Activities in the EIIP Virtual Forum included our usual three offerings per week with exceptional presentations on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The formal sessions each Wednesday were well attended and session transcripts are excellent sources of up-to-date information on a variety of emergency management-related topics. Thursday evening Round Table discussions continued to attract very capable discussion leaders with diverse perspectives provided by our audiences. Transcripts of all Wednesday and Round Table dialogues are available in the EIIP Virtual Library.

Statistics on the Virtual Forum are exciting, too. We are receiving about 1000 hits each day with site users spending far more time in the Virtual Forum than the norm. Global interest is growing with visitors from Canada, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Israel, Netherlands, South Africa and Germany checking out the site.

Please note a slight change in our weekly schedule. We have wonderful discussions led by Guest Hosts in the Thursday night Round Table that are enhanced by the informal atmosphere and diversity of the audience. Some of the most interesting topics and side issues have been explored in this setting. However, we believe this discussion may be further expanded in another time slot. Starting in July, the Round Table will move to the Tuesday 1:00 PM Eastern Time period, formerly occupied by the Brown Bag discussion. Thursday evenings at 8:00 PM Eastern Time will be called the "Mutual Aid" session to serve as a Help Desk when needed but also an open forum where issues, hot topics, and any number of subjects can be addressed.

• EIIP Road Trips: The EIIP Virtual Forum was a formal presenter on the Community & Family Preparedness (CFP) Conference agenda at EMI June 9-12. The focus of the EIIP session was to encourage CFP participants to utilize the resources, networking and numerous features of the Internet, the Virtual Forum and possible expansion of Act Now. Plans for the week included a "Live from the CFP Conference" event for Wednesday's Virtual Forum session. About 20 participants from EMI were present in the computer lab to chat with a good-size audience from all over the country. However, there were technical difficulties and sharing of CFP Conference happenings was accomplished in Thursday's Round Table with the help of attendees with laptops and their respective ISP connections. This was an excellent conference and a good experience for everyone who tried the Virtual Forum.
  
  
• Scheduled for August --- First Anniversary Cyber-Celebration of the Virtual Forum: We celebrate the Virtual Forum's first anniversary in August! The list of speakers for the past year has been compiled --- there are over 100 emergency professionals who have learned to use this new medium. There are three who have presented twice in the past year with one who has graciously assisted us on three separate occasions. Each of the speakers will receive a certificate from the EIIP Virtual Forum and a special invitation to the first anniversary occasion along with a listing in the Virtual Forum of all our honorees. Everyone is invited to attend this very special event --- watch for more details soon!

Please Note:

• "Round Table" led by a Guest Host will move to Tuesdays at 1:00 PM Eastern time.
• Thursday 8:00 PM ET will now be known as the "Mutual Aid" session. Bring your questions and concerns, be prepared to advise and offer the benefit of your experience to others. This session will be a help desk of sorts, a broad-scope forum that fits your needs.

July 1998 - Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EDT

July 1 - Dr. Kirstin Dow, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina, presents paper, "Cry Wolf: Repeat Response to Hurricane Evacuation Orders", in the Virtual Library.

July 8 - Bruce Marshall and Carole Eiben, FEMA EMI, will address the EENET Broadcasts with details of future plans and programs, in the Virtual Classroom.

July 15 - This month's EIIP Panel Discussion features speakers from a recent strategic policy and planning symposium in Ohio -- "Terrorism: Are We Prepared?"

July 22 - "Live!" from Technology Partners for Emergency Management - FEMA/Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Workshop in Argonne, Illinois.

July 29 - The Technical Arena is the scene of a demonstration of ERLink, a controlled access Web site that provides the response community with a means of sharing information regarding response activities; guest speakers, John O'Connor, NCS, and Rod Volz, SETA Corporation. (See ERLink announcement below.)

The following submitted the agreement form to become formal Partners and are listed on the EIIP Virtual Forum web site, with links to Websites if available (see http://www.emforum.org/partners/partic.htm). Each Point of Contact (POC) has been welcomed to the EIIP and encouraged to become an active participant and worker in the Partnership:

Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM): Paul Osman (posman@dnrmail.state.il.us)

Business Emergency Preparedness Council (BEPC): Millie Workman, Vice Chair (mworkman@muellerindustries.com)

Charlotte County (FL) Office of Emergency Management: Wayne P. Sallade, Director (wsallade@peganet.com)

ERIM International: Peter A. Colvin, Information Technology Program Manager (pcolvin@erim-int.com)

Kitsap County (WA) Department of Emergency Management: Phyllis A. Mann, CEM, Director (pmann@co.kitsap.wa-us)

