EMERGENCY PARTNER POSTINGS

Volume 5, No. 1

September 2000

Five years!!! It is true! This is Volume 5 No. 1 of the EIIP e-newsletter. One always hopes that any effort or service fills the need or purpose for which it is designed. As in most efforts, we learn by trial and error - some things work and some things don't. Our vision for Postings continues to be a publication for news and announcements of interest to the broad emergency/disaster community with the help of submissions by official EIIP Partners. Many times over the past four years, Partner input was meager, if any, and that left us visiting and scanning various Partner sites seeking news and updates to share. However, we are catching on. Just as the numbers have doubled and tripled in the live Virtual Forum sessions, Partners are now doing their part. This month for example, we have the largest number of 'Organizational & Issues Updates' ever. Thank you, Partners! Thanks to everyone who has helped, supported, encouraged and actually expressed appreciation for the EIIP Virtual Forum and Emergency Partner Postings.

EIIP Hosts EM Track of 5th Annual Virtual Fire & Rescue Expo (VFRE)
What was formerly a "recommended" practice for emergency management programs by the National Fire Protection Association, recently attained the status of a "standard." How did it happen? What does it say? What are the implications for programs in both the public and private sectors? How will it benefit the public? These are the questions to be addressed in the EM Track of the VFRE in a series of live chat presentations and discussions with a distinguished panel of presenters September 18-22 (see schedule below). Pre-register at http://www.vfre.com and receive further information.

Monday, 9/18 - 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Intro to NFPA 1600: Where Did It Come From and Where is It Going? Lloyd Bokman, NFPA Technical Committee Chairman; Bob Fletcher, NFPA Technical Committee Member

Tuesday, 9/19 - 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Core Requirements: What Does It Say? Dean Larson, NFPA Technical Committee Member

Wednesday, 9/20 - 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Implications for Business Continuity Planning: What Difference Will It Make to Business? Pat Moore, NFPA Technical Committee Member

Thursday, 9/21 - 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Implications for Government EM Programs: What Difference Will It Make to Government? Eric Tolbert, NEMA Preparedness, Exercise, & Training Committee; Gunnar Kuepper, NFPA Technical Committee Member

Friday, 9/22 - 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Group Discussion: How Will the NFPA Standard Benefit the Public? Moderated by Amy Sebring, EIIP with members of NFPA Technical Committee and other interested parties

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.

Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EDT:
Sept 6: Virtual Forum - Islands in the (Emergency Data) Stream -- Planning for Interoperability, Consequence Management Interoperability Services (CMIS), Richard D. Munnikhuysen, Program Manager, and Scott Eyestone, Functional Analysis Group.

Sept 13: Virtual Library - South Carolina's Response to Hurricane Floyd, Kirstin Dow, Ph.D., Hazards Research Lab, University of South Carolina.

Week of Sept 18 - 23rd: Join us at the Virtual Fire & Rescue Exposition every day at 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT. (See above.)

Sept 27: Tech Arena - Emergency Manager -- The Emergency Management Software Solution, Amy Hennessy, Emergency Program Manager, BC Gas.

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).

Security Analysts, Inc., Richard Wm. Lyden, Vice President, Emergency Management
& Operational Continuity, rlyden@bigfoot.com

Consequence Management Interoperability Services (CMIS), Roger Fritzel, Fritzelr-c@battelle.org

ResQ.net, Jan Vincent (J. V.) Meertens, Publisher, meertens@icet.nl

US EPA Chemical Emergency Preparedness & Prevention Office (CEPPO), Jennifer M. Browne, browne.jennifer@epa.gov

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.

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
Campaign 2000

By Amy Sebring
EIIP Technical Projects Coordinator
asebring@emforum.org

For the past three years, the EIIP has marked the occasion of World Disaster Reduction Day, with a presentation or discussion in the Virtual Forum, the second Wednesday of October, and we plan to do so again this year, on October 11.

