EMERGENCY PARTNER POSTINGS

Volume 3, No. 2

October 1998

A New Fiscal Year! This is a time of reflection for the EIIP Virtual Forum. The past year was one of trial, learning and success shared by many of our Partners, speakers and participants. The EIIP Planning Team will soon adopt the 1999 Strategic Plan with tasks and milestones geared to our goals of continually expanding and exploiting the medium of the Internet and technology through the Virtual Forum. Watch for upcoming virtual conferences hosted by the EIIP in conjunction with other organizations (see details below). To grow and offer the caliber of online interaction experienced thus far in the Virtual Forum necessitates more involvement of Partners and participants as the drivers for online dialogues. For this reason, starting in October, the Tuesday 1:00 PM ET "Round Table" will be available for discussions as scheduled and moderated by Partners; yes, scheduled and moderated (we will provide instructions.) Sessions will be publicized to attract audiences just as we promote the Wednesday sessions.

EIIP WEBEX Scheduled November 5 - Interest is increasing as well as the number of players for the EIIP portion of the Fall Virtual Fire & Rescue Expo, November 1-15, 1998 (http://www.vfre.com). The EIIP, VFRE, FEMA, Natural Hazards Observer and various electronic newsletters posted a request for Nominations for WEBEX Role Players and the response has been wonderful. Assignments and exercise logistics are progressing as the planning continues. Please see summaries of planning meetings in the Virtual Forum; click on link to Discussion Groups and look for WEBEX.

EIIP Road Trip - The EIIP Virtual Forum was demonstrated to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Emergency Systems Management Advisory Committee on September 9-10. The committee participated as a group via an auditorium screen during a September 9 Virtual Classroom presentation by Dr. Mary Ann Rollans, Dean, Arkansas Tech University. The topic and timing were perfect --- the 4-year emergency management degree program from Arkansas Tech was of special interest as the UTC Emergency Systems Management degree program begins in January '99 and will use the Internet and other distance learning methods to reach students throughout the southeast. Please see the transcript and note the questions submitted by the UTC committee.

Please Note:

• "Round Table", Tuesdays at 1:00 PM Eastern Time, is available for Partner led discussions upon request; will be publicized as scheduled by Partners and Virtual Forum participants. Partners are asked to become more active due to the demand for Virtual Forum assistance and utilization; we are operating on very limited human resources . Note: Dolores (Dee) Beaugez, EIIP Partner and Publisher of The Horse Review, begins October 6 in the Round Table with disaster planning for animals.
• "Mutual Aid" informal session --- Thursdays 8:00 PM ET. WEBEX planning and logistics are underway in this time period.

October 1998 - Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EDT

October 7: The Virtual Library hosts Thomas Schmidlin, Kent University; paper to be presented is "Risk factors for Death in February '98 Florida Tornadoes".

October 14: "World Disaster Day October 14" will be featured with speakers from the UN International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

October 21: "Pop Culture in Disasters" discussion with Dr. Gary Webb, Disaster Research Center (DRC), University of Delaware.

October 28: Risk Management Plans (RMPs, deadline June 21, 1999) Jeff Lorrain and Kelly Carmichael, Law Engineering & Environmental Services.

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:

Communications Data Services, Inc.: Edward Pearce, Owner (edpearce@pearceconsulting.com)

Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) Public Safety Institute: David Johnson, Assistant Director (johnson@ccac.edu)

The Horse Review: Dolores (Dee) Beaugez, Publisher (debeaugez@visual-imagry.com)

Lixey Consulting Agency: Col ® William H. Lixey, WMD Coordinator (06lix@voyage.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

1998 United Nations World Disaster Day - October 14
The UN IDNDR will be the featured speaker in the Virtual Forum on World Disaster Day, October 14, 12:00 Noon Eastern time. As a reminder, the 1998 IDNDR Internet Conference --- "Natural Disaster Prevention begins with Information" --- is underway and runs through October 18, 1998. The IDNDR Internet Conference emphasizes selling the disaster prevention message, finding the right communication tools, and expressing the right information at the right time in an appropriate language. Access IDNDR information about the virtual conference and other IDNDR activities from the Virtual Forum home page (http://www.emforum.org).

