EMERGENCY PARTNER POSTINGS

Volume 5, No. 4

December 2000

Best Wishes for Happy Holidays from the EIIP!
The holidays start earlier and earlier every year with the lights and all trimmings for Christmas on display long before we celebrated Thanksgiving. From the EIIP, we are thankful for your support, participation and kind remarks about the Virtual Forum and the services we provide. (To appreciate our progress, please see the EIIP 2000 Annual Report at http://www.emforum.org/eiip/annual00.htm.) On behalf of the EIIP, Amy Sebring and I wish everyone the very best for health, happiness and prosperity for the holidays and the New Year to come!

RRBDIN Update
Two events are planned for the Red River Basin Disaster Information Network this month. On December 13th, the Data/Mapping Focus Group online meeting will feature Jeff Harrison with the Open GIS Consortium for an update on the current status of their Disaster Management Special Interest Group (SIG). See http://www.opengis.org/disaster/index.htm for current highlights. Then on December 14th, an on-line Workshop will be presented by Chuck Mrena about the legacy of the International Flood Mitigation Initiative (IFMI).

Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EST:
Dec 6: Virtual Classroom - Chemical Accident Risks: A Preliminary Analysis of
Risk Data, James C. Belke, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office

Dec 13: Virtual Forum - Effective Disaster Warnings: Report by the Working Group on Natural Disaster Information Systems, Peter Ward, Chairman

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 http://www.emforum.org/partners/partic.htm for complete list of Participating Partners.

MUSTER - USA (Multi-User System for Training Emergency Response), Soren Beck, Regional Sales Manager, beck@idt.net

New Mexico Department of Public Safety Office of Emergency Management, Jeffrey S. Phillips, Regional Coordinator, jphillips@dps.state.nm.us

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.

EIIP Seeks Corporate Support

By Avagene Moore
EIIP Coordinator
amoore@emforum.org

The EIIP celebrated three years of quality service this past August. We have grown in numbers of Partners, professional presenters, and participants in sessions. Our reputation has grown as well. The EIIP boasts a solid, highly regarded presence via the World Wide Web and throughout the emergency management community. The EIIP has a following that has come to expect quality presentations by experts from all disciplines related to disasters.

However, the EIIP Virtual Forum is searching for potential sources of support to enable us to continue. Since the Virtual Forum is not a Web site built around advertising or based on a business model, we are limited in funding sources. As a nonprofit educational organization, we are committed to enhancing emergency management and, ultimately, benefiting the nation and the world. The EIIP strives to provide learning opportunities for all engaged or interested in emergency and disaster management via our weekly live interactive sessions. The EIIP Virtual Forum is available to anyone anywhere in the world that has access to the Internet and wishes to take advantage of those opportunities.

The EIIP believes it is extremely important to provide these learning and networking opportunities for free to every individual and organization involved in disaster management. As we approach the beginning of a new year, the EIIP is requesting support from various private sector organizations and emergency management related groups so we can continue this very worthwhile endeavor. We are currently seeking sponsors for four thematic areas of the Web site with corresponding "chat rooms" where presentations are made: the Virtual Classroom (education or hazard related information), the Virtual Library (research or publication related), Virtual Forum (issue related), and Tech Arena (technology related). We are asking potential supporters to adopt each of these areas on a quarterly basis. With success in this outreach, we hope to carry on the level of service, interaction and cutting edge presentations with experts that you, the emergency professional, expect from the EIIP Virtual Forum.

[We are in interested in your feedback on newsletter articles. Send comments to asebring@emforum.org and amoore@emforum.org.]

December '00 EENet Schedule:
Dec 5, 2:00 PM EST: "Schools, Violence and Lessons Learned."
Dec 13, 2:00 PM EST: "Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) for Schools" Part II
Dec 20, 2:00 PM EST: FEMA video magazine
Dec 27, 2:00 PM EST: "Unified Command: Practical Issues" Part 1

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

Hazards Center Founder Honored
On December 1 President Bill Clinton presents the National Medal of Science to Natural Hazards Center founder and former Director Gilbert F. White. White will be lauded for his pioneering work in shaping the nation's policies regarding floodplain management, water use, natural disasters, and environmental management. Earlier, when informed of the award, White, the Gustavson Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Colorado, said, "It's very heartening to see national recognition for this kind of work but almost all of the work was done by teams of researchers. I'd like to see all of their names listed."