The International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) has come and gone, however, a successor arrangement, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) has been established by the United Nations to continue on. Its primary role is "… to broadly disseminate the message of prevention and to educate populations and communities most at threat from natural, environmental and technological disasters on the means available to prevent hazards from turning into disasters. ISDR will continue all promotional and awareness-raising activities carried out during IDNDR."

The theme of this year's campaign is "Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth" with emphasis on "The Special Case of Wildfires," particularly relevant in the U.S. in light of this year's wildfire season. It also coincides with current efforts underway at FEMA and the American Red Cross, to introduce disaster-related materials into school curricula.

During our group discussion during last year's observance, the feedback from participants suggested that if appropriate materials were available in advance, they would take advantage of the opportunity and use them in their own communities to enhance awareness. Unfortunately, there has not been any organization or agency up to now, that has taken on a leadership role to "get the word out." In our opinion, the National Disaster Education Coalition is a natural candidate for this role in the U.S., and we hope they will step forward when they meet during early September.

An information kit and related materials are available from the ISDR Website at http://www.unisdr.org/unisdr/camp1.htm, in English, Spanish and French, and drawing and photo contests are part of the planned activities. In addition, we suggest that at a minimum, disaster and emergency management agencies and organizations mark October 11, International Day for Disaster Reduction, on their Websites. A search last year revealed ZERO hits except for one in Canada. A sample proclamation would also be useful.

The United States is most certainly a world leader in the field of emergency management, and according to an early survey conducted by the EIIP, our participants felt strongly that as such, we have a moral obligation to do what we can internationally. A leadership role in the ISDR is just such an opportunity and, you never know, we just might learn something in the process.

September '00 EENet Schedule:
September 6, 2:00 PM EDT: 5th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing
September 13, 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM EDT: USDA Emergency Preparedness Satellite Seminar Day 1 - Animal and Human Health Issues
September 14, 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM EDT: USDA EP Satellite Seminar Day 2
September 20, 2:00 PM EDT: FEMA Monthly Video Magazine
September 27, 2:00 PM EDT: Partnerships - Private, Public and Federal

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

World Disaster Report 2000 Available Online
While earthquakes and floods capture media headlines and donor dollars, the uncontrolled spread of infectious disease takes the most lives. Shocking figures are contained in this year's World Disasters Report released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent
Societies. The death toll from infectious diseases (such as AIDS, malaria, respiratory diseases and diarrhoea) is 160 times greater than the number killed in last year's natural disasters including the massive earthquakes in Turkey, floods in Venezuela and cyclones in India. And the situation is getting worse. See http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/wdr2000/ for an online version or to order a hard copy.

The Natural Disasters Roundtable
The National Research Council recently established the Natural Disasters Roundtable (NDR) to facilitate and enhance communication and the exchange of ideas among scientists, practitioners, and policy makers in order to identify urgent and important issues related to the understanding and mitigation of natural disasters. A steering committee will identify topics, create agendas, and recruit speakers for three meetings each year in Washington, DC. The first NDR meeting is scheduled for late fall 2000. See http://nationalacademies.org/naturaldisasters, or contact Patricia Jones PJones@nas.edu , NDR, National Research Council, (202) 334-1964.

First International GDIN Expo and Conference
Veridian ERIM International will conduct the 1st International Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) Information Technology Exposition and Conference, 9-11 October 2000, Honolulu, HI. See www.erim-int.com/CONF/GDIN.html or contact Nancy Wallman, Senior Conference Coordinator wallman@erim-int.com

The Southern California Earthquake Center Announces Weekly News
SCEC INSTANeT News highlights weekly coverage of earthquake research and news. Articles arrive via e-mail as a short news "byte," with a link to a longer article, interview, commentary, announcement, event description, etc. at http://www.scec.org/instanet. Subscriptions are free at http://www.scec.org/instanet/subscribe.html.

