EMERGENCY PARTNER POSTINGS

Volume 4, No. 12

August 2000

This August marks the third anniversary of the EIIP Virtual Forum - three years of interactive discussions with subject matter experts in the disaster community! What a long way we have come in three years and with such loyal support of so many people. Our records show 320 speakers in the past three years - a real Who's Who in the Emergency/Disaster Business. In our first year, we sometimes saw as few as 10 or 12 folks in a session; this year our average is 40 with last week's session swelling to 67 in the audience. The EIIP is indebted to every speaker and every participant. Please join us in the Virtual Library on Wednesday August 9, 12:00 Noon Eastern, so we can thank you and you can join in the happy celebration. As is our custom, we will have a little fun as we honor the EIIP Pledgers, Partners, speakers and supporters. (Please see August Schedule below for our special speaker and topic.)

EIIP Road Trip
The EIIP was represented at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Hazards Research and Applications Workshop in Boulder, CO, July 9-12. Both Avagene Moore, CEM, EIIP Coordinator, and Amy Sebring, EIIP Technical Projects Coordinator, attended sessions, networked, met more of our EIIP speakers face-to-face, and actually lined up topics and speakers for the coming year. The EIIP Board of Directors also held a business meeting while in Boulder.

The RRBDIN is sponsored by the International Joint Commission, the Global Disaster Information Network, and the Red River Basin Board with support by the EIIP. Workshop transcripts and related materials are available via the Web site. http://www.emforum.org/redriver/

Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EST:
August 2: Virtual Classroom - Group Discussion Driving Through Floodwaters -- How
Can We Prevent the Risk to Motorists and Responders?

August 9: Virtual Library - Celebrate EIIP 3rd Anniversary! Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN), J. D Szwarckop, Staff Leader, GDIN Working Group.

August 16: Virtual Forum - How Can You Support the Natural Hazards Caucus? David
Applegate, American Geological Institute, and Peter Folger, American Geophysical
Union.

August 23: Tech Arena - TranSafe Internet Service for Transportation Emergency
Response, Albert Slap, GeoSphere Systems, Inc.

August 30: Virtual Forum - Community & Family Preparedness (CFP) Conference Overview, Ralph, Swisher, FEMA Preparedness Directorate.

Please mark sessions of interest on your monthly planning calendar now, just as you would a business meeting or other important appointment. Login via http://www.emforum.org/vforum/formchat.htm.

The following submitted the agreement form to become formal Partners; see EIIP Virtual Forum for list of Partners (http://www.emforum.org/partners/partic.htm).

Dan Battreall & Associates, Daniel Battreall, Emergency Management Consultant, battandassociates@yahoo.com

US Search & Rescue Task Force, Chief Steven L. Labov, SLabov@Home.com

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

Biodefense Bill Introduced to Senate

Senators Bill Frist, MD (R-TN), Chair of the Subcommittee on Public Health, and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Ranking Minority Member, recently presented a cutting-edge public health bill to the Senate. The Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act of 2000 introduced new tools to deal with our nation's startling vulnerability to emerging public health threats. Threats addressed in the bill include new or resurgent infectious diseases, microbes resistant to antibiotics, and bioterrorist attacks. The coping mechanisms proposed by the bill are prompt and efficient actions taken in three core areas: public health capacity, antimicrobial resistance, and counter-terrorism. The three categories link to the current disquietude over a biological attack on the U.S. - the most potentially lethal of the three threats addressed.

The Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act has received strong support, especially from Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), member of the Sub-committee on Public Health and a long-time advocate of bioterrorism preparedness initiatives. She states, "This legislation strengthens our public health infrastructure by giving state and local health departments and medical personnel the tools they need to be ready for any dangerous or deadly health threat."

In the area of public health capacity, Frist and Kennedy aim to strengthen our ability to detect and respond to the above-mentioned threats by developing a coordinated assessment of needs at local, state and national levels. In an effort to curtail the potentially deadly threats and consequences of bioterrorism, the bill proposes the establishment of a joint task force within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Defense to examine the current preparedness level of the U.S. and assess what other preparatory steps need to be taken. Simultaneously, DHHS, FEMA and the Attorney General would also establish a joint interdepartmental working group to review medical and public health consequences of a bio-terrorist attack.

Secondly, the bill encourages an increase in funding for public health agencies to become part of a coordinated national network of training programs comprised of federal agencies and state and local emergency services personnel as they prepare to protect civilians against bioterrorism.

The Frist-Kennedy bill also establishes a nationwide program for monitoring and responding to the escalating dangers of anti-microbial resistance. Due to doctors' over-prescription of antibiotics and the population's dramatic levels of consumption, there is a heightening resistance of bacteria and disease to antibiotics. This trend greatly increases the nation's vulnerability to bioterrorism, for our inability to cure drug-resistant diseases adds another level to our unpreparedness.

