Tuesday, June 30, 2009
PhilaU Connect TOPOFF
Below is the recorded link to the PhilaU Connect Session Top Off given by Jack Whitney on June 30, 2009. Copy and paste link into your web browser http://philau.na4.acrobat.com/p90212470/
The Operational Value of Threat, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessments
The Operational Value of Threat, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessments is a course designed by the National Domestic Preparedness Coalition in cooperation with George Mason University for the U.S Department of Homeland Security, under the 2007 Competitive Training Grant Program. The 3-day training course will be presented throughout the United States to assist homeland security professionals, from all emergency response disciplines and the private sector, responsible for managing risk, to understand and use operationally, information gathered in various threat, risk, and vulnerability assessment methodologies.
Course content focuses on helping homeland security professionals analyze and apply information gathered in the assessment process to enhance operations, including: patrol and tactical operations, intelligence gathering, community programs, emergency planning, resource allocation, response to Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) color-code changes and DHS Alerts, response and recovery, and selection of technology. Participants will receive a Participant Manual, access to a web-based post-course resource site, and a resource CD. Additionally, participants will receive 2.4 CEU credits from George Mason University and a certificate of attendance from DHS and the National Domestic Preparedness Coalition.
http://www.ndpci.us/opvaltrva.html
Course content focuses on helping homeland security professionals analyze and apply information gathered in the assessment process to enhance operations, including: patrol and tactical operations, intelligence gathering, community programs, emergency planning, resource allocation, response to Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) color-code changes and DHS Alerts, response and recovery, and selection of technology. Participants will receive a Participant Manual, access to a web-based post-course resource site, and a resource CD. Additionally, participants will receive 2.4 CEU credits from George Mason University and a certificate of attendance from DHS and the National Domestic Preparedness Coalition.
http://www.ndpci.us/opvaltrva.html
Summer DHS Funded Courses
Summer DHS Funded Courses
There are slots available for the IRTB classes between July 21-24 and July 28-31 as well as all of August classes.
There are also slots open for the PRSBI classes August 10-14 and August 17-21.
This is fully funded DHS training. Further details regarding this training are listed below.
If you have any questions or I can be of assistance, do not hesitate to ask.
***
The challenges facing the emergency responder community are evolving rapidly in today's security aware climate. EMRTC has been a leader in providing DHS approved training to qualified First Responders from all over the nation. EMRTC will continue to provide training to our nation's First Responders to help them effectively respond to events involving explosives.
Course Offerings
Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings (IRTB)
Prepares emergency responders to react effectively, work cooperatively, and apply countermeasures in any incident involving explosives.
* DHS sponsored and certified train-the-trainer course in Socorro, New Mexico
* Awareness and performance level classes available locally
Prevention of and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents (PRSBI)
Provides senior state, tribal and local emergency responders with the knowledge and skills needed to develop policies for the prevention, interdiction, response, and mitigation of a suicide bombing attack.
* DHS sponsored and certified train-the-trainer course in Playas, New Mexico
* Awareness and performance level classes available locally
There are slots available for the IRTB classes between July 21-24 and July 28-31 as well as all of August classes.
There are also slots open for the PRSBI classes August 10-14 and August 17-21.
This is fully funded DHS training. Further details regarding this training are listed below.
If you have any questions or I can be of assistance, do not hesitate to ask.
***
The challenges facing the emergency responder community are evolving rapidly in today's security aware climate. EMRTC has been a leader in providing DHS approved training to qualified First Responders from all over the nation. EMRTC will continue to provide training to our nation's First Responders to help them effectively respond to events involving explosives.
Course Offerings
Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings (IRTB)
Prepares emergency responders to react effectively, work cooperatively, and apply countermeasures in any incident involving explosives.
* DHS sponsored and certified train-the-trainer course in Socorro, New Mexico
* Awareness and performance level classes available locally
Prevention of and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents (PRSBI)
Provides senior state, tribal and local emergency responders with the knowledge and skills needed to develop policies for the prevention, interdiction, response, and mitigation of a suicide bombing attack.
* DHS sponsored and certified train-the-trainer course in Playas, New Mexico
* Awareness and performance level classes available locally
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Practitioner's Guide to Understanding Insurgency and Dealing with it Effectively
A Practitioner's Guide to Understanding Insurgency and Dealing with it Effectively
by Colonel G. L. Lamborn, Small Wars Journal
"The author has been a student and observer, and sometimes a participant, in various insurgencies since his "initiation" in Vietnam in 1969. What is presented in this work is a distillation of those experiences and studies gathered over approximately forty years on four continents, to include some firsthand experience with the contemporary American struggles in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as some experience in working with insurgent movements in the 1980s. This short work is intended to give the reader an understanding of the true nature of insurgency and a glimpse at the reasons why we have not always dealt with it effectively. If the reader gains some insight into insurgency, and can apply his knowledge intelligently, Jimmy Doolittle's wish will come true: we will start fighting more from the neckline up - and less from the neckline down."
http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/journal/docs-temp/263-lamborn.pdf
Thursday, June 25, 2009
DEFENDING THE CITY
DEFENDING THE CITY: NYPD'S COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATIONS
An overview of the NYPD counterterrorism program...
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/html/pdf/falkenrath20090623.pdf
Ten Lessons Learned From Past Rail Accidents
Ten Lessons Learned From Past Rail Accidents
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
By Andrew Moseman
The death toll from Monday's terrible rail accident in Washington, D.C., hasn't yet been verified, but early estimates put it at nine people, with scores of others injured.
While rescuers continue to search the wreckage for survivors, investigators from both Washington's Metro and the National Transportation Safety Board have begun their investigations into the deadliest train wreck in D.C. history.
Months may pass before we know exactly what caused one train on the Metro's Red Line to slam into the back of another, jackknifing on top of it. Early speculation holds that the operator never hit the brake before slamming into the train in front.
When investigators find out more, this week's crash will join other crashes scattered through the years that taught train operators valuable safety lessons.
1. Paris, 1903
The Crash: By the official count, 84 people died in the Couronnes Disaster, a tragic rail fire in turn-of-the century Paris. After the train caught fire, many passengers tried to flee, but found no escape from the tunnel.
Here's the original New York Times story on the disaster, which reported that 100 were dead, "Suffocated in Tunnel by Smoke From Burning Train."
The Lesson: Transit historian Brian Cudahy, who wrote about the disaster in "A Century of Subways," tells Popular Mechanics that that the French disaster led companies to adopt some of the fire-safety procedures we're familiar with today. Most notably, it established the idea that fire exits should be available and marked.
2. Brooklyn, 1918
The Crash: Multiple factors conspired to make Nov. 1, 1918, a dangerous day to ride a train in New York City. A union of locomotive engineers had just gone on strike, pressing an inexperienced motorman into service. And the tunnel on Malbone St. in Brooklyn had just opened.
That day, operator Edward Luciano took a tight corner at more than 30 miles per hour, wrecking the train. Cudahy wrote an entire book about the disaster. In his research he confirmed 93 fatalities, though other sources claim as many as 103.
The Lesson: Cudahy says that by 1918 New York's subways were already using "dead man's controls," which stop the train if the driver is incapacitated. And some had controls that automatically slowed a train that was going too fast, especially downhill. But unfortunately, "the line over which the fatal train was operating did not have such hardware," Cudahy says.
3. Chicago, 1977
The Crash: The Windy City's most catastrophic rail accident came in 1977, when three cars fell off the elevated tracks after two trains collided at the Ravenswood stop downtown.
Chicago had just installed a system that made a train brake automatically if it sensed another ahead, much like what was supposed to happen but didn't in the D.C. accident Monday.
However, Chicago operators back then could override the stop signal if the train were traveling at less than 15 miles per hour. And because "ghost signals" happened occasionally, many drivers did roll past red lights.
"The system interpreted the station stop as the required stop, and so the motorman should have been operating under 'sight rules,'" Cudahy says. "But he didn't. And he didn't even keep his eyes on the track ahead."
The Lesson: In the aftermath of this wreck, the Chicago Transit Authority changed the rules and forbade operators from proceeding on their own. From then on, they would have to call Central Control before proceeding through a stop sign.