The Emergency Preparedness for the Americas Conference
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) conducts the Emergency Preparedness for the Americas Conference, December 4-6, 2000 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Contact Sylvia Szankay sszankay@tech-res.com ; http://www.tech-res-intl.com/tda/emergency/.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Update:

FEMA Announces Project Impact Summit 2000 -- Celebrate Project Impact 2000 on November 12-16 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. A detailed agenda will be posted soon at http://www.fema.gov/impact/savedate.htm.

US Fire Administration Announces Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service -- The 19th Annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service at Emmitsburg, Maryland, will be broadcast via satellite on Sunday, October 8. The service honors the 103 fallen firefighters who died in the line of duty during 1999. Broadcast begins at 10:30 AM EDT on both C-Band and Ku-Band Satellite. See http://www.firehero.org. For specific program information, contact the Foundation (301) 447-1365, firehero@erols.com.

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National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Update:

NEMA Announces New Officers -- The Annual NEMA Conference, August 20-25, resulted in the selection of new officers for the coming year: President - Jim Greene (MT); President Elect; Eric Tolbert (NC); Secretary - Myra Lee (OR); and Treasurer - Doug Friez (ND). NEMA position papers and other policy related items from the conference will be available soon. http://www.nemaweb.org.

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International Association of Emergency Managers Update:

IAEM Seeks Scholarship Funds for Students/Future Emergency Managers -- IAEM requests contributions to meet the $100,000 goal. You can also support the IAEM Scholarship Program Auction at the IAEM 2000 Annual Conference in Austin on Sunday evening, November 5. Send donated auction items to IAEM Headquarters, 111 Park Place, Falls Church, VA 22046-4513, or contact Karen Thompson at 703-538-1795 or KSTeditor@aol.com. Donors will be recognized in the IAEM Bulletin post-conference issue, IAEM web site, and auction program. See http://www.iaem.com for detailed conference program.

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Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Response Association (DERA) Update:

DERA-NIAR Announce Joint Projects -- Following recent meetings in Dayton, Ohio, the officers of DERA (http://www.disasters.org/) and the National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR) (http://niar.homepage.com/main.html) agreed to continued cooperation, partnership, and a staff exchange program. NIAR and DERA directors met with the Foundation for Amateur International Radio Service (FAIRS) to discuss potential three-way partnership, program development, and mutual support. DERA and FAIRS will support the NIAR Emergency Management Institute if funding can be found. DERA is seeking a volunteer US- or Canadian-based project manager for this effort. --- In other news, Dr. Floyd Shoemaker was elected to the DERA Board of Directors. He is currently Regional Training Manager for FEMA Region VIII in Denver, Colorado.

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The National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials (NASTTPO) Update:

NASTTPO Announces Mid-Year Meeting in Las Vegas, December 11-12 -- Meeting will be held in conjunction with the USDOT Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grant's Program Workshop and Nevada's Millennium 2000 Program. Also, the NFPA 1600 Committee's Task Group on Future Alternative Development has developed a questionnaire to gather feedback and input on the use of NFPA 1600, Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs. For the NFPA 1600 questionnaire and conference information, see http://www.nasttpo.org. Contact: Lloyd W. Bokman, Ohio EMA, 614-799-3679 lbokman@dps.state.oh.us .

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National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) Update:

Drought 2000 Conference: Impacts, Policy, and Technology -- The Drought 2000 Conference, October 11-12, Des Moines, Iowa, is sponsored by the National Drought Mitigation Center, National Ground Water Association, U.S. Department of Agriculture-ARS, U.S. Geological Survey, and American Water Resources Association. Visit the NDMC site at http://enso.unl.edu/ndmc/new/new.htm, or contact Bob Masters, National Ground Water Association (800)551-7379 ext 527; rmaste@ngwa.org .