August '00 EENet Schedule:
August 2, 2:00 PM EDT: "Animals In Disasters" Part III
August 9, 2:00 PM EDT: "Around the Table" in Emmitsburg
August 16, 2:00 PM EDT: National Alert Broadcast, FEMA monthly magazine
August 23, 2:00 PM EDT: Highlights of Second Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education Conference
August 30, 2:00 PM EDT: Consequence Management News, Equipment and Training (CoMNET) Magazine

For a description of each of these programs and broadcast information, visit the EENet Web site: http://www.fema.gov/home/emi/eenet.htm .

The National Earthquake Risk Management Conference:
"Understanding the Hazards and Managing the Risks" is the theme of the National Earthquake Risk Management Conference in Seattle Washington, September 17-22. Sponsors are the Western States Seismic Policy Council, FEMA, USGS, and Cascadi Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW). For more information, see http://www.wsspc.org/currenteq/events/nec2000.htm.

"Natural Disasters: Reducing the Impact" Exhibit Opens at UN Session on Humanitarian Affairs:
An exhibit titled "Towards Natural Disaster Reduction: The Journey of Latin America and the Caribbean" opened July 19 at the UN Economic and Social Council meeting in New York City. The exhibit, organized by the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations together with PAHO, shows how Latin American and Caribbean countries have increased their preparedness for disasters, and their successes in disaster relief as well as in mitigation, preparation, and response. The exhibit highlights many initiatives in this area, like disaster mitigation projects in hospitals and water systems, in schools, transportation corridors, or energy systems. It also includes information on the supply management system, SUMA, the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) and the use of the Internet in disaster management. To view the PAHO press release on this event please visit: http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/PRESS_000719.htm.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Update:

FEMA Announces Community and Family Preparedness (CFP) 2000 Web Site -- The FEMA CFP Conference 2000, August 22-25, will serve as a national forum for addressing school safety, disaster preparedness education for children, and effective outreach to diverse populations. Visit http://www.humtech.com/cfp/ to learn about the annual conference, August 22-25, at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute, Emmitsburg, Maryland, and disaster preparedness public education efforts that are taking place around the nation. The site features information about community initiatives, school safety programs, and disaster education curriculum packages. It is designed for information sharing - the information you share can help others share in the success.

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National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Update:

NEMA Meets in Florida -- The NEMA 2000 Annual Conference is August 20 - 25 at The Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida. A preliminary agenda is available online. http://www.nemaweb.org/. Register via the "Conference" link.

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International Association of Emergency Managers Update:

IAEM Web Site Content Expanded -- The IAEM site now features the CEM informational brochure and study guide. This greatly increases accessibility of information about the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) program. See http://www.iaem.com/ homepage for link to CEM material as well as the latest program for the IAEM Annual Conference & Exhibit in Austin, Texas, November 4-7.

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National Fire Academy Alumni Association (NFAAA) Update:

NFAAA Announces Rapid Communication System -- Board chairman, Frank Livingston, EFO, recently announced the organization will begin forming the NFAAA Rapid E-mail System by appointing NFAAA members and Associate booster members to virtually all of the nation’s 32,000 plus fire, EMS and emergency service organizations nationwide. “Those appointed will have access to a computer, Internet and e-mail capabilities. These leaders will play a major role in getting the word out on what is happening within the Association and the industry as well as providing feedback from the field.”

To make this system work, Livingston requests each NFAAA member who would like to be a part of the NFAAA Rapid E-mail System send an e-mail to: FrankL@TopAssistant.com <mailto:FrankL@TopAssistant.com>. The member should include name, rank/title, organization, address, phone, fax, e-mail address and web site address. The member will then be included in the e-mail directory. Livingston also encouraged those supporting fire and emergency services to join NFAAA. He stated, “Anyone can join NFAAA free, even if they have not attended a class at the National Fire Academy or are not a member of an emergency organization. All they need is a soft spot in their hearts for what we do.”

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HELPU Fire and Life Safety Update:

HELPU Director Appointed to Revise Special Needs Annexes -- Leslie Little, Director of HELPU Fire and Life Safety has been appointed to work with the Williamsburg (VA) Fire Department in the EOC. Her duties include review and revise the EOP for the city. Her work includes furthering the Special Needs programming and updating any annexes for Special Needs. She is also working with two other cities in Virginia on revision of their Special Needs annexes for their EOPs. Contact helpu@visi.net or visit http://members.spree.com/education/helpu/.

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"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 newsletter will be posted on the Web site by the first of each month.

We encourage readers to submit brief updates that relate to using 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 Lori Wieber, lwieber@emforum.org.

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