4. England, 1988
The Crash: Great Britain has seen plenty of rail accidents over the years. The deadliest in recent times happened near Clapham Junction in southern London. Thirty-five people died in a rush-hour collision of two trains carrying an estimated 1,300 people between them.
The Lesson: An inquiry into the accident recommended that the entire British rail system install an automatic train protection system. But the government balked at enormous bill — nearly $1.5 billion — and instead privatized the rail system.
5. Australia, 1999
The Crash: Another disaster on a curve occurred in 1999, this time near Glenbrook, New South Wales, Australia. After stopping at a signal, an intercity passenger train came around the bend and ran into the back of an Indian Pacific long-distance passenger train, killing seven and injuring 51.
The special commission of inquiry report cited several problems that led to the crash. First, it noted, "there has been a general failure in New South Wales organizations to embrace advances that have been made in the management of rail safety internationally and in other industries."
However, in this case the more important problem was the failure of communication. Before the accident, while sitting at the stop signal, the driver of the intercity train reportedly asked the signaler, "I'm going past it am I, mate?" The signaler replied, "You certainly are," and the driver took off, only to hit the Indian Pacific train parked at another red light further up the road.
While the two trains shared the same track, they used totally different communications systems and couldn't talk to each other. So the intercity train driver had no idea the other train was up ahead until he pulled around the corner and saw it, but by then it was too late. And when the Indian Pacific driver tried to call the signaler before the accident, he didn't get through.
The Lesson: In 2004, the Australasian Railway Association put together a plan to unify communications for all its rail lines.
6. Baltimore, 2001
The Crash: People aren't the only cargo endangered by rail accidents. In 2001 a cargo train carrying hazardous materials caught fire in the Howard Street tunnel in Baltimore, burning for three days with temperatures as high as 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Lesson: The Baltimore train wasn't carrying spent nuclear waste, but other trains that pass through that tunnel do carry such cargo.
The state of Nevada and the National Science Foundation both issued reports in 2003 stating that a nuclear fuel disaster in the area could contaminate 32 square miles, and that the Baltimore fire in 2001 appeared to exceed the temperatures that casks carrying spent nuclear fuel could withstand.
However, a report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission disagreed, finding that no nuclear fuel would have been released in such a fire.
7. South Carolina, 2005
The Crash: America's next toxic train disaster spilled liquefied chlorine in Graniteville, S.C. A cargo train collided with a parked locomotive because a switch was in the wrong position.
The Lesson: As a result of that wreck and others like it, the Next Generation Rail Tank Car Project is rolling out new designs for cargo cars that could minimize the damage from these disasters through use of double walls, crumple zones and stronger steel.
8. Japan, 2005
The Crash: More than 100 people died in 2005 when a train jumped a curve in Amagasaki, Japan. The rail company, JR West, admitted the accident could have been avoided if the train had been equipped with an automatic stopping system to prevent the operator from taking the curve too fast.
The Lesson: The accident also provided a cultural lesson. While the driver took the blame for taking a corner 46 kilometers per hour faster than he should have, the rail company took flack for putting too much pressure on its drivers.
Before the accident, conductors who made mistakes were forced to go through "re-education programs," so they were under intense pressure to keep on schedule.
9. Los Angeles, 2008
The Crash: It's calamitous enough when one train rear-ends another, as happened Monday in Washington. But it's often deadlier when two trains meet head-on.
That happened last year in Chatsworth, Calif., when a Metrolink commuter train met a Union Pacific freight train and 25 people died. The investigation concluded that the Metrolink operator missed a signal that he wasn't clear to enter a single track area because the freight train had right-of-way.
The Lesson: Kathryn O'Leary Higgins, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board panel that probed the crash, said she found four major safety violations leading to the crash (for one, a conductor was texting just before the crash). Metrolink will soon install cameras on its trains to monitor operators and engineers.
10. Staten Island, 2008
The Crash: And then, there's always simple operator error. Last December, an MTA train derailed on New York City's Staten Island after the operator, who had just had more than eight hours off to celebrate Christmas between shifts, missed a safety stop and then crashed into a steel bumper.
In the final seconds, she reached for the emergency brake but pulled the air horn instead. The train was out of service, so no passengers were on board. But the train operator lost her job.
The Lesson: Make sure that train operators are getting enough sleep.
Employment Opportunity: Clark County Emergency Management Director
Director
Clark County Emergency Management
Clark County is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Emergency Management Director. An associate's degree in an emergency response,
criminal justice or related field is required.
Bachelor's Degree preferred. Experience in emergency response or law enforcement or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities. Administrative experience required. Ability and availability to respond to emergency calls day or night, on short notice, and to work long hours when conditions require. Qualified candidates must possess the ability to prepare and administer federal and state grants. A valid Driver's License and dependable, available transportation are necessary. Excellent oral and written communication skills and a high degree of professionalism desired, as well as the ability to speak effectively before public gatherings. Familiarity with software such as the Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) is required.
Knowledge of civil government organization and administration at the federal, state and local levels is preferred. Ability to plan, coordinate and supervise activities of a wide variety of public officials, government agencies, volunteers, and community groups. Ability to make sound judgments and decisions during emergency or stressful situations. Ability to coordinate the work of others. Ability to prepare and maintain clear and accurate records and reports. Knowledge of Wisconsin and federal laws, regulations and practices pertaining to emergency Management on a countywide level. Knowledge of requirements of the SARA Title III program including emergency Planning, Emergency Release Notification, Hazardous Chemical Reporting and Community Right-To-Know criteria. Ability to carry out directives and implement programs and policies set forth by governing committees. Salary range is $21.96- $25.73 per hour depending on qualifications.
Please submit a cover letter and resume no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2009, to: Clark County – Office of Personnel, 517 Court Street, Rm. 205, Neillsville, WI 54456.
Clark County Emergency Management
Clark County is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Emergency Management Director. An associate's degree in an emergency response,
criminal justice or related field is required.
Bachelor's Degree preferred. Experience in emergency response or law enforcement or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities. Administrative experience required. Ability and availability to respond to emergency calls day or night, on short notice, and to work long hours when conditions require. Qualified candidates must possess the ability to prepare and administer federal and state grants. A valid Driver's License and dependable, available transportation are necessary. Excellent oral and written communication skills and a high degree of professionalism desired, as well as the ability to speak effectively before public gatherings. Familiarity with software such as the Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) is required.
Knowledge of civil government organization and administration at the federal, state and local levels is preferred. Ability to plan, coordinate and supervise activities of a wide variety of public officials, government agencies, volunteers, and community groups. Ability to make sound judgments and decisions during emergency or stressful situations. Ability to coordinate the work of others. Ability to prepare and maintain clear and accurate records and reports. Knowledge of Wisconsin and federal laws, regulations and practices pertaining to emergency Management on a countywide level. Knowledge of requirements of the SARA Title III program including emergency Planning, Emergency Release Notification, Hazardous Chemical Reporting and Community Right-To-Know criteria. Ability to carry out directives and implement programs and policies set forth by governing committees. Salary range is $21.96- $25.73 per hour depending on qualifications.
Please submit a cover letter and resume no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2009, to: Clark County – Office of Personnel, 517 Court Street, Rm. 205, Neillsville, WI 54456.
Emergency Response to Metrorail Crash Praised
Emergency Response to Metrorail Crash Praised
Post-9/11 demand for better, faster emergency response is being met - at least in some of the nation's big cities.
To view the entire article, copy and paste the following url in your browser:
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=0&id=64279
Post-9/11 demand for better, faster emergency response is being met - at least in some of the nation's big cities.