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Organization of American States (OAS), Unit of Sustainable Development and Environment Update:

Second Hemispheric Conference On Disaster Reduction In The Education Sector in the Americas -- Sponsored by the ISDR Secretariat, OAS, Venezuela's FEDE, and the National University of Trujillo in Peru, the October 2-4 Conference meets in Caracas, Venezuela. Participants will address disaster reduction in schools and universities, their physical vulnerability, and the importance of awareness raising among the general public. Conference recommendations will be publicized during World Disaster Reduction Day, Oct 11. Contact Arq. María Santamaría Díaz msantam@cantv.net, msantamaria@fede.gov.ve or see http://www.fede.gov.ve.

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United States Search and Rescue Task Force (USSRTF) Update:

USSRTF Adds Two Specialty Units -- Two new specialty units of USSARTF recently completed training and thereby expanded service to Region 1 (PA, NJ, DE and MD).

· July 2000: A 12-member team was promoted to the rank of "Ranger" to form the elite Ranger Unit, known for dedication, perseverance, professionalism and expertise in their related fields. Ranger requirements include a minimum of five years of public service (police, search and rescue, fire, military), two years active emergency response/search and rescue/disaster relief service and a minimum of 250 hours of specialty training including certification in several areas.

· August 2000: A 15-member Task Force CISM Team of Critical Incident Stress Management trained specialists and Psychologists is ready to assist in stress management, stress debriefing and peer support during and after major incidents.

The Task Force also conducted a FEMA Community Emergency Response Team training program this month with students from three states. Contact Chief Steven L. Labov, SLabov@Home.com , 215-922-7225, PO Box 11292, Elkins Park, PA 19027, http://www.ussartf.org.

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Consequence Management Interoperability Services Update (CMIS):

New EIIP Partner Seeks Stakeholder Input -- The Consequence Management Information Services project team (http://www.cmi-services.org) is analyzing the information needs of the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incident response community. First responder requirements are being elicited during a series of on-site visits by CMI-Services interview teams that began in June. The purpose of the ongoing visits is to obtain information regarding current information systems capabilities in use for emergency management in general, and WMD in particular; along with interoperability needs. During the requirements analysis phase of the project, the CMI-Services Team will identify and analyze end-user functional and non-functional requirements, based on the information gathered during the interview process.

Stakeholders from all levels can provide input by participating in the Requirements Priority Survey, which is scheduled to appear on the Website mid-September. For more information about the CMI-Services project, join them online Wednesday September 6, 12:00 Noon EDT in the Virtual Forum (see schedule above).

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US EPA Chemical Emergency Preparedness & Prevention Office (CEPPO) Update:

New EIIP Partner, EPA CEPPO, to Establish Reading Rooms -- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants the public to have access to "worst-case" chemical disaster scenarios, but cannot make them available via the Internet. As an alternative:
* The EPA will establish at least 50 reading rooms for public access to materials.
* Users must show identification.
* No mechanical reproduction is allowed.
* Users are limited to accessing information on 10 scenarios per month.
Federal reading rooms are anticipated to be ready by December 31, 2000. Check with http://www.epa.gov/ceppo for locations and other updates. See EPA Fact Sheet on the final rule at http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/pubs/ocafactsheet.pdf.

EPA's CEPPO provides leadership, advocacy, and assistance to: 1) Prevent and prepare for chemical emergencies; 2) Respond to environmental crises; and 3) Inform the public about chemical hazards in their community. The Office carries out this work in partnership with regions, domestic and international organizations in the public and private sectors, and the general public. To learn more about the CEPPO, see the CEPPO Website, or contact Jennifer Browne browne.jennifer@epa.gov .

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ResQ.net Update:

ResQ.net Strives to Bridge Knowledge Gap -- ResQ.net, an on-line service, is a focal point for millions of rescuers worldwide to improve their skills, exchange information, download data, receive the latest accident and disaster news, brief themselves on the latest technology, and gain insight through use of rescue computer simulations. ResQ.net's site, http://www.resq.net, provides breaking news, an events agenda, a Web shop, a rich knowledge core, and valuable discussion platforms. ResQ.net is a new EIIP Partner; contact Jan Vincent (J. V.) Meertens, Publisher meertens@icet.nl.

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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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