FireFighting.com Is Back On Line!
FireFighting.com was recently re-launched under new management. The site now takes advantage of the latest Internet technologies to deliver a wide-range of content and new services to fire, rescue and emergency services personnel. FireFighting.com is a third-generation portal Web site for the fire, rescue and emergency services community.

Highlights of what's new at FireFighting.com include:
* The E-zine - Dynamic online magazine with daily news.
* Webcasts - Online multimedia theater with training videos, weekly radio show, etc.
* Live Chat - Professional moderated chats.
* Learning Center - Headquarters for training, conferences and distance learning.
* Communities - Fire/Rescue, EMS, Hazmat and Emergency Management.
* Life Support - Cosponsored by Fear Not Fire Fighter Ministries.
* Shop - E-commerce, auction and new product information.
* Archives.
* Interactivity - New Forums and Links, free e-mail.

For more information, visit http://www.firefighting.com. Contacts: Monty Gearhart, President/Director of advertising and e-commerce sales: monty@firefighting.com .
Pat West, Content Director: patwest@firefighting.com .

CPM 2001 - Making Business Continuity History
The Continuity Planning & Management (CPM) 2001 Conference will be in Boston, MA, April 23-25. Visit http://www.ContingencyPlanningExpo.com for further details and Early Bird rates. Information is also included in the November/December issue of Contingency Planning & Management magazine.

TIEMS Call for Papers
The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) holds its 8th annual conference in Oslo, Norway June 19-22, 2001. The conference will focus on Emergency Management in the international community to deal with and reduce the consequences of industrial and marine disasters and natural catastrophes. TIEMS issues their first call for papers - please submit abstracts by January 31, 2001. If interested in speaking, participating, or exhibiting, see http://www.tiems.org.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Update:

FEMA Signs New Partners - FEMA signed new Memoranda of Understanding during the third annual Project Impact Summit last month. The new partners are the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS); Coleman Powermate; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. See http://www.fema.gov/impact/impact_07.htm for full story.

* * * *

National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Update:

Mark Your Calendar - The NEMA 2001 Mid-Year Conference will be held at the Hyatt Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, February 10-14, 2001. Check the NEMA site for further information http://www.nemaweb.org.

* * * *

International Association of Emergency Managers Update:

IAEM Calls for Articles and Announces New Officers - The IAEM Bulletin is looking for articles for a February Special Focus Issue on the topic of "Recovery." Copy deadline is January 10. For details and author's guidelines, please contact Karen Thompson, Editor, at KSTeditor@aol.com .

The IAEM membership elected and installed new officers at its 48th Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, last month: W. R. (Billy) Zwerschke, President; Bob Andrews, MBA, CEM, President Elect; and Hank James, Secretary.

* * * *

Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) Update:

Intern Wanted - CFSI has an opening for a part-time intern in its Washington, DC office. The internship is sponsored by the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association and is open to anyone with fire or emergency service experience who has an interest in learning more about the legislative process. Responsibilities include legislative research, general office work and assisting with planning of CFSI events. This is a paid internship with free housing through the College Park (MD) Fire Department. To apply, contact Jerry Ross at 202-371-1277 or cfsi@erols.com .

* * * *

National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Update:

Make Plans for NVFC Spring Meeting - The NVFC Spring Meeting takes place in Wenatchee, Washington, WestCoast Wenatchee Center Hotel, on April 19-21. The NVFC meeting will be hosted by the Washington State Firefighters Association. See http://www.nvfc.org/springmtg.html for full details.