Plans Finalized for OAS Virtual Conference
Everything is ready for the "Virtual Conference on the Hemispheric Plan for Disaster Reduction in the Education Sector", October 19-23, 1998, hosted by the Organization of American States (http://www.oas.org), Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment, with the United Nations International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction Secretariat and the United Nations Development Program. The objective of the conference is to promote the implementation of the "Hemispheric Action Plan for Vulnerability Reduction in the Education Sector to Socio-Natural Disasters." Contact Natural Hazards Project, OAS (natural-hazards-project@oas.org) (202)458-6295; fax: (202) 458-3560. For conference documents and register, see Natural Hazards Project site (http://www.oas.org/EN/prog/nhp/home.html). The EIIP Virtual Forum is assisting OAS with the virtual conference by providing a Mail List for the discussion.

The Popular Culture of Disaster: What is it and Why is it Important?
Many of us have heard bad jokes about disasters and seen even worse movies about them. For a variety of reasons, disasters generate a tremendous amount of human interest and therefore continue to be recurrent and prominent themes in popular culture. On Wednesday, October 21, 1998, 12:00 Noon Eastern, Dr. Gary Webb, from the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, will moderate a Virtual Forum discussion focusing on the popular culture of disaster and why it is important. The popular culture of disaster includes disaster jokes and humor, folk legends and beliefs about disasters, songs and poems created at times of disaster, on-site graffiti, survivor buttons and T-shirts, and those unforgettable disaster movies. The topic is important because at some level these things provide people with knowledge about disasters and, in some cases, help us cope with catastrophic events. At the same time, some of these cultural products can be sources of misinformation and create problems for emergency management professionals. All interested individuals are invited to join the Virtual Forum discussion and share their experiences and thoughts on this interesting and important topic.

PPP 2000 Announces Seminar Schedule
The Public Private Partnership (PPP) 2000 is a cooperative endeavor of several federal agencies, national and international nongovernmental organizations, and major businesses. PPP 2000 is hosting a series of forums in Washington, DC, on public policy issues affecting natural disaster reduction. Contact Olga Marinenko, Futures Group, Inc., (202) 775-9680; e-mail: olgam@erols.com; -or- Institute for Business and Home Safety, (617) 292-2003; WWW: http://www.ibhs.org. The tentative list of seminars follows:

Seminar 8: "Reducing Losses from Floods" - October 5, 1998
Seminar 9: "Infrastructure" - November 17, 1998
Seminar 10: "Mobilizing the Public Against Natural Disasters" - December 15, 1998
Seminar 11: "Second Assessment of Natural Hazards" - January 27, 1999
Seminar 12: "Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing" - February, 1999
Seminar 13: "The Public Health Following Natural Disasters" - March, 1999
Seminar 14: "Mobilizing Hazard Reduction Forces" - April, 1999
Seminar 15: "Wrap-Up" - May, 1999

INFERNO!
INFERNO! is a 15-part documentary series that airs on the Life Network and the Discovery Channel in January, Fridays at 9:30 PM. Each episode deals with a different aspect of fire and much more. If you have video footage of a wildland or forest fire with a good story, please notify Darrel Trueman (dtrueman@compusmart.ab.ca). If your tips or suggestions are used, you'll receive a free copy of the program. If your video is used, you will be paid; also looking for fire posters. Email address above.

Centre for Risk & Crisis Management Call for Papers
"Corporate and Risk Communication in Organisations" is the third conference to be organised by The Centre for Risk and Crisis Management, Durham University Business School, Durham City, UK. The 2-day conference, January 20-21, 1999, will focus upon the culture of communication within organisations particularly where communication of risk is concerned. The conference will identify the main channels of information dissemination and how dependent effective communication is upon the symbols used to frame the concept and the rules used to interpret these symbols.