Lincoln-Logan Ambulance (Lincoln, IL): Terry L. Storer, Paramedic Crew Chief (storer@ccaonline.com)

Mifflin County (PA) Emergency Services: Joseph W. Rupe, Jr., CEM, Director (rupejoe@acsworld.net)

SETA Corporation: Rodney H. Volz, Project Manager (rvolz@seta.com)

WFMY-TV (Greensboro NC): Randy Jackson, Chief Meteorologist (rjwx2man@worldnet.att.net)

Interested in joining the EIIP? New Partners are welcome; Partnership Criteria and Agreement Form may be found at the following URL: http://www.emforum.org/partners/criteria.htm

EIIP Logo Accessible to Partners

We continue to add new Partners to the EIIP. Part of the EIIP Memorandum of Agreement states that we will link to each other's web sites, if one exists. In response to a request of a new Partner for the EIIP logo, we have made the logo easily accessible and in an appropriate size for any of our Partners' use at: http://www.emforum.org/images/ic_forum.gif

Allegany County (MD) and Project Impact Insights
by Jean Smith

The major focus of Project Impact is that the initiative for mitigation comes from the community. This is a radical change from all previous programs. Usually emergency management projects work from the federal level down. The Project Impact approach has caused major rethinks at all levels of emergency management. It is such a different approach that it can make the Project Impact idea difficult to grasp. Once the pilot projects have been running for a year, you will see seven different projects. This is what mitigation should be. All seven communities have embraced mitigation as a cornerstone of their resistance to disaster. Each community has unique, specific mitigation for their unique, specific hazards.

Project Impact has allowed Allegany County to continue focusing on their own mitigation while continuing the necessary support we need. Each part of Project Impact has come from the local community. It is not based on state perceived need nor regional perceived needs. In Allegany County, Project Impact moneys have been designated to acquire flood vulnerable homes, retrofit homes (primarily utilities and heating systems) and build a GIS map base. This money has allowed leverage of the HMGP funds received after the January and September 96 floods. Based on community need and desire, this money seeds mitigation efforts. Many of the people on Project Impact work groups are working to locate funding that will replace and perpetuate the mitigation work that is under way.

The last Project Impact idea is that a community does not have to be selected by FEMA to become disaster resistant. The guidebooks are an excellent resource for starting and getting your own program off the ground. Our mitigation funding comes from many sources and you will find that yours can too. If your community has had it with repeated repair following disaster, it may be time to start your own Disaster Resistant Community effort. When you make partners of you residents, businesses and leaders; you have found a source of initiative and funding. If you wait to be named a Project Impact community, you wait too long. Begin with a community focus group. Then develop a prioritized list of goals and tasks, keeping the focus on your community mitigation efforts. Disaster resistance efforts do NOT need to be big ticket items. For example, training teachers in weather preparedness provides you with a corps of trainers who disseminate your important information. You are now training your own trainers. FEMA, the state and other organizations can support this through training and providing informational brochures. The CAER program has an excellent set of teaching outlines with handout masters. Now you have ready supplies to give your trainers. When you spread the job over many people, it will get done and your community begins to benefit from mitigation in reduced losses.

ERLink Provides Response Communications

The Emergency Response Link (ERLink) is provided by the Office of the Manager, National Communications System for exclusive use by the Emergency Response community. It supports the Federal Response Plan (FRP), as well as State and local agencies responding to natural disasters and other domestic emergencies.

Following the difficulties of communicating during the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake, the Office of the Manager, National Communications System (OMNCS), in conjunction with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), undertook an effort to improve the information flow among the 28 agencies and organizations comprising the Federal Response Plan (FRP) community.

Successfully reacting to and mitigating a situation depends on receiving accurate and timely information. To facilitate the flow of information, the OMNCS designed and developed the Emergency Response Link (ERLink) to be the focal point of information sharing within the emergency response community.

ERLink is a controlled access Web site providing the response community with a means of sharing information regarding response activities. ERLink was designed with the very basic principle of making information sharing easy. The Internet provides a far-reaching, easily extendible backbone into emergency operation shops and into remote affected areas. Development focused upon capitalizing on the point-and-click nature of the Internet for information retrieval. Similarly, ERLink's point-and-click upload function allows emergency response personnel to share information with the entire response community.

ERLink hosts operational information such as situation reports. While not classified, operational information is often sensitive and requires security precautions due to privacy issues such as casualties, contract funding, and unsubstantiated reports requiring confirmation. To achieve a balance between sharing and securing information, ERLink utilizes both authentication and encryption functionality. The combination of user identification numbers and passwords for authentication and encryption via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology built in to most web browsers provides the response community with a virtual private network to conduct operations.