To view the entire article, copy and paste the following url in your browser:
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=0&id=64279
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Blog @ Homeland Security
The Blog @ Homeland Security provides an inside-out view of what we do every day at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Blog lets us talk about how we secure our nation, strengthen our programs, and unite the Department behind our common mission and principles. It also lets us hear from you.
http://www.dhs.gov/journal/theblog
http://www.dhs.gov/journal/theblog
DC SIT Triage update
#DCMetro #EMS Triage Breakdown - Green Tag 50 / Yellow Tag 12 / Red Tag 2 / Black Tag 4 per FD Chief on scene
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
PhilaU Connect - June 30, 2009
PhilaU Connect: Professional International PresentationsWill be presenting
Jack Whitney - Presenting "Top Off"
Jack Whitney - Presenting "Top Off"
June 30, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
The PhilaU Connect Professional International Presentations is proud to present John F. Whitney. Throughout a 40-year Law Enforcement and Military career spanning both local and Federal Service, Jack Whitney has demonstrated the abilities to lead and train people, conduct complex criminal investigations, and to develop and teach training programs to members of the law enforcement community, our military, as well as foreign law enforcement and military personnel. Jack has prepared briefing papers and presented demonstrations for heads of State as well as various Presidents and Vice-Presidents in addition to high-level Department of Justice and Defense Department Officials. Additionally, he has written national and local training exercise programs as well as tabletop exercises. He has a broad knowledge of subjects ranging from Tactical Operations, Hostage Negotiation, School Violence and Domestic Violence issues, nuclear, chemical and biological related matters, building hardening and protection, domestic and International terrorism, marksmanship training, criminal and civil investigations, interviewing techniques, emergency medicine, and critical incident management issues. Jack is a Viet Nam veteran and was discharged as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stonehill College, North Easton, MA and a Master of Urban Affairs Degree with a Concentration in Criminal Justice from Boston University, Boston, MA.
Instructions outlining how to join the PhilaU Connect will be sent via email prior to the event.Each PhilaU Connect presentation will include a certificate of attendance emailed to the attendee.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Call for papers
The International Association of Counterterrorism and Security Professionals is calling for articles for their upcoming journal editions. If you have an article that may be eligible for publication, please feel free to contact me. Aaron
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Volunteers Interested in EM & Government Affairs
IAEM-USA SR is currently recruiting student volunteers for the following two positions:
USA SR Government Affairs Committee- Summarize daily Government Affairs news related to EM and post to IAEM list serv
- Must have good writing and analytical skills and be able to summarize effectively
- Volunteers will need to post 1-2 times per week
- Excellent opportunity for networking and exposing your name to a large EM community
IAEM USA Government Affairs Intern
- Work with IAEM USA Policy Advisor (Washington D.C,) to support the work of the Government Affairs committee including watching and analyzing webinars, doing research, etc.
- Must have excellent research, analysis, and writing skills
- This position is still in development
- Possibility for academic credit available
Students interested in either of these positions should reply with their resume/CV ASAP.
Thanks!
"This is your IAEM!"
Brian Silva, MPA, EMT
President, Student Council (IAEM-SC)
President, USA Student Region (IAEM-USA SR)
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)
(562) 897.6677
www.iaem.com
UASI Conference: Closing Session Webcast
Thanks to the support of Tandberg and Incident Communications Solutions, we will be streaming the closing general session of the 2009 National UASI Conference on Thursday afternoon from 3:30-5pm ET. This session will include DHS GPD leadership and conference chairs in a discussion of the future of UASI in general and the National UASI conference in particular.
The link and password below will get you to the feed. If you go to the site before the event, you will get a blank page. It will go live automatically when the stream is started.
Viewers go to:
http://natcs.tandberg.com/tcs/?a=7785#page:conferenceList&status:live&pageNu
mber:1
Password = UASI (all caps)
Windows IE - nothing special needed
Windows FireFox - may need Windows Media Plugin for FireFox (
http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download
.aspx )
MAC - Need Silverlight ( http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/ )
You can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UrbanAreas
The link and password below will get you to the feed. If you go to the site before the event, you will get a blank page. It will go live automatically when the stream is started.
Viewers go to:
http://natcs.tandberg.com/tcs/?a=7785#page:conferenceList&status:live&pageNu
mber:1
Password = UASI (all caps)
Windows IE - nothing special needed
Windows FireFox - may need Windows Media Plugin for FireFox (
http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download
.aspx )
MAC - Need Silverlight ( http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/ )
You can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UrbanAreas
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Employment Opportunity
www.radiantrfid.com May 22, 2009
During the 2009 hurricane season, June 1 – November 30, Radiant RFID is seeking deployment staff to support the Special Needs Evacuation Tracking System (SNETS); designed for the evacuation of special needs citizens during emergency events. Job openings are available at embarkation and shelter sites throughout the State of Texas.
Brief Job Description Embarkation/Enrollment location:
- Placing wristbands on evacuees, tagging pets and medical assets, and using a laptop to log evacuee information into the system.
- Assisting in flow of people onto busses and through enrollment process as necessary
- Scanning people, pets, and medical assets onto busses using handheld scanners
- Helping to determine process flow of enrollment and bus loading as needed
Brief Job Description Shelter locations
- Helping to determine process flow for receiving evacuees and pets as necessary
- Set up and verification of RFID portal functionality
- Scanning people, pets, and medical assets with handheld scanner as necessary
- Monitoring the scanning of people, pets, medical assets through RFID portal
Training for both positions will be available through scheduled webinar sessions, and prior to deployment as "Just in Time" Training.
Job Requirements
- Prior to the beginning of hurricane season each contractor will be required to read documents explaining how to set up and monitor the systems.
- Availability on short notice for deployment to embarkation or shelter cities during a hurricane or other emergency evacuation. Short notice is defined as 3-4 days prior to a hurricane hitting landfall.
- Availability for duration of evacuation (potentially one week) unless otherwise negotiated.
- Ability to work an average of 15 hour days
- Must be able to lift 50lbs
- Must have a valid U.S drivers license
- Successfully pass background check
- Support of Radiant RFID equipment and State of Texas as defined in Statement of Work.
- Professional demeanor representing Radiant RFID at all times.
Compensation
- Hourly rate of $25
- Per diem rate as given by the State (usually $40/day)
- Hotel Accommodations as necessary (rate given by State)
Get to know Radiant RFID at http://www.radiantrfid.com/
For additional information specific to deployment staffing please visit us at
www.radiantrfid.com/IAEM.html (please type in browser)
"This is your IAEM!"
Brian Silva, MPA, EMT
President, Student Council (IAEM-SC)
President, USA Student Region (IAEM-USA SR)
International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)
(562) 897.6677
www.iaem.com
Don't Let the Plan Be the Disaster
Published on Security Management (http://www.securitymanagement.com)
Don't Let the Plan Be the Disaster
By William M. Lokey
June 2009
June 2009 [1]
Teaser:
Drawing on firsthand experience and studies of after-action reports from disasters around the United States, the author examines lessons learned and presents some of the most effective disaster response practices companies have developed.
Sidebar: Don't Silo Crisis Solutions [2]
When survivors of Hurricane Katrina began arriving at the Houston Astrodome in September 2005, they were met by a contingent of local and state government employees, contractors, and charity workers charged with helping get food and blankets to the refugees there. However, other help was also in evidence. For example, one group held a sign that towered over the crowd. The sign read, “Starbucks partners report here.”
Every company employee who reported to the group was given a job at another Starbucks in the area until the stores at which they worked, which had been damaged by the hurricane, were again operational. They also received cash stipends in addition to their salaries to help them with expenses. (If the employees wanted to relocate, Starbucks worked to find them a permanent position in the new location.) The company also assisted the displaced in finding a place to stay.
Not far away was a station set up by employees of CVS drug stores. The employees were accessing the company’s national database to research and fill prescriptions for customers, free of charge.
Both companies had flexible disaster management plans that allowed room for improvisational problem solving and empowered employees to act.
Other companies didn’t plan ahead. Back in Louisiana, for example, a major company had petitioned the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide housing for its employees who had arrived from out of state to help fix damaged facilities and equipment. This was initially denied because, by law, FEMA may only provide housing for disaster victims. It took a great deal of time to work out an arrangement for the company to rent temporary housing; such considerations should have been covered in the corporate disaster management plan.
Why were some companies unprepared to provide the most basic necessities for their employees while others not only survived the catastrophe but also excelled at helping others? There’s a simple answer: Some companies devote resources to planning, training, and conducting disaster response and recovery drills—and some do not.
At the most basic level, businesses should follow the laws and regulations that govern disaster preparedness in their industry. However, compliance with these laws and regulations will not, by itself, ensure that a company is prepared.