Both theoretical and empirical papers are invited. Conference papers should encompass the theme of the conference and related topics. Submit abstract by October 31, 1998, no more than 500 words, single spaced, to Professor Denis Smith, Director, Centre for Risk and Crisis Management; email: Denis.Smith@durham.ac.uk or E.L.Coles@durham.ac.uk.

"The Connection"
Frank Lucier, former Program Coordinator, Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Program, San Francisco Fire Department, is developing a national newsletter, "The Connection", that focuses on sharing good ideas about civilian disaster preparedness programs from around the country. (Sponsored by the National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue [NI/USR].) Anyone interested in submitting articles or receiving a copy of the electronic newsletter should send an e-mail to fjlucier@naem.com.

• Poll says 68% of Americans are ignorant of Y2K problem. When it is described to them, 54% aren't afraid because they think it will be fixed in time. Poll was sponsored by a web site devoted to year 2000 information (http:www.y2ktoday.com).
  
  
• Crooner Pat Boone is supporting a new cause --- raising awareness of the Y2K problem. Boone recently recorded a public service announcement that offers a free information kit to help families prepare for the millennium. Radio stations can download the PSA from http://www.y2knet.com.
  
  
• PhotoDisc, Inc., company in Seattle, is offering a CD-ROM of stock photos with images for the new millennium; they include a crystal ball, hourglass, clocks, calendars, time bombs and PC screens with explosions.
  
  
• See home page of the House Subcommittee on Government, Information and Technology (http://www.house.gov/reform/gmit) for Federal Government's Year 2000 Progress Report Card.

Canada is building what backers call "the world's first nationwide optical Internet", a research backbone that will zip traffic along at up to 40 billion bit/sec. That's fast enough to download the 3 hour 15 minutes movie "Titanic" in one-fifth of a second, and it's about 16 times quicker than the upgrade to a US research network, Very High Performance Backbone Network Service (VBNS), that gets underway this fall. (From Computerworld, 8/31/98 http://www.computerworld.com) More information at:

• CA-net 3 (Canada) http://www.canarie.ca Speed/time frame: 40G bit/sec., initial connections by October
• VBNS (US) http://www.ngi.gov Part of Next Generation Internet project --- Speed/time frame: Now at 622M bit/sec., upgrade to 2.4G bit/sec. Starts in the fall
• Abiline (US) http://www.internetz.edu part of Internet2 project by universities --- Speed/time frame: 9.6 bit/sec. backbone, next year

The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) was mandated by Congress four years ago to provide online indexes of government information to the public. A report by the consumer watchdog group, OMB Watch, says that GILS is being neglected; some agencies have not updated their GILS files since 1996 or earlier. Meanwhile, the government is developing new software, Advanced Search Facility, to make it easier for agencies to index their electronic information for GILS. The software is essentially a Web crawler that also indexes references to "non-Web" material that is formatted as a GILS record. The software will also allow agencies to edit those records. (Excerpt from Federal Computer Weekly, 8/17/98. http://www.fcw.com)

Before listing sites of interest, a couple of facts about the rise in Internet users:

• Half of all young Americans and Canadian adults (16 to 34 years old) are Internet users, according to Nielsen Media Research study. Currently there are 79 million Net users 17 and older in the US and Canada -- 36% increase in the past year. The number of people making purchases on the Web has doubled.
• Internet surfing has displaced beer drinking as the No. 1 pastime on college campuses, according to a Spring '98 study by Student Monitor, LLC, Ridgewood, NJ.

http://www.rothstein.com/
The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery, a resource for several hundred books, software tools, research reports and videos, is now available free on CD-ROM as well as at the URL above.

http://www.haznet.org
HazNet site was created by the national Sea Grant network and is devoted to coastal hazards awareness and mitigation.

http://www.denendeh.com/flycolor/wildfire/
The Canadian Wildfire Network Web site is designed by, for and about those people directly or indirectly involved in forest fire fighting in Canada.

http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html
The "hot links" section of the Hazards Center Web site has been completely revised and updated.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc and http://www.nlectc.org
Point your browser to these sites to learn more about high-tech law enforcement.

Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Update:

Call for Papers: ASFPM 23rd Annual Conference, May 23-28, 1999 - The ASFPM invites you to Portland, Oregon, to share your experiences by presenting a paper relevant to the conference theme, "Planning Ahead: Flood Loss Reduction in the 21st Century." Deadline for 1-page abstracts is November 20, 1998. Submit by email; the Submittal Form and all instructions are available on the ASFPM Web page, http://www.floods.org, Conferences section. Authors will be notified of acceptance by January 15, 1999. For more information about the ASFPM Conference, send request to asfpm@floods.org.

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Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Update:

FEMA and EDA Provide Disaster Resistant Jobs Training - The Economic Development Administration (EDA) and FEMA have joined forces to develop and provide disaster recovery and mitigation training to help communities operate more effectively after disasters. The Disaster Resistant Jobs Training is for state and local economic development and emergency management staff in Project Impact communities who will in turn train their colleagues and others in the community. FEMA will develop the training during the next 12 months and offer it as part of the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) curriculum in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

New 1998/99 FEMA/EMI Catalog - Contact EMI, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727. Information available at: http://www.fema.gov/EMI

EENET Experiments with Video via the Web - three previously aired EENET satellite bradcasts are available for viewing on demand via http://www.fema.gov/emi/eevideo.htm. Either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player are required and may be downloaded via links provided. Available programs at this time are Introduction to Emergency Response to Terrorism and Managing Stress Threats: A Comprehensive Approach.

October's regular EENET satellite broadcasts includes:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time - "EVEN THE SMALLEST
COMMUNITY CAN MANAGE FIRE PREVENTION"

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time - "NATIONAL ALERT"

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time - "PROJECT IMPACT:
BUILDING A DISASTER RESISTANT COMMUNITY"

See http://www.fema.gov/emi/eenet.htm for details.

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National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)Update:

NEMA Elects New Officers for 1998/99 - During the NEMA Conference in Charleston, SC, new officers were selected: Ellen Gordon (IA) President; Joe Myers (FL) President Elect; Gary Whitney (SD) Treasurer; and Pat Ralston (IN) Secretary. NEMA passed a resolution acknowledging the need to establish national standards for emergency management. The resolution calls for NEMA to establish a national emergency management accreditation program; establish a standing NEMA working group to manage the establishment of the accreditation program; and establish the Year 2000 for implementation of the accreditation program. FEMA and the International Association of Emergency Managers will be partners with NEMA in this initiative.

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International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Update:

Pre-Conference Training on Strategic Planning - IAEM pre-conference training is provided by the Florida State University as part of its Results-Oriented Government program; Strategic Planning is the first of 6 modules in this program; additional modules will be offered at future conferences. This 2-day program earns 15 classroom credits of general management continuing education/training for the Certified Emergency Managers (CEM) program. The course will be offered on November 5-6 prior to IAEM's 46th Annual Conference & Exhibit (Nov 7-10) in Norfolk, Virginia. For further information, contact IAEM Headquarters (IAEM@aol.com).

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Natural Hazards Observer Update:

1998 Hazards Workshop Session Summaries Now Available on the Web - Compiled summaries of the discussions and presentations of 23rd Annual Hazards Research and Applications Workshop, hosted by the Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, are now available in hard copy for $20.00, plus $5.00 shipping from the Publications Clerk, Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Campus Box 482, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0482; (303) 492-6818; fax: (303) 492-2151; jclark@spot.colorado.edu or http://www.colorado.edu/hazards. Checks should be made payable to the University of Colorado; credit cards are also accepted. (Orders beyond North America require additional shipping charges; contact the Publications Clerk for details.) Session summaries (no research abstracts or project descriptions) are also available on the Hazards Center site at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/ss/ss.html.