* * * *

Consequence Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) Update:

Progress Announced by CMI-Services - CMI-Services began last May, developed by the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (CSLE Marine/NBC), to meet Presidential Decision Directives on ways to counter terrorism and provide military support to domestic preparedness.

An important milestone was reached at the first meeting of the CMI-Services Executive Interoperability Council on 31 October. (For notes and list of meeting representatives, see http://www.cmi-services.org/eioc.asp.) Council members reviewed and prioritized functional requirements identified through interviews and other means since last summer. The Integrated Project Team is now continuing to plan the Portal and Middleware "foundation" components that must be available to provide the substructure/infrastructure of the CMI-Services federation of systems; and to develop a design rationale for the specific functional requirements that will be implemented in CMIS Block 1.

The CMI-Services site (http://www.cmi-services.org) has a new look, expanded content, and new features. The CMI-Services Baseline Analysis Catalog of more than 120 existing and developing systems, applications, and other information technology resources relevant to the weapons of mass destruction incident response community is planned to be online this month. Subscribe to the e-newsletter INTEROPERATIONS by contacting the Editor, Roger N. Fritzel (fritzelr-c@battelle.org) or via the web site.

* * * *

Organization of American States - Unit of Sustainable Development & Environment (OAS/USDE) Update:

OAS Announces Trade Corridors Conference - The OAS/USDE and the Sub-secretariat of Environment, Government of the Province of Mendoza, Argentina announce the "Hemispheric Conference on Vulnerability Reduction of Trade Corridors to Socio-Natural Disasters" from March 26 to March 28, 2001 in Mendoza, Argentina.

This conference will bring together specialists from agriculture, energy, transportation, development, socio-natural hazard and risk management, and international finance representing both the public and private sectors. The specialists will present analyses, comments and conclusions from the vantage point of the four most important trading geographical areas: NAFTA, MERCOSUR, Andean Community (CAN) and Central America Common Market (MCCA). A key participant in the TCC will be PROCORREDOR, the consortium for research and training on trade corridor sustainable development, created by the OAS/USDE to advance and support the study and understanding of trade corridors as new regional development planning units.

There is no conference registration fee. Cost of travel, lodging and local expenses is the responsibility of conference attendees. The conference will be in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation. For information see http://www.transport-americas.org; or email karinnowakow@mixmail.com.

* * * *

Natural Hazards Cente Update:

Quick Response Reports - The Natural Hazards Center hosts a Quick Response Research Program enabling scholars to travel quickly to the site of a disaster to gather information on immediate impacts, response, and recovery. These researchers publish brief summaries of their work via the Hazards Center Web site. In addition, they are now invited to present their findings through the EIIP Virtual Forum. The latest Quick Response reports include:

QR131: The May 1998 Landslides in the Sarno Area in Southern Italy: Rethinking Disaster Theory, by Rocco Caporale, Department of Sociology and Institute for Italian-American Studies, St. John's University. http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr131/qr131.html

QR132: Effects of Wildfire on Adolescents in Volusia County Florida, by Audra Langley and Russell T. Jones, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech University.
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr132/qr132.html

QR133: An Evaluation of How ECU Staff Persons Coped With Hurricane Floyd, by Holly M. Hapke and Ronald Mitchelson, Department of Geography, East Carolina University. http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr132/qr132.html

QR134: Citrus Growers Attitudes in North-Central Florida, by Cesar N. Caviedes, University of Florida. http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr134/qr134.html

See complete list of Quick Response Reports http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html

* * * *

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Update:

UTC Announces New Web-Based Courses! The following Emergency Systems Management classes will be offered in Spring 2001:
· HSRV 350 Introduction to Emergency Systems Management (Web-based)
· HSRV 355 Hazard Mitigation (Web-based)
· HSRV 435 Disaster Recovery (Web-assisted)

See how the new Emergency Systems Management program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga can complement your degree program or career. Apply for admission to the university at http://express.utc.edu/prd/admissions/undergradinfo.html.
Contact: Jane Kushma (423) 755-4519 or Jane-Kushma@utc.edu .

* * * *

"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.

* * * *