After-action reports from disasters and my personal experience with emergencies around the United States have indicated that there are five major operational issues that merit special attention in a disaster response: communication, chain of command, use of volunteer resources, establishment of priorities, and media relationships. By identifying and focusing additional disaster planning and exercises around these particular issues, I believe communities and companies will be better prepared to handle any type of emergency.
Communication
During a disaster, the center for communications is the emergency operations center (EOC). This location is known by many different terms, but the concept is the same. The EOC is a facility for information gathering, disaster analysis, damage assessment, resource coordination, and policy development. It should serve as a central repository of information. In business terms, the EOC is the community or organizational boardroom designed to support and coordinate field operations.
Communications must, of course, be addressed well ahead of the activation of the EOC. Communications must be established from the beginning of the planning process. Unfortunately, companies often fail to reach out to other organizations in their community who will be involved in emergency response. Even within companies, department heads are often unaware of what other departments will do in a disaster.
A major component of planning and carrying out disaster drills should be for disaster managers to get to know their counterparts in other organizations, and they should become acquainted with everyone within their own companies who may have a role to play when a disaster occurs. Additionally, they should learn how each department will function during a disaster.
Initiating the planning process can be as simple as a meeting. This meeting of leaders from companies, emergency management groups, and government agencies can be facilitated by the local authorities or can be led by a company.
After everyone is introduced and each person has explained how his or her organization fits into the community, the group should discuss basic management principles, such as who is in charge, where the command center will be located, what information leaders need, and where they can find this information.
Companies should follow this same outline in conducting internal disaster planning. Department heads should meet to discuss what they do, what aspects of the business they would be in charge of during an emergency, what information they need, and how they will get it. This interdepartmental communication helps ensure that, for example, the business manufacturing unit will have a plan that is in concert with senior management’s plan and that corresponds with the needs of security, safety, and public affairs.
I learned about this critical aspect of disaster planning in 1989 when I visited the San Francisco area after the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Oakland (California) Fire Department had learned some hard lessons in that disaster. They were open and honest about the problems they had encountered, and this learning experience changed my disaster-planning philosophy.
The leadership of the Oakland Fire Department could see on CNN that Oakland firefighters were providing a heroic response. They did not, however, have basic information on the status of the stations, what apparatus was available, or how many firefighters had come to work. Thus, it was difficult to make management decisions about what additional resources were needed. After the event, the department revised their emergency procedures to ensure that status information was provided directly to management as soon as possible after an incident.
Chain of Command
Ambiguity of authority during an emergency is a frequent problem in the private sector. The problem arises because many companies lack a standard chain of command. Resolving this issue is not as simple as putting names on a chart, however. Once authority has been established, all employees must be trained to respond appropriately to that authority during a crisis.
Establishing a basic chain of command is critical because most disaster problems are management related, not skill related. The mistake is that corporate disaster training is usually focused on improving the skills of employees who respond to a disaster. But because the problem is rooted in chain-of-command issues and not in people failing to do their jobs or forgetting how to operate a fire extinguisher, the training never gets at the crux of the matter. This paradox can cause seemingly well-practiced and comprehensive plans to fail when a disaster occurs.
To reduce confusion over chain-of-command issues at the scene during an incident, the plan should not only clearly spell out who has authority in these situations, but it should also clarify the extent to which employees can act autonomously. Additionally, chain of command and the use of initiative should be a part of training exercises.
Improvisation. The training should stress that the person in charge is not operating as an omnipotent chess master who moves all the pieces. Instead, he or she should be viewed as the coach who has trained the team and then lets them play the game, responding to the changing environment as best they can with occasional guidance from the coach. Command can come from the coach, but control comes from feedback from the players.
Because problems can arise in endless and unpredictable ways during a disaster, disaster response plans must encourage improvisational problem solving. Exercises should emphasize how to quickly get the necessary information after a disaster occurs and then how to use that information to solve problems creatively. This component of a disaster exercise should involve role playing and scenario training.
Instead of telling employees what to do in an emergency, companies should tell employees what needs to be done. The employees must then determine how that goal will be accomplished.
For example, the program Starbucks offered to its employees displaced by Hurricane Katrina was a local effort, according to Rick Gipson, director of the global partner and asset protection division at Starbucks. “The partners in Houston decided to act because people needed help,” says Gipson. “And the structure at Starbucks gave them the power to do this on their own.”
Resources
During a disaster, it is usually the proper management of resources, not the lack of them, that is the problem. This is especially true for human resources. One problem is that leaders in a major event are usually surprised at the number and diversity of citizens who show up at the scene wanting to help. At smaller incidents, law enforcement usually secures the scene and keeps volunteers away. However, at larger events, the spontaneous response is more difficult to contain.
I had the opportunity to speak afterwards with many of the first responders to the Cypress Freeway collapse in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. One consistent comment was that they wished they had training in dealing with all of the people who showed up and wanted to help. This same issue was repeated at the 9-11 attacks and in rescue efforts after the recent hurricanes.
Leaders should anticipate this and, if appropriate, plan for it. One approach is to organize the volunteers into smaller groups. To that end, designated employees could be trained to form volunteers into teams of five to seven people. These teams should then be assigned to a trained responder such as a member of a company’s crisis management team, if appropriate, or to a firefighter or police officer when they arrive on the scene. Such strategies should be part of the disaster management plan and included in training exercises.
Related to this issue is the fact that friends, family, coworkers, and people who just happen to be around when a disaster occurs are the ones who provide help to most people when a major disaster occurs. The highly trained responders rescue only a small percentage of victims.
In light of this reality, some training for a lot of people is better than a lot of training for some people. Providing basic information and safety equipment to a large number of employees, instead of to just a few employees on a disaster response team, is the best approach.
Safety meetings, which many companies must hold under federal and state safety and health regulations, can serve as a forum for educating employees about corporate emergency plans and management issues. One approach might be to have an employee, such as the safety officer or security director, develop a quiz about the company disaster plan for employees to take at periodic safety meetings.
The quiz should contain simple questions to elicit information from the plan, such as, “Who is in charge during an emergency?” and “Where will the command post be located?”
Employees should be asked during the meeting to write down the answers, and everyone should then discuss the exam as a group. They can be allowed to use the plan as a reference for an open book test. This simple drill can serve as a first step, as a refresher about the plan, and as an opportunity to solicit suggestions to make the plan better.
Priorities
Another consideration is to ensure that everyone involved understands what the priorities will be in a disaster. As part of a safety meeting or at a gathering specifically designed to address disaster-planning issues, managers and employees should be asked to develop a list of tasks. For example, a list could include treating the injured, putting out a fire, reestablishing utilities, reopening the business, communicating with employees, contacting customers, and collecting documentation for insurance claims.
Managers and employees should be asked to rank those issues. For example, is treating the injured more important than making an insurance claim? The important point is to establish a process for getting information and using it to set correct priorities.
This type of drill is designed for managers but can and should involve employees. It is designed to exercise the decision-making process in a community or company. It forces management to examine certain issues such as who sets priorities, how to ensure that the right types of information are available, and which employees should be involved.
In many instances, confusion is a result of poor information sharing. What one department views as a priority might already be dealt with by another group, for example. It does not matter how the issues are cleared up, so long as it is clear who will set the priorities and employees are informed of the decisions.
Media
Media relationships can sour quickly in a disaster. The problem is that few companies are prepared for the around-the-clock media coverage of disasters. To address this issue, a media relations component should be part of the overall disaster management plan. The objective is to make sure that accurate information gets released in a timely manner.
The plan should indicate where the media relations department will be located during a disaster and how often press conferences should be held. The company should designate a spokesperson, with alternates designated as well. Only these employees should speak to the press. The primary spokesperson should become the calm face of the company during a crisis.
Making sure that the spokespeople are well informed is critical. The company plan should include what information might be needed and how the spokespeople will get this data. It might come from the company public relations department or from the employees themselves.
For large companies, putting out a consistent message is easier, because they have strong ongoing media relations operations. But even large companies may reach outside for assistance with this task. For example, at Starbucks, all media responses come from corporate headquarters. Under its disaster management plan, however, the company has contract public relations firms on standby to help out if company employees are overwhelmed.