Agreements with FEMA and the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center (NHC) are improving the quality and value of information uploaded to ERLink. The FEMA Daily Report (FDR) is published daily to ERLink. In addition, NHC data (such as weather conditions, storm intensity, and storm tracks) are now mirrored on ERLink. This provides the response community an alternative information source for hurricane data rather than having the community compete for resources from the public hurricane Web site. The NHC public Web site (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) receives a tremendous number of requests for information during hurricane season.

The ERLink program office continues to work with the response community to improve functionality and operational utility. We solicit your feedback.More information about ERLink and an account application form can be found at http://www.erlink.com. Additional information about the National Communications System is available at http://www.ncs.gov.

(Note: An ERLink presentation is scheduled for July 29th in the EIIP Tech Arena, 12:00 Noon Eastern.)

George Washington University to Offer New Graduate Courses

The George Washington University's Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management, is offering graduate level degree courses starting this Fall. It is one of only a few universities in the country providing graduate level, interdisciplinary courses. Claire B. Rubin, EIIP Partner, has recently affiliated with the Institute as Adjunct Faculty and will be teaching one of the courses this Fall and in early 1999. See FEMA's EMI Higher Education Project page on George Washington University for further information.

Emergency Administration and Management Symposium

The Dean of the School of Community Education and Professional Development at Arkansas Tech University, Mary Ann Rollans, announces a baccalaureate degree in Emergency Administration and Management (EAM). Three of the university's courses are offered on the Web and Arkansas Tech is moving aggressively into the area of virtual learning for additional courses. The facility is completing a 5-day symposium June 29-July 3 with specialists on topics from a variety of perspectives on emergency response and mitigation. This symposium is endorsed by FEMA and delivered by satellite to any downlink site wishing to access it. Arkansas Tech offers three hours of academic credit for the course with electronic admission and registration available through the school's web site.
Email: atufema@aetn.org URL: http://www.aetn.org/atufema

'Master'-ing E-commerce

Want to learn about doing business over the World Wide Web? A California university has a program you may be interested in --- a first-of-its-kind masters in electronic commerce degree program is offered at National University in La Jolla, California. The program debuts next month.See http://www.nu.edu/index.html.

Journal Articles Wanted by NASAR

Response, the peer-reviewed academic journal published by the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) is seeking timely, academically-sound, commercially unbiased articles for publication. If your paper is chosen for publication, you will be paid a minimum of $200. Please mail to: NASAR, Attn: Larry Jacobson, 44500 Southgate Place, Suite 100, Chantilly VA 20151

Emergency Game Now Available

This simulation game could be used for training scenarios by almost any community, and any discipline. Rick Tobin, TAO Services - Emergency Management Consulting, and EIIP Partner, checked this out and believes anyone in the profession should take a serious look at this product. A free demo is available at the following site: http://www.emergency.cd/

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html

This multi-part FAQ (frequently asked questions) report on hurricanes provides a myriad of information about hurricanes. Divided by topics such as definitions, myths, winds, forecasting, climatology, observation, historical information, etc., information is easily located and retrieved.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

The website of the National Hurricane Center's tropical prediction center, this site prepares and distributes hurricane watches and warnings for the general public as well as marine and military advisories. In addition to offering satellite imagery and images retrieved from aircraft reconnaissance, tracking charts are available to download in .GIF format.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/

The Hurricane Research Division (HRD) is a part of the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States Department of Commerce. HRD is NOAA's primary focus for studies of tropical cyclones and convective systems, with a mission to improve forecasting through physical understanding of the structure and dynamics of tropical cyclones; conduct annual Hurricane Field Program using the two NOAA AOC WP-3D research aircraft and the new Gulfstream IV-SP operational aircraft; interact with various research centers for the numerical modeling of tropical cyclones; and participate in international tropical meteorological field programs and National research programs.

Organizational & Issue Updates from EIIP Partners

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)Update:

FEMA Alliance with American Meteorological Society (AMS) - During the recent 27th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology of the AMS in St. Louis, FEMA Director James L. Witt announced the AMS has agreed to assist FEMA in disseminating information that can save lives and reduce property damage during disasters. Under the alliance, FEMA will provide meteorologists with information on local disaster risks, one-on-one technical assistance, preventive actions, and how localities can become Project Impact communities. The focus of the AMS Conference was to provide broadcast meteorologists with the latest information about the science of weather that enables more accurate and timely weather forecasts and predictions to the public.

