EMERGENCY PARTNER POSTINGS

Volume 5, No. 7

March 2001

The EIIP Virtual Forum participation sets new records in February 2001!
Our attendance average has been 40 or slightly above for the past year. Steve Austin's session on the New Fire Grant Program drew 90 participants (a record!) and the CDC topic on public health preparedness for bioterrorism pulled in 60 inquisitive Net seekers. The audiences were made up of many Friends of the EIIP but a number of first-time visitors to the Virtual Forum were also present. We appreciate all who make the EIIP Virtual Forum desktop opportunities a regular part of their learning and networking experience.

The EIIP Virtual Forum has been and is a labor of love. With the very capable help of Amy Sebring, EIIP Technical Projects Coordinator, we have struggled to provide a credible, neutral forum for timely topics, expert presenters and dynamic exchange with cyber-participants across the nation and around the world. However, we have offered this service for the past five months with no funding. We were hopeful that some agency or group of organizations would see fit to pick up the slack. It hasn't happened. We are very sorry to announce that March 2001 will be the last month we will be online unless something gives. We are still hopeful!

EIIP Road Trip
Avagene Moore, EIIP Coordinator, attended the NEMA Mid-Year Conference in Washington, DC, February 10-14. Highlights of the trip were sitting in on various committee meetings and reports, talking with State Directors, staff and acquaintances, and putting a face for the first time with several EIIP presenters and friends. The timing of this conference coincided with the Senate Confirmation Hearing for Joe Allbaugh --- it was a pleasure to attend the hearing. On behalf of the EIIP, congratulations to the newly confirmed FEMA Director!

Wednesdays - 12:00 Noon EST:
March 7: Virtual Forum - The National Domestic Preparedness Office (NDPO), Richard J. Sanders, Intelligence Operations Specialist

March 14: Virtual Classroom - Annual Spring Break, Student Day

March 21: Virtual Library - Emergency Planning: Integrating Community Development, Community Resilience, and Hazard Mitigation, Dr. Douglas Paton, Associate Professor, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

March 28: Tech Arena - Emergency Management Content and Collaboration: Incident Master Portal Fills The Gap, James W. Morentz, Ph.D., CEO, Essential Technologies, Inc.

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.

Virginia ARES/RACES, Inc., Tony Amato, Section Emergency Coordinator, State RACES Officer, SEC@aresva.org

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.

One-Stop Shopping for Fire / EMS Grant Information

By Pat West
Content Director, Firefighting.com
PatWest@firefighting.com

FireFighting.com announces an initiative to provide online support to fire, rescue and EMS agencies seeking grants as an alternative source of funding. "Grant HQ" at FireFighting.com will concentrate all content related to grants in one easy-to-find location. All news, feature articles and any information about training, classes, conference events, links and distance learning related to grants will be collected in "Grant HQ," a new area in FireFighting.com's E-Zine. The area links to a Grant Forum, moderated by The Sage Group of Raleigh, N.C., to provide answers to questions about grants. In addition, FireFighting.com's e-mail newsletters will include the latest news from Grant HQ.

VFIS provides an online newsletter in Grant HQ with information of interest to emergency service organizations (ESOs) seeking grant funding. VFIS' online alliance with Firefighting.com supports a new 8-hour training class, "Building Grant Proposals and Coalitions," offered at select sites throughout the nation in 2001.

"Now that the FIRE Act has been funded by Congress, and $100 million appropriated for the grant program under FEMA in 2001, many fire and EMS department officials are seeking help for writing grant proposals and applying for the funds," says Pat West, content director of FireFighting.com. "And beyond FEMA's new program, we've learned there are also billions of dollars in grant money available through public and private benevolent organizations for which emergency services organizations may qualify. With this new online service, we hope to provide department officials with easy access to the resources they need to pursue all types of grants."

Demand for this information also compelled VFIS, a leading provider of insurance, risk-control services training and other support services for emergency service organizations, to develop a new program under its Education and Training Section. "In 2000, VFIS created a long-range strategy to provide ESOs with the knowledge necessary to find and receive grant assistance --- assistance that could provide the equipment, tools, and training they need," says Aaron Shaffer, VFIS Grant Resource Coordinator. "The strategy is to help the entire emergency service community by offering a resource for constructing grant proposals and building vital community support. Our job is to make emergency service organizations aware of available grants and to teach them how to apply for and obtain them."

See http://www.firefighting.com/default.asp?goto=grant for more information. If you have information or news regarding grants for emergency services organizations, submit to Grant HQ on the site or to grantHQ@firefighting.com. The 2001 schedule for "Building Grant Proposals and Coalitions" is posted under Events at Grant HQ and at http://www.vfis.com. For more information about the class or to register, contact VFIS Education and Training Services at 1(800) 233-1957. Ask for Dave Love, Aaron Shaffer or Mike Young. Send e-mail inquiries to dlove@vfis.com.

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

March '00 EENet Schedule:
Mar. 7, 2:00 PM EST: "Fire Quest 2000"
Mar. 14, 2:00 PM EST: CHER-CAP - The Lake Havasu City Exercise
Mar. 21, 2:00 PM EST: "National Alert Broadcast"
Mar. 28, 2:00 PM EST: "Weapons of Mass Destruction - Live Response"

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

TIEMS Meets in Oslo:
The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) Annual Conference is in Oslo, Norway from June 19-21, 2001. For more information about the agenda and reservation process, go to http://www.tiems.org .