Few small companies have a media department large enough to support the type of information processing that must occur during an emergency. In those cases, a critical part of the emergency plan is to assign employees from other parts of the company to help with media relations should a disaster occur.
Companies can learn from local emergency management organizations and other public agencies on this issue. These groups usually have designated emergency public information officers who are in charge of getting important information to the public during emergencies. These officers ensure that messages coming from the agency are consistent with other federal and state officials.
Not only must the message be consistent, the messenger must instill confidence both in internal workers and external listeners, including the local community and reporters, and project a sense that everything is under control. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s response to the 9-11 attacks serves as a model of that principle. Victims, as well as the public at large, took comfort from his calm demeanor.
A disaster plan is a set of promises that a company makes. They spell out how a company intends to behave when tragedy strikes. More than a document, a disaster plan is a process that is designed to evoke appropriate actions by anticipating problems and creating possible solutions. By being aware of common problems from past incidents, companies can help to ensure that staff will be ready to meet those promises and, in the process, to give aid and comfort to the affected community.
William M. Lokey is a program director for James Lee Witt Associates, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Author:
William M. Lokey
Related Resources:
Comments
Security Management is the award-winning publication of ASIS International, the preeminent international organization for security professionals, with more than 35,000 members worldwide.
ASIS International, Inc. Worldwide Headquarters USA
1625 Prince Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-2818
703-519-6200 fax 703-519-6299 www.asisonline.org
ASIS
Copyright © 2009 Security Management
This site is protected by copyright and trade mark laws under U.S. and International law.
No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of Security Management.
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Source URL: http://www.securitymanagement.com/article/dont-let-plan-be-disaster-005659
Links:
[1] http://www.securitymanagement.com/magazine/2009/05
[2] http://www.securitymanagement.com/dont-silo-crisis-solutions-robert-f-littlejohn-cpp
Don't Let the Plan Be the Disaster
By William M. Lokey
June 2009
June 2009 [1]
Teaser:
Drawing on firsthand experience and studies of after-action reports from disasters around the United States, the author examines lessons learned and presents some of the most effective disaster response practices companies have developed.
Sidebar: Don't Silo Crisis Solutions [2]
When survivors of Hurricane Katrina began arriving at the Houston Astrodome in September 2005, they were met by a contingent of local and state government employees, contractors, and charity workers charged with helping get food and blankets to the refugees there. However, other help was also in evidence. For example, one group held a sign that towered over the crowd. The sign read, “Starbucks partners report here.”
Every company employee who reported to the group was given a job at another Starbucks in the area until the stores at which they worked, which had been damaged by the hurricane, were again operational. They also received cash stipends in addition to their salaries to help them with expenses. (If the employees wanted to relocate, Starbucks worked to find them a permanent position in the new location.) The company also assisted the displaced in finding a place to stay.
Not far away was a station set up by employees of CVS drug stores. The employees were accessing the company’s national database to research and fill prescriptions for customers, free of charge.
Both companies had flexible disaster management plans that allowed room for improvisational problem solving and empowered employees to act.
Other companies didn’t plan ahead. Back in Louisiana, for example, a major company had petitioned the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide housing for its employees who had arrived from out of state to help fix damaged facilities and equipment. This was initially denied because, by law, FEMA may only provide housing for disaster victims. It took a great deal of time to work out an arrangement for the company to rent temporary housing; such considerations should have been covered in the corporate disaster management plan.
Why were some companies unprepared to provide the most basic necessities for their employees while others not only survived the catastrophe but also excelled at helping others? There’s a simple answer: Some companies devote resources to planning, training, and conducting disaster response and recovery drills—and some do not.
At the most basic level, businesses should follow the laws and regulations that govern disaster preparedness in their industry. However, compliance with these laws and regulations will not, by itself, ensure that a company is prepared.
After-action reports from disasters and my personal experience with emergencies around the United States have indicated that there are five major operational issues that merit special attention in a disaster response: communication, chain of command, use of volunteer resources, establishment of priorities, and media relationships. By identifying and focusing additional disaster planning and exercises around these particular issues, I believe communities and companies will be better prepared to handle any type of emergency.
Communication
During a disaster, the center for communications is the emergency operations center (EOC). This location is known by many different terms, but the concept is the same. The EOC is a facility for information gathering, disaster analysis, damage assessment, resource coordination, and policy development. It should serve as a central repository of information. In business terms, the EOC is the community or organizational boardroom designed to support and coordinate field operations.
Communications must, of course, be addressed well ahead of the activation of the EOC. Communications must be established from the beginning of the planning process. Unfortunately, companies often fail to reach out to other organizations in their community who will be involved in emergency response. Even within companies, department heads are often unaware of what other departments will do in a disaster.
A major component of planning and carrying out disaster drills should be for disaster managers to get to know their counterparts in other organizations, and they should become acquainted with everyone within their own companies who may have a role to play when a disaster occurs. Additionally, they should learn how each department will function during a disaster.
Initiating the planning process can be as simple as a meeting. This meeting of leaders from companies, emergency management groups, and government agencies can be facilitated by the local authorities or can be led by a company.
After everyone is introduced and each person has explained how his or her organization fits into the community, the group should discuss basic management principles, such as who is in charge, where the command center will be located, what information leaders need, and where they can find this information.
Companies should follow this same outline in conducting internal disaster planning. Department heads should meet to discuss what they do, what aspects of the business they would be in charge of during an emergency, what information they need, and how they will get it. This interdepartmental communication helps ensure that, for example, the business manufacturing unit will have a plan that is in concert with senior management’s plan and that corresponds with the needs of security, safety, and public affairs.
I learned about this critical aspect of disaster planning in 1989 when I visited the San Francisco area after the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Oakland (California) Fire Department had learned some hard lessons in that disaster. They were open and honest about the problems they had encountered, and this learning experience changed my disaster-planning philosophy.
The leadership of the Oakland Fire Department could see on CNN that Oakland firefighters were providing a heroic response. They did not, however, have basic information on the status of the stations, what apparatus was available, or how many firefighters had come to work. Thus, it was difficult to make management decisions about what additional resources were needed. After the event, the department revised their emergency procedures to ensure that status information was provided directly to management as soon as possible after an incident.
Chain of Command
Ambiguity of authority during an emergency is a frequent problem in the private sector. The problem arises because many companies lack a standard chain of command. Resolving this issue is not as simple as putting names on a chart, however. Once authority has been established, all employees must be trained to respond appropriately to that authority during a crisis.
Establishing a basic chain of command is critical because most disaster problems are management related, not skill related. The mistake is that corporate disaster training is usually focused on improving the skills of employees who respond to a disaster. But because the problem is rooted in chain-of-command issues and not in people failing to do their jobs or forgetting how to operate a fire extinguisher, the training never gets at the crux of the matter. This paradox can cause seemingly well-practiced and comprehensive plans to fail when a disaster occurs.
To reduce confusion over chain-of-command issues at the scene during an incident, the plan should not only clearly spell out who has authority in these situations, but it should also clarify the extent to which employees can act autonomously. Additionally, chain of command and the use of initiative should be a part of training exercises.
Improvisation. The training should stress that the person in charge is not operating as an omnipotent chess master who moves all the pieces. Instead, he or she should be viewed as the coach who has trained the team and then lets them play the game, responding to the changing environment as best they can with occasional guidance from the coach. Command can come from the coach, but control comes from feedback from the players.
Because problems can arise in endless and unpredictable ways during a disaster, disaster response plans must encourage improvisational problem solving. Exercises should emphasize how to quickly get the necessary information after a disaster occurs and then how to use that information to solve problems creatively. This component of a disaster exercise should involve role playing and scenario training.
Instead of telling employees what to do in an emergency, companies should tell employees what needs to be done. The employees must then determine how that goal will be accomplished.
For example, the program Starbucks offered to its employees displaced by Hurricane Katrina was a local effort, according to Rick Gipson, director of the global partner and asset protection division at Starbucks. “The partners in Houston decided to act because people needed help,” says Gipson. “And the structure at Starbucks gave them the power to do this on their own.”
