses to active threat situations, it highlights the fusion center’s role in situational awareness, interagency coordination, and public safety intelligence. The session will emphasize lessons learned, best practices, and opportunities for improved collaboration between intelligence analysts and emergency responders.

CIA Amy Allen Emberton is a Criminal Intelligence Analyst 4 assigned to the Fugitives, Gangs, and Criminal Case Support section of the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). CIA Emberton's primary duty assignments include Cold Case and TBI Homeland Online Records (THOR) system instruction and development and has serves as a lead for one of four on-call emergency response teams within CIU. CIA Emberton is also the State of Tennessee liaison for VICAP, INTERPOL, and the department liaison for NamUs. CIA Emberton serves as an instructor for TBI and has developed training programs for the agency on many of the analytical programs and projects supported by CIU and the Tennessee Fusion Center. CIA Emberton instructs at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, TBI's State Academy, TBI's City/County School and at the TBI Agents' Academy. CIA Emberton is a co-creator of the Tennessee AMBER Alert Program and TBI's first Child Abduction Response Team. CIA Emberton assisted with starting the TBI Human Trafficking Unit in 2010 and is a co-author of Tennessee Human Sex Trafficking and Its Impact on Children and Youth, 2011. CIA Emberton is a graduate of the 5th Session of the TBI Director's Academy. She was also awarded the TBI Support Staff of the Year in 2009 and received the TBI's Distinguished Performance Award for Support Personnel in 2022. CIA Emberton began her law enforcement career in 1996 and prior to joining TBI in 2000, she served as a dispatcher with the Wilson County (TN) Sheriff's Office, the Lebanon (TN) and Mt. Juliet (TN) Police Departments and as a Patrol Officer with the Watertown (TN) Police Department.