October 7-10, 1998: National Association of EMTs Conference & Expo - Winston-Salem NC. Visit: http://www.naemt.org/outlook

October 8-10, 1998: NVFC Fall Meeting, Warwick, Rhode Island; 1-888-ASK-NVFC (275-6832).

October 14-16, 1998: Defense Week Weapons of Mass Destruction & Domestic Preparedness, Policy Issues & Program Requirements - Washington DC. For registration information, see web site (http://www.kingpublishing.com).

October 22-23, 1998: Institute of Civil Defence and Disaster Studies and Disaster
Management Forum Annual Conference: "Dealing with Disasters in the 21st Century"- Feltham, Middlesex, U.K.: Contact: Disaster Management Forum, P.O. Box 135, Bromley, Kent BR1 1ZN, U.K.; tel: +44 (0) 181 313 3999; fax: +44 (0) 181 313 3998.

October 26-27, 1998: Partnerships & Participation in Telecommunications for Rural Development: Exploring What Works and Why - University of Guelph in Guelph,
Ontario, Canada. The conference focuses on telecommunications for participatory rural
development. It looks at how lessons-learned in Canada might be applied by people in other countries, and how lessons learned in other countries might be applied in Canada.
Note: Online Pre-conference - October 1 to 21 1998 : Free online pre-conference located at http://www.snowden.org provides opportunities to discuss past, present and future uses of communication technology in rural areas. The aim of the pre-conference process is to identify and explore key issues related to telecommunications for rural development across sectors.

November 3-5, 1998: The Business Recovery Manager's Symposium - Strategic Summit on Planning for, Managing, and Surviving Disaster - San Diego, California. Registration information: mis@misti.com or see web site (http://www.misti.com)

November 6-8, 1998: North East Fire & Emergency Services Expo - Atlantic City Convention Center; Call (732)739-5395.

November 7-10, 1998: IAEM Annual Conference - Norfolk VA. Contact IAEM HQ (703)538-1795 or register online at http://www.emassociation.org

December 9-11, 1998: Fourth Annual Government, Business & Education Technology Conference and Exposition (GBET) - The Los Angeles conference opens with an earthquake response and recovery simulation. The purpose of the simulation is to show how technology tools can aid in the response and recovery of a disaster. The response to the simulated earthquake will closely resemble the community-wide communication efforts necessary after an actual disaster. Please call 1-800-474-3976 or visit the Web site http://www.gbet.com.

December 9-12, 1998: TechnoVentions '98 From Laboratories into the Hands of Users -
Coronada Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Florida (http://www.TechnoVentions98.com).

February 8-10 1999: Disaster Asia '99: Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition on Disaster Management - Hosted by: Philippine Futuristics Society in cooperation with the UN IDNDR Secretariat. Manila, Philippines: February 8-10, 1999. Abstracts are currently being accepted. Contact: Disaster Asia '99 e-mail: infinity@snap.portalinc.com

May 24-29, 1999: CAMEO99 - Crowne Plaza Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix AZ. Sponsored by EPA CEPPO, NOAA HAZMAT, AZSERC; see web site: http://www.nrt.org/nrt/cameo.nsf

The Other Whitewater
Information flows freely at the latest web site for whitewater enthusiasts: Riverworld (http://www.riverworld.com). Site features reports on stream flows and has guidebooks, safety tips and an online store catering to those who paddle or float rivers.

Virtual Shopping for Sunglasses
Hate those small mirrors atop sunglass racks? Get a "virtual view" of how you will look in various styles of Ray-Ban sunglasses (http://www.ray-ban.com). But first you must send the company your photo, which is placed on a password-protected Web page for virtual shopping.

"Emergency Partner Postings" is a monthly update on progress of the partnership, activities, and services available through Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) Virtual Forum web site, other electronic sources of information, and articles of interest concerning awareness and use of information technology. The news will be posted on the web site the last week of each month.

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).

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