Resources
During a disaster, it is usually the proper management of resources, not the lack of them, that is the problem. This is especially true for human resources. One problem is that leaders in a major event are usually surprised at the number and diversity of citizens who show up at the scene wanting to help. At smaller incidents, law enforcement usually secures the scene and keeps volunteers away. However, at larger events, the spontaneous response is more difficult to contain.
I had the opportunity to speak afterwards with many of the first responders to the Cypress Freeway collapse in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. One consistent comment was that they wished they had training in dealing with all of the people who showed up and wanted to help. This same issue was repeated at the 9-11 attacks and in rescue efforts after the recent hurricanes.
Leaders should anticipate this and, if appropriate, plan for it. One approach is to organize the volunteers into smaller groups. To that end, designated employees could be trained to form volunteers into teams of five to seven people. These teams should then be assigned to a trained responder such as a member of a company’s crisis management team, if appropriate, or to a firefighter or police officer when they arrive on the scene. Such strategies should be part of the disaster management plan and included in training exercises.
Related to this issue is the fact that friends, family, coworkers, and people who just happen to be around when a disaster occurs are the ones who provide help to most people when a major disaster occurs. The highly trained responders rescue only a small percentage of victims.
In light of this reality, some training for a lot of people is better than a lot of training for some people. Providing basic information and safety equipment to a large number of employees, instead of to just a few employees on a disaster response team, is the best approach.
Safety meetings, which many companies must hold under federal and state safety and health regulations, can serve as a forum for educating employees about corporate emergency plans and management issues. One approach might be to have an employee, such as the safety officer or security director, develop a quiz about the company disaster plan for employees to take at periodic safety meetings.
The quiz should contain simple questions to elicit information from the plan, such as, “Who is in charge during an emergency?” and “Where will the command post be located?”
Employees should be asked during the meeting to write down the answers, and everyone should then discuss the exam as a group. They can be allowed to use the plan as a reference for an open book test. This simple drill can serve as a first step, as a refresher about the plan, and as an opportunity to solicit suggestions to make the plan better.
Priorities
Another consideration is to ensure that everyone involved understands what the priorities will be in a disaster. As part of a safety meeting or at a gathering specifically designed to address disaster-planning issues, managers and employees should be asked to develop a list of tasks. For example, a list could include treating the injured, putting out a fire, reestablishing utilities, reopening the business, communicating with employees, contacting customers, and collecting documentation for insurance claims.
Managers and employees should be asked to rank those issues. For example, is treating the injured more important than making an insurance claim? The important point is to establish a process for getting information and using it to set correct priorities.
This type of drill is designed for managers but can and should involve employees. It is designed to exercise the decision-making process in a community or company. It forces management to examine certain issues such as who sets priorities, how to ensure that the right types of information are available, and which employees should be involved.
In many instances, confusion is a result of poor information sharing. What one department views as a priority might already be dealt with by another group, for example. It does not matter how the issues are cleared up, so long as it is clear who will set the priorities and employees are informed of the decisions.
Media
Media relationships can sour quickly in a disaster. The problem is that few companies are prepared for the around-the-clock media coverage of disasters. To address this issue, a media relations component should be part of the overall disaster management plan. The objective is to make sure that accurate information gets released in a timely manner.
The plan should indicate where the media relations department will be located during a disaster and how often press conferences should be held. The company should designate a spokesperson, with alternates designated as well. Only these employees should speak to the press. The primary spokesperson should become the calm face of the company during a crisis.
Making sure that the spokespeople are well informed is critical. The company plan should include what information might be needed and how the spokespeople will get this data. It might come from the company public relations department or from the employees themselves.
For large companies, putting out a consistent message is easier, because they have strong ongoing media relations operations. But even large companies may reach outside for assistance with this task. For example, at Starbucks, all media responses come from corporate headquarters. Under its disaster management plan, however, the company has contract public relations firms on standby to help out if company employees are overwhelmed.
Few small companies have a media department large enough to support the type of information processing that must occur during an emergency. In those cases, a critical part of the emergency plan is to assign employees from other parts of the company to help with media relations should a disaster occur.
Companies can learn from local emergency management organizations and other public agencies on this issue. These groups usually have designated emergency public information officers who are in charge of getting important information to the public during emergencies. These officers ensure that messages coming from the agency are consistent with other federal and state officials.
Not only must the message be consistent, the messenger must instill confidence both in internal workers and external listeners, including the local community and reporters, and project a sense that everything is under control. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s response to the 9-11 attacks serves as a model of that principle. Victims, as well as the public at large, took comfort from his calm demeanor.
A disaster plan is a set of promises that a company makes. They spell out how a company intends to behave when tragedy strikes. More than a document, a disaster plan is a process that is designed to evoke appropriate actions by anticipating problems and creating possible solutions. By being aware of common problems from past incidents, companies can help to ensure that staff will be ready to meet those promises and, in the process, to give aid and comfort to the affected community.
William M. Lokey is a program director for James Lee Witt Associates, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Author:
William M. Lokey
Related Resources:
Comments
Security Management is the award-winning publication of ASIS International, the preeminent international organization for security professionals, with more than 35,000 members worldwide.
ASIS International, Inc. Worldwide Headquarters USA
1625 Prince Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-2818
703-519-6200 fax 703-519-6299 www.asisonline.org
ASIS
Copyright © 2009 Security Management
This site is protected by copyright and trade mark laws under U.S. and International law.
No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of Security Management.
Powered by: Phase2 Technology
Source URL: http://www.securitymanagement.com/article/dont-let-plan-be-disaster-005659
Links:
[1] http://www.securitymanagement.com/magazine/2009/05
[2] http://www.securitymanagement.com/dont-silo-crisis-solutions-robert-f-littlejohn-cpp
Red Flag Dates
Red Flag
9 June - Germany: European Commission President Barroso meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin
10 June - Portugal: National Day
10 June - Italy: Somali government and opposition leaders to meet in Rome
10 June - Italy: Libya's President Moammar Gaddafi expected for talks with Italian leaders in Rome
11-12 June - Italy: G8 development ministers meeting in Rome
11-12 June - Belgium: NATO defense ministers to meet in Brussels
12 June - Philippines: Independence Day
12 June - Iran: Presidential election
12 June - Lithuania: Inauguration of President Grybauskaite
12 June - Morocco: Municipal elections
12-13 June - Italy: G8 finance ministers' meeting Lecce
14-28 June - South Africa: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
14 June - USA: Flag Day
15 June - Luxembourg: EU foreign ministers to discuss whether to normalize relations with Cuba
15-19 June - Belgium: EU General Affairs and External Relations Council summit in Brussels
15-19 June - Austria: IAEA board meeting in Vienna
15-16 June - Russia: Shanghai Cooperation Organization meets
9 June - Germany: European Commission President Barroso meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin
10 June - Portugal: National Day
10 June - Italy: Somali government and opposition leaders to meet in Rome
10 June - Italy: Libya's President Moammar Gaddafi expected for talks with Italian leaders in Rome
11-12 June - Italy: G8 development ministers meeting in Rome
11-12 June - Belgium: NATO defense ministers to meet in Brussels
12 June - Philippines: Independence Day
12 June - Iran: Presidential election
12 June - Lithuania: Inauguration of President Grybauskaite
12 June - Morocco: Municipal elections
12-13 June - Italy: G8 finance ministers' meeting Lecce
14-28 June - South Africa: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
14 June - USA: Flag Day
15 June - Luxembourg: EU foreign ministers to discuss whether to normalize relations with Cuba
15-19 June - Belgium: EU General Affairs and External Relations Council summit in Brussels
15-19 June - Austria: IAEA board meeting in Vienna
15-16 June - Russia: Shanghai Cooperation Organization meets
International Crisis Management Seminar
International Relations
The goal of the Israel Home Front Command is to ensure the resilience of the Israeli people during armed conflict, disasters and emergencies.
The Home Front Command understands the importance of international cooperation in order to be better prepared to achieve its goal and throughout the year holds numerous meetings in Israel and abroad in order to both learn from the experience of other civil defence organizations as well as to share the Israeli experiences with others.
http://www.oref.org.il/sip_storage//FILES/0/1040.jpg
The goal of the Israel Home Front Command is to ensure the resilience of the Israeli people during armed conflict, disasters and emergencies.