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American Society of Professional Emergency Planners (ASPEP) Update:

Deadline for 1998 ASPEP Journal Papers is July 31! - As a reminder, the ASPEP Journal Committee requests papers of 1500-4500 words on emergency management topics for the 1998 edition. The Journal will be published in time for the NCCEM Conference in Norfolk, November 7-10, 1998. The deadline for submission of papers is July 31. For more information, contact: Tom Heath (tmheath@globalserve.net) (905) 844-6597 or Mike Selves (michael.selves@jocoks.com) (913) 782-3038.

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International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM, formerly NCCEM) Update:

IAEM Partners With LOWES Home Safety Council - Last year IAEM was invited to join other distinguished partners on the Lowes Home Safety Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating awareness of home safety issues and initiating programs to empower Americans to live safer lives at home through national and grassroots education efforts. Joining the list of illustrious Board members, Class of 2000, is IAEM. Board members include: Dr. Louis Sullivan (former US Secretary of Health and Human Services, President Morehouse School of Medicine), Ron Hazelton (Good Morning America, "House Doctor") and representatives from the American Red Cross, National Fire Protection Association, National Safety Council, American Association of Retired Persons, Major Cities Chiefs, Consumer Federation of America, and business partners including high-level executives from LOWES, BRK Electronics/First Alert, Werner Ladder Co, OSRAM Sylvania, Schlage Lock, Duracell, Georgia Pacific, 3M, Stanley Works, Quikrete, HGTV, Spectrum Group, Moen, Oatey Company, KwitSet, Armstrong, Larson Doors, and Black and Decker Corporation.

The synergy and cooperative interaction of the LOWES Home Safety Council with local communities has produced the positive energy and partnerships that are needed to make things happen. Exciting 1998 initiatives have included co-sponsorship of the "Risk Watch" program for school children by the National Fire Protection Association and LOWES Home Safety Council. LOWES partnered with FEMA in two of the seven pilot "Project Impact" mitigation projects, one each in Maryland and North Carolina to help after a local disaster, and to rebuild a more disaster resistant community. The LHSC has already worked in over 200 communities through locally sponsored "Heroes" programs which promote public/private partnerships. Local community outreach groups work directly with LOWES store managers in selecting a special project which assists the elderly, young children, or another vulnerable population. In Ohio the Lowe's Heroes partnered volunteers to do security make-overs with the local police department; in Moline, Illinois the team worked with the Salvation Army to beef up safety in transitional housing for battered women. In Mechanicsburg, PA the Heroes teamed up with the Safe Kids Coalition.

Other programs have included interactive safety kiosks and public information displays of FEMA and local Emergency Management pamphlets in stores. The LHSC partners funded "Safety Watch" television specials featuring fire prevention, smoke detector, and a variety of home safety messages. Check out the 1-800-4-SAFE HOME hotline which provides access to dozens of home safety information packets and videos, including hurricane preparedness and severe winter storm weather information. Dozens of exciting projects have already been completed, and hundreds more are in the loop for partnership unding and volunteer support.

The Lowes Home Safety Council, in its brief time since founding, has received national and international acclaim for a number of its programs. In the spirit of a true partnership, the LHSC supports the educational work of its nonprofit partners with a $1000 honorarium which IAEM will receive for its participation in each of the spring and August LHSC meetings. For further information, please contact Kathleen Henning, CEM, MA, Program Coordinator, Emergency Management, Montgomery County, Maryland as your IAEM representative on the LOWES Home Safety Council.

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National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue (NI/USR) Update:

XII Proof of Concept Demonstration a Success - The critique of the XII Proof of Concept demonstration at Hansom AFB rated the May event as very successful. Of special importance was the added capability of State and local players, including the Fire and Protection folks on the Base at Hanscom. Demonstration participants included representatives from DOD DOMS; Air Force/Force Protection at Hanscom; Marine Corps Warfighting Lab; DISA; Sequent; BTG and AFCEA; Essential Technologies; NCAPP at Syracuse University, and the US Navy.

New players are coming into the XII; those involved meet by conference call July 1 to continue the planning for September XII Part Two.

For Additional Information Contact:
National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue
PO Box 90909, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
Voice: 800-767-0093 FAX: 805-966-6178
e-mail : niusr@ix.netcom.com URL: http://niusr.org

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Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department Update:

Witness Full Scale Burn Test via Internet - A recent full scale burn test was performed by GreenStone Industries under the supervision of The Code Consortium and Steven Winter Associates which was documented by technical monitoring and photography. Providing the venue for the burn was the University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (http://www.mfri.org/) which hosted the test at the North East Regional Training Center located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Technical and protective assistance was provided by MFRI special programs instructors and firefighters from the Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department (http://www.firenet.apg.army.mil/).