City of Sparks in Pilot Program:
The City of Sparks (NV) is among seven communities participating in a three-month pilot test project of the Pre-Incident Plan System (PiPS). PiPS is a new tool that will help assist emergency first responders take virtual tours of schools and other facilities. FEMA and Littleton Colorado Fire Department selected the communities for the pilot test. Participating communities are: El Paso County, Colorado; Bozeman, Montana; Sparks, Nevada; Corvallis, Oregon; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Watertown, South Dakota; and Casper/Natrona County, Wyoming. For further information see http://www.fema.gov/Reg-VIII/pips.htm.

2001 Critical Care Transport Medicine Conference:
The Critical Care Transport Medicine Conference, April 9-11, San Antonio, Texas, addresses topics pertinent to the pre-hospital and emergency care of the critically ill and injured patient. See http://www.ampa.org.

Ground Breaking Ceremony Planned:
A ground breaking ceremony for the National Civil Defense / Emergency Management Monument is scheduled for March 31, 2001, 4:00 PM EST, at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Authorized by Public Law No: 106-103 and signed by the President on 13 November 1999, the emergency management community is making the monument a reality. The project will take approximately $100,000 to complete and counts on donations from interested individuals, states, state associations and organizations. To donate, please send a check to: National Civil Defense Monument, ATTN: Mr. Charles Sullivan, Treasurer - 352 Blacksmith Road - Camp Hill, PA 17011-8421.

Disaster Mitigation and Education Source:
Chris Floyd, Disaster Services Director, Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross provides excellent articles and information for the public via Web site http://www.tallytown.com/redcross. Click on the EDUCATION Link to access Disaster Mitigation and Education articles suitable for sending to your local newspapers. You will want to localize the last paragraph of the articles to reflect information on your organization.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Update:

"Make an Impact" Week - FEMA announces Project Impact "Make an Impact" Week, May 20-26. The national campaign designed to get regional and local Project Impact representatives to conduct media outreach in their local communities. The themes of "Make an Impact" week is "Planting the Seeds of Prevention." FEMA invites all communities participating in Project Impact to contact local print, radio, and TV outlets, and actively work to make local citizens aware of the hazards they face and the steps they can take to avoid them. For details, see http://www.fema.gov/impact.

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National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) Update:

NEMA Announces New EMAP Web Site - To ensure state and local emergency management capabilities are as strong as they can be, more than a dozen national organizations are working on an accreditation process for state and local emergency management programs, the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). See http://www.emaponline.org. Watch for EMAP information on the NEMA web site http://www.nemaweb.org. To receive updated information, send a request to edemers@csg.org .

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International Association of Emergency Managers Update:

IAEM Job Postings Online via Public Bulletin Board - Any company or agency can post job openings and announcements; individuals looking for a new position can post their resumes. IAEM members and affiliates are encouraged to take advantage of this valuable service offered by IAEM. See the Professional Opportunities and Positions Sought postings at http://www.iaem.com.

IAEM Announces 2001 Annual Conference & Exhibit - Register online at http://www.iaem.com. 2001 IAEM Annual Conference & Exhibit, Nov. 3-6, Riverside, California. The theme of the 2001 IAEM Annual Conference will be "Emergency Management: Interfacing With Our Partners."

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Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) Update:

Sarbanes New Fire Services Caucus Chair - Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland has been selected to serve as Chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. Senator Sarbanes has been a Co-Chairman of the Caucus since 1993. Senator Sarbanes will serve as Chairman of the Caucus for two years. See http://www.cfsi.org/newsbits/news14.html for full story.

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State and Local Emergency Management Data Users Group (SALEMDUG) Update:

SALEMDUG Announces 16th Annual Conference - The SALEMDUG Conference theme is "Technology in Emergency Management." The meeting will be in Las Vegas, Nevada: April 2-5, 2001. Contact: SALEMDUG 2001 Annual Conference, attn: Henrietta Alleman, P.O. Box 74833, Baton Rouge, LA, 70874; (225) 775-0275; fax: (225) 774-2621.

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Organization of the American States (OAS) Update:

OAS/USDE Supports Program Update - Since the recent earthquakes, the Ministry of Education of El Salvador is creating a specialized technical committee to review the designs, blue prints and specifications of all the prototypes used in school construction. The Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (USDE) of the OAS is supporting update of School Vulnerability Reduction Program (SVRP) in El Salvador. Information in English and Spanish is found at http://www.oas.org/nhp/ under Education Vulnerability Reduction. The OAS/USDE would appreciate any information about small buildings school construction in earthquake, volcano and flood prone areas. Please send to natural-hazards-project@oas.org .

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

2001 SARA Title III Program Officials Conference - The NASTTPO 13th Annual Conference will be held April 16-21, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia. "Shaping the Future of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act" is the conference title. The week includes workshops on the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grant presented by Charles Rogoff, USDOT, and an HMEP "Future Issues" workshop with a special focus on training presented by Bill Lewis of FEMA. The featured speaker is the honorable Bob Barr, US Congessman from Georgia. For additional information, visit NASTTPO site at http://www.nasttpo.org.

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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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