The Home Front Command understands the importance of international cooperation in order to be better prepared to achieve its goal and throughout the year holds numerous meetings in Israel and abroad in order to both learn from the experience of other civil defence organizations as well as to share the Israeli experiences with others.
http://www.oref.org.il/sip_storage//FILES/0/1040.jpg
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Excellent research resources
About the LRC
The NETC Learning Resource Center has one of the premier collections in the United States dedicated to fire as well as All-Hazards topics for the first responder and emergency management communities. The LRC routinely answers simple requests; e.g., an organization's telephone number and address. In response to more complex inquiries on specific subjects, the LRC will do literature searches, compile bibliographies, and, depending on length and copyright restrictions, provide documentation in the form of reports and articles.
The LRC is open to the general public; however only NETC personnel and students may borrow materials directly from the LRC. If you wish to visit the LRC please call us at least 24 hours in advance at 301-447-1046. This will help expedite your entry thru security. You will not be granted admittance after 5PM (Monday-Thursday) or on the weekend unless you've called us in advance.
The general public can still access the LRC's collection of books and research reports by requesting interlibrary loan through their local library. Audiovisuals, magazines, and general reference materials are noncirculating. Call (800) 638-1821 or (301) 447-1030 for more information. Our fax number is (301) 447-3217 and our email address is netclrc@dhs.gov. Please include your full name, mailing address and phone number in all email messages.
As its name implies, the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) is the index that provides bibliographic access to the collection of the National Emergency Training Center's (NETC) Learning Resource Center (LRC). While the LRC is the on-campus library for the staff and students of the National Fire Academy (NFA) and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), the OPAC will function for Internet users as a database on fire service, all-hazards and emergency management topics. Its fundamental service to Internet users is one of identification though the OPAC also provides online access to some 14,000 titles . The OPAC identifies published resources on topics of professional interest to fire service and emergency management personnel.
Since the LRC's primary mission is to support the instructional activities of the NFA and the EMI, the OCC reflects that goal. The LRC concentrates on natural and technological hazards but primarily on their social and behavioral sciences aspects. As examples, the LRC has some information on seismology but more on earthquake preparedness; some information on fire protection engineering but more on public fire education. Generally, students at the NFA and EMI are not scientists but practicing emergency managers and first responders. The LRC's collection has been built for these user populations and the OPAC will be most useful to them.
http://www.lrc.fema.gov/index.html
The NETC Learning Resource Center has one of the premier collections in the United States dedicated to fire as well as All-Hazards topics for the first responder and emergency management communities. The LRC routinely answers simple requests; e.g., an organization's telephone number and address. In response to more complex inquiries on specific subjects, the LRC will do literature searches, compile bibliographies, and, depending on length and copyright restrictions, provide documentation in the form of reports and articles.
The LRC is open to the general public; however only NETC personnel and students may borrow materials directly from the LRC. If you wish to visit the LRC please call us at least 24 hours in advance at 301-447-1046. This will help expedite your entry thru security. You will not be granted admittance after 5PM (Monday-Thursday) or on the weekend unless you've called us in advance.
The general public can still access the LRC's collection of books and research reports by requesting interlibrary loan through their local library. Audiovisuals, magazines, and general reference materials are noncirculating. Call (800) 638-1821 or (301) 447-1030 for more information. Our fax number is (301) 447-3217 and our email address is netclrc@dhs.gov. Please include your full name, mailing address and phone number in all email messages.
As its name implies, the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) is the index that provides bibliographic access to the collection of the National Emergency Training Center's (NETC) Learning Resource Center (LRC). While the LRC is the on-campus library for the staff and students of the National Fire Academy (NFA) and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), the OPAC will function for Internet users as a database on fire service, all-hazards and emergency management topics. Its fundamental service to Internet users is one of identification though the OPAC also provides online access to some 14,000 titles . The OPAC identifies published resources on topics of professional interest to fire service and emergency management personnel.
Since the LRC's primary mission is to support the instructional activities of the NFA and the EMI, the OCC reflects that goal. The LRC concentrates on natural and technological hazards but primarily on their social and behavioral sciences aspects. As examples, the LRC has some information on seismology but more on earthquake preparedness; some information on fire protection engineering but more on public fire education. Generally, students at the NFA and EMI are not scientists but practicing emergency managers and first responders. The LRC's collection has been built for these user populations and the OPAC will be most useful to them.
http://www.lrc.fema.gov/index.html
Up and coming EM resource
What's available at emcollaborative:
Community Members provides profiles of emcollaborative members to facilitate networking and collaboration within the wider emergency management community.
Research and Reference provides a compilation of emergency management relevant citations and provides reference materials and resources for research.
Higher Education provides best practices, templates, resources for emergency management programs, and resources for focused areas of teaching (e.g. GIS).
Community Dialogue provides boards to discuss issues relevant to different aspects of emergency management.
http://emcollaborative.com/index.htmlPhilaU Connect - June 23, 2009
PhilaU Connect: Professional International Presentations
Will be presenting
Interdicting Suicide Bombers at an Imminent Attack Phase
June 23, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
The PhilaU Connect Professional International Presentations is proud to present American-born Dov Zwerling who served in Jerusalem's Rapid Response Counter -Terror Motorcycle Unit. He was present at scores of terror attacks and other major disaster events as a first responder. Mr. Zwerling has been trained in advanced tactical warfare, HazMat Rescue, and has operated tactically in both hostile and friendly environments.
Mr. Zwerling has been with the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response since 2005 and has since lectured and trained first responders from around the world.
Instructions outlining how to join the PhilaU Connect will be sent via email prior to the event.
Each PhilaU Connect presentation will include a certificate of attendance emailed to the attendee. Questions or to register, please contact Annette Solarski at solarskia@philau.edu.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
City's new hurricane command center in disrepair
City's new hurricane command center in disrepair
10:38 PM CDT on Monday, June 1, 2009
http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl060109cbcommand.3cd807fa.html
10:38 PM CDT on Monday, June 1, 2009
http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl060109cbcommand.3cd807fa.html
Train derailment in Louisville Zoo - Updating
One of three Zoo Trains at the Louisville Zoo has derailed. Authorities tell WHAS11 that the train derailed near the
Be well. Practice big medicine.
Hal
Follow me on Twitter @BigMedicine
We just renovated our website. New content, new colours, and a crisp clean feel for summer. Come for a visit at www.tems.ca
Monday, June 1, 2009
FEMA and National Preparedness
Government Accountability Office. National Preparedness: FEMA Has Made Progress, but Needs to Complete and Integrate Planning, Exercise, and Assessment Efforts (GAO-09-369). Washington, DC: GAO, April 2009, 123 pages. Accessed at:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09369.pdf
Abstract:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the lead federal agency responsible for developing a national preparedness system. The system includes policies and plans as well as exercises and assessments of capabilities across many public and private entities. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which FEMA has (1) developed policies and plans that define roles and responsibilities; (2) implemented the National Exercise Program, a key tool for examining preparedness; (3) developed a national capabilities assessment; and (4) developed a strategic plan that integrates these elements of the preparedness system. GAO analyzed program documents, such as after-action reports, and visited six states located in disaster regions. While the results of these visits are not generalizable, they show how select states carry out their efforts.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that FEMA improve national preparedness by, among other things, establishing a program management plan, better ensuring exercises follow program guidance, enhancing its project management plan for assessing capabilities, and developing a strategic plan that integrates system elements. DHS concurred with our recommendations.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09369.pdf
Abstract:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the lead federal agency responsible for developing a national preparedness system. The system includes policies and plans as well as exercises and assessments of capabilities across many public and private entities. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which FEMA has (1) developed policies and plans that define roles and responsibilities; (2) implemented the National Exercise Program, a key tool for examining preparedness; (3) developed a national capabilities assessment; and (4) developed a strategic plan that integrates these elements of the preparedness system. GAO analyzed program documents, such as after-action reports, and visited six states located in disaster regions. While the results of these visits are not generalizable, they show how select states carry out their efforts.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that FEMA improve national preparedness by, among other things, establishing a program management plan, better ensuring exercises follow program guidance, enhancing its project management plan for assessing capabilities, and developing a strategic plan that integrates system elements. DHS concurred with our recommendations.