Digital photos prove there is quite a difference between fiberglass insulation and cellulose insulation in a structural fire. Kevin Farrell <kevin.farrell@firenet.apg.army.mil>, Manager of Information Systems, APGFD, recorded the event supported by their department and posted the results to their web site in the "photo" area (http://www.firenet.apg.army.mil/departmentdata.html#photo). Look for reference to "The Big Burn". Very impressive photographs and timeline --- see the web site for dramatic results!

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July 20-23, 1998: Technology Partners for Emergency Management Workshop and Exhibition at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne IL. See web site at: http://www.fema.dis.anl.gov or call FEMA Workshop Information Line at 1 (800)752-6367.

July 22, 1998 or December 3, 1998: Improving Local Emergency Management Workshop at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides an opportunity for emergency managers in the public and private sectors; examine the elements of a simplified Integrated Emergency Management System (IEMS); take home your own action plan. Call 1(800)462-0876 or check web site at: http://epdwww.engr.wisc.edu/ or email at: custserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu

August 7, 1998: Planning for a Safer Tomorrow Seminar, Denver, Colorado - Sponsored by Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Response Association (DERA), Colorado Office of Emergency Management, Colorado Natural Hazards Mitigation Council, Community Associations Institute, Intessera Technologies, Kistner and Associates, Western Insurance Information Service, and Rocky Mountain Insurance Council. For registration form and other information see http://www.disasters.org/safer-tomorrow.html.

August 24-26, 1998: Making the Connection '98. The Colorado Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) presents 4th Annual ACP International Symposium, The Village at Breckenridge, a Wyndham Resort, Breckenridge, CO 1(800)800-STAY or contact Linda Hagg at by phone at: (303)768-4369.

September 9-10, 1998: The Internet Intranet-centric Government Enterprise Conference on the Advanced Information Technologies for Government Conference Series for Federal/State/Local Government Technologists; to register, call 1(800)949-3660.

September 9-11, 1998: EPA Radiological Post-Emergency Response Issues Conference in Washington D. C. For more information, send email to: EPAConference@scicomm.com

September 9-12, 1998: NEMA Annual Conference - Charleston, SC. For more information, contact Marcia Hensley (606)244-8162.

September 14-16, 1998: Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ) Fall Conference in Orlando FL. For more information, please visit the web site at: http://www.drj.com.

September 22, 1998: Earthquakes Mean Business: A One-Day Symposium on Issues in Business Continuity and Recovery, Focusing on Earthquake Preparedness. Sponsored by: Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) and the Utah Seismic Safety Commission (USSC). Salt Lake City, Utah. The symposium is part of Salt Lake City's "It's Our Fault" Earthquake Preparedness Week (September 21-26). Contact: Mike Stever; (801) 535-6030; e-mail: mike.stever@ci.slc.ut.us.

September 22-25, 1998: California Emergency Services Association (CESA) State Conference in Clear Lake, CA. For more information, send email to Henry Renteria at: hrrenteria@aolcom.

October 3-7, 1998: IAP2 1998 - International Conference and Workshop on Public Participation at Tempe Mission Palms Resort in Tempe AZ. Register online at: http://www.pin.org/iap2.htm.

December 9-12, 1998: TechnoVentions '98 in Orlando FL and coordinated by University of Central Florida's College of Engineering and Division of Continuing Education. For more information, see web site at: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~conted/techno.htm or send email to: conted@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu.

QUOTABLE WEBSITES

Need a catchy quote to perk up a speech or paper? There is a wealth of old, new and unusual quote material available on the Net. For example:

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/bartlett
• Conner's Unfamiliar Quotations: http://www.h2net.net/p/connect2/quotes.html

Additional sites to check out for lots of quotations:

• http://www.moosecom.com/~moosecom/quotations.html
• http://www.ability.org.uk/quotat.html
• http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~liu15/quotes.html

DOE SENDS EARTH DOG TO THE RESCUE

http://www.earthdog.com

To save our environment, Earth Dog needs the help of some creative children. Introduced by the Department of Energy as part of its outreach program, Earth Dog is a privately held company that is raising environmental awareness. Earth Dog is also the name of their fun, furry, global, cartoon crusader, who educates children about problems facing our environment and gets them involved in creating the solutions. Students can help Earth Dog by entering a contest in which they pick an environmental problem and research it for the chance to earn cash prizes, publish their stories on the Internet, and win Web TV Internet terminals for their school.

We encourage readers to submit articles for this newsletter about use of the Internet for emergency management and other aspects of information technology. Deadline for contributions is the 20th of each month for that month's newsletter. Submit contributions to Ashley Streetman, (astreetman@emforum.org).