Israeli Drill
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel started its biggest emergency drill in the nation's history Sunday to prepare civilians, soldiers and rescue crews for the possibility of war, the defense force said in a statement.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The five-day drill, nicknamed Turning Point 3, comes amid the nation's rising tensions with Iran.
It will be conducted in public facilities, including schools, military bases and government offices. Students, soldiers and other civilians will practice how to gather at protected places during an emergency.
Officials said the drill will include simulated rockets, air raids and other attacks on infrastructure and essential facilities, and use of weapons on civilians.
Everyone is expected to go to a protected place at the sound of sirens, the defense force said, adding that more instructions will be broadcast on a public channel.
"It is of great importance that every civilian, institute and workplace will seriously practice in order to improve our preparedness and national resilience," Maj. Gen. Yair Golan of the Home Front Command said in a news statement.
The move comes amid tension between Israel and Tehran.
Don't Miss
* Hamas, Fatah clash kills six in West Bank
* Obama urges Israel to halt West Bank settlement activity
* Netanyahu presses U.S. over threat of nuclear Iran
The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program as the dominant threat facing the country. Israel is publicly supportive of President Barack Obama administration's outreach to the Islamic state.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli Army Radio last week that he believes "that the chance the dialogue has of stopping Iran's nuclear efforts is very low."
Barak's views are keeping with the majority of his countrymen.
An Israeli poll released this month found that 74 percent believe that the U.S. policy of engagement with Iran will fail and 81 percent think Iran will develop a nuclear weapon capability.
Israel has conducted emergency drills the past two years, but officials said this is the biggest so far.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed skepticism that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The five-day drill, nicknamed Turning Point 3, comes amid the nation's rising tensions with Iran.
It will be conducted in public facilities, including schools, military bases and government offices. Students, soldiers and other civilians will practice how to gather at protected places during an emergency.
Officials said the drill will include simulated rockets, air raids and other attacks on infrastructure and essential facilities, and use of weapons on civilians.
Everyone is expected to go to a protected place at the sound of sirens, the defense force said, adding that more instructions will be broadcast on a public channel.
"It is of great importance that every civilian, institute and workplace will seriously practice in order to improve our preparedness and national resilience," Maj. Gen. Yair Golan of the Home Front Command said in a news statement.
The move comes amid tension between Israel and Tehran.
Don't Miss
* Hamas, Fatah clash kills six in West Bank
* Obama urges Israel to halt West Bank settlement activity
* Netanyahu presses U.S. over threat of nuclear Iran
The Israeli government considers Iran's nuclear program as the dominant threat facing the country. Israel is publicly supportive of President Barack Obama administration's outreach to the Islamic state.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli Army Radio last week that he believes "that the chance the dialogue has of stopping Iran's nuclear efforts is very low."
Barak's views are keeping with the majority of his countrymen.
An Israeli poll released this month found that 74 percent believe that the U.S. policy of engagement with Iran will fail and 81 percent think Iran will develop a nuclear weapon capability.
Israel has conducted emergency drills the past two years, but officials said this is the biggest so far.
Pandemic flu - planning guidance for agencies and others involved in the justice system
Pandemic flu - planning guidance for agencies and others involved in the justice system
Status: Closed - with response
Open date: 05 September 2008
Close date: 28 November 2008
Responses published: 28 May 2009
As part of the government's preparation for a flu pandemic we consulted on our proposed arrangements for keeping the justice system running. The guidance sets out how each of the main agencies plans to cope.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/docs/consultation-pandemic-flu.pdf
Status: Closed - with response
Open date: 05 September 2008
Close date: 28 November 2008
Responses published: 28 May 2009
As part of the government's preparation for a flu pandemic we consulted on our proposed arrangements for keeping the justice system running. The guidance sets out how each of the main agencies plans to cope.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/docs/consultation-pandemic-flu.pdf
The Science of Communications’
The Science of Communications’
Connecting Researchers & Practitioners
A Workshop for Risk & Crisis Communicators
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
www.nagconline.org
What actually happens in someone’s mind when they have to evacuate a burning building, are told to shelter in place while authorities check out a suspicious package, or hear rumors of a dangerous chemical or biological release? What triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response? To whom do they listen in an emergency situation? How do they assess risk and react in a true crisis?
To begin to answer these questions, the National Association of Government Communicators (www.nagconline.org), with technical support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate, will host a full-day workshop on Monday, June 2, 2008, in Washington, D.C. on the “Science of Communications.” The workshop will connect existing risk and crisis communication research to practitioners in the field, identify future research needs, and launch a national dialogue on these challenges. Panel discussions and interactive sessions will focus on the science behind people’s reactions and how communicators can evaluate the effectiveness of what they say, how they say it in crisis situations, and how they can reach people who may be at risk.
Notable speakers and participants include:
Dennis Mileti, PhD, Professor Emeritus and Research Scientist at University of Colorado at Boulder and former Director, Natural Hazards Center, Institute of Behavioral Science
Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli, Executive Director of the Navy League of the United States (he was the senior Navy public affairs officer on 9/11 and it was his area of the Pentagon that was hit)
Tim L. Tinker, DrPH, MPH, leader of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Center for Risk and Crisis Communication
Tony Dorsey, Media Relations Manager, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, former Director of Public Affairs for the Washington D.C. Fire Emergency Medical Services Department and former NBC reporter. (invited – he’s getting it cleared through his office)
Mike Dunaway, Program Manager, Community Preparedness & Resilience, Human Factors Division, Science & Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Other government agency communicators, emergency managers, first responders and members of the media.
Emergency managers, public affairs officers from all levels of government, first responders, members of the media, scientists, and other professionals in the field are invited to attend.
NAGC has graciously extended its member rate of $199 ($50 discount) to members of the International Association of Emergency Managers. Register for this first-of-its-kind workshop at: http://www.nagconline.org.
Connecting Researchers & Practitioners
A Workshop for Risk & Crisis Communicators
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
www.nagconline.org
What actually happens in someone’s mind when they have to evacuate a burning building, are told to shelter in place while authorities check out a suspicious package, or hear rumors of a dangerous chemical or biological release? What triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response? To whom do they listen in an emergency situation? How do they assess risk and react in a true crisis?
To begin to answer these questions, the National Association of Government Communicators (www.nagconline.org), with technical support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate, will host a full-day workshop on Monday, June 2, 2008, in Washington, D.C. on the “Science of Communications.” The workshop will connect existing risk and crisis communication research to practitioners in the field, identify future research needs, and launch a national dialogue on these challenges. Panel discussions and interactive sessions will focus on the science behind people’s reactions and how communicators can evaluate the effectiveness of what they say, how they say it in crisis situations, and how they can reach people who may be at risk.
Notable speakers and participants include:
Dennis Mileti, PhD, Professor Emeritus and Research Scientist at University of Colorado at Boulder and former Director, Natural Hazards Center, Institute of Behavioral Science
Admiral Stephen Pietropaoli, Executive Director of the Navy League of the United States (he was the senior Navy public affairs officer on 9/11 and it was his area of the Pentagon that was hit)
Tim L. Tinker, DrPH, MPH, leader of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Center for Risk and Crisis Communication
Tony Dorsey, Media Relations Manager, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, former Director of Public Affairs for the Washington D.C. Fire Emergency Medical Services Department and former NBC reporter. (invited – he’s getting it cleared through his office)
Mike Dunaway, Program Manager, Community Preparedness & Resilience, Human Factors Division, Science & Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Other government agency communicators, emergency managers, first responders and members of the media.
Emergency managers, public affairs officers from all levels of government, first responders, members of the media, scientists, and other professionals in the field are invited to attend.
NAGC has graciously extended its member rate of $199 ($50 discount) to members of the International Association of Emergency Managers. Register for this first-of-its-kind workshop at: http://www.nagconline.org.
Research opportunity
Just a reminder that the DMM faculty is looking for a few more researchers for a PhilaU grant addressing first responder response to suicide bombing incidents. Please feel free to contact me directly with your resume if interested.
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