URGENT: Shelter Managers and Feeding Services Manager for Samoa (and future disasters)

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

As mentioned to you all earlier, we are building a cadre for mass care support deployments. With the events in Samoa we are now being asked to find shelter managers and feeding managers who are ready, willing and able to go to Samoa if needed.

So, we need to find people interested in deploying. The positions will mostly likely work 12 hrs x 7 days until demob. We are looking for individuals that are fully trained and experience to work in the following classifications and rates:

Shelter Manager 3 $50.00

Feeding Services Manager 3 $45.00

If you are interested you need to contact Steve Davis at http://www.allhands.us/

The Essentials: Planning Guide for Mass Medical Care when Demand is Greater than Resources

HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today released a condensed version of a 2007 mass medical care planning guide that contains updated resources and new information specific to H1N1. Mass Medical Care With Scarce Resources: The Essentials is a resource for community planners to prepare for public health emergencies, such as pandemic flu, when demand for medical resources outweighs supply. The 70-page guide sets out a framework of basic steps that planners may take to prepare for a mass casualty event. It addresses key questions that each community should ask to properly plan for a well coordinated operational response. The Essentials guide addresses ethical and legal issues and provides tips on preparing for the provision of services to address: pre-hospital, acute hospital care, alternative care sites, and palliative care during disaster conditions. To illustrate how to apply these basic principles, the Essentials guide also includes a special section on influenza pandemic preparedness. This new resource is an abbreviated version of AHRQ’s Mass Medical Care With Scarce Resources: a Community Planning Guide.

Mass Medical Care With Scarce Resources: The Essentials http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/mmcessentials/ was prepared by Sally J. Phillips, R.N., Ph.D., and Kelly J. Johnson, MPH, of AHRQ and Ann Knebel, R.N., DNSc, of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. It is available online or can be ordered from the AHRQ Clearinghouse by calling 1-800-358-9295 or e-mailing AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov. Ask for AHRQ Pub. No. 09-0016. For more AHRQ resources on public health emergency preparedness, please visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/.

Jobs

Regional Coordinator, Emergency Management
Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital - Bolingbrook, IL
Midwest Health System. The Emergency Management... Emergency Management/Emergency Operations Plans for the 4 hospitals of Adventist
Midwest Health. Working...

Emergency Management
Northwestern Memorial Hospital - Chicago, IL
Coordinator Safety Systems Department Name Emergency Management Shift
1 Standard Hours 40 Job... 1-2 years database management experience.
Detail...

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Planner
City of Philadelphia Office of Human Resources - Philadelphia, PA
Public Health Preparedness Program, Division of DiseaseControl, and Philadelphia Department of Public... s degree in public health or public administration or...

DIRECTOR OF FIRE, EMS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Prince George County, Virginia - Prince George, VA
fire departments, emergency medical services and emergency services for the County; coordinating emergency... EMS and Emergency Services; coordinating disaster and...

Disaster Assistance Personnel
HSMM Inc - Alexandria, VA
at federally declared disaster sites under out Technical Assistance Contract (TAC) with FEMA. The technical mission is to support FEMA's Public Assistance (PA...

DC: Disaster Law and Policy Internship / Exte
Disaster Accountability Project - Washington, DC
The non-profit Disaster Accountability Project (DAP... from Housing, Disability, Public Health, Communications, Mass Care, Transportation, Mental Health, and...
From washingtonpost.com

Hospital Emergency Management Coord
MultiCare Health System - Puyallup, WA
Job Category: Professional FTE: 1 Department: Emergency Preparedness Experience Required: Per Position... orgThe Emergency Management (EM)
Coordinator is...

IAEM 57th Annual Conference and EMEX

"Emergency Management: United We Stand"
The Rosen Centre Hotel & Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida
October 31 - November 5, 2009


Reminder: If you are planning to participate in the IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX Exhibit, get your hotel room early to take advantage of the group discount negotiated by IAEM.

RESERVATIONS
The Rosen Centre Hotel ... the center of the action for networking at IAEM 2009!
- $166 single/double (plus tax).
- Reservation deadline: Oct. 7, 2009
- Attendees should mention "International Association of Emergency Managers" to qualify for the group rate.
- For reservations, call 1-800-204-7234.
- Keynote Speaker – Craig Fugate – FEMA Administrator

Featured Sessions Include:
- Amanda Ripley – Author of “The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why”.
- Robert Stevenson – Author of “How to Soar Like an Eagle in a World Full of Turkeys”.
- Gerald Galloway – A retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and was a Presidential appointee to the Mississippi River Commission – will explore the public official response to growing losses from hurricanes and floods.

Breakout Sessions Include:
• Infrastructure - This track will include presentations on the basic physical structures needed to sustain modern life. Traditional forms of infrastructure would include roads, water supply, and sewer systems, power grids, information technology and communications.
• Organizations and Management - Presentations in this track will examine management theories and practices and may explore components of management including planning, organizing, and staffing. Presentations may also discuss evolving trends in Emergency Management, hazards (climate change, etc).
• Disaster-Related Social Behavior - This track will delve into behavior at the individual, organizational, community and mass media levels.
• Technology - This track will explore the use of technology to facilitate any of the phases of emergency management.
• Leadership and the Future of Emergency Management - Presentations in this track will peer into futurist and visionary perspectives of disasters, catastrophes and Emergency Management.
• Contemporary - This track will include information and perspective on recent events, tools, techniques, issues or concerns impacting emergency management.

Who Should Attend:
•Emergency Managers
•Homeland Security Officials
•First Response Coordinators
•Contingency Planners
•Private Industry Risk Managers
•Operations Personnel
•Contract Services Providers
•Emergency/Disaster Management Students

Benefits of Attendance:
•Education and Training: A forum for current trends and topics, latest tools and technology.
•Collaboration: A place for all levels of government, private sector, public health and related professions to exchange ideas.
•Networking: More than 1500 participants.
•Products and Services: EMEX 2009 showcases technologies, products and services.

Emergency Management Institute @ IAEM
FEMA training offerings are a popular add-on and a great way for attendees to maximize continuing education gained from the conference.

EMEX 2009
Trade show that joins together homeland security and disaster preparedness suppliers in the same building, Many different types of products and services are exhibited.

If we can be of further assistance please let us know.

H1N1 Flu Conference Call - September 24th

Community and Faith-based Organizations
and Response to 2009 H1N1 Flu
Thursday, September 24
1:30-2:30 pm EST



Please join us for a conference call with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois, as well as HHS & CDC experts to discuss the release of a new resource “H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Community and Faith-based Organizations.” The call will focus on the important role of community and faith-based leaders and organizations as partners in 2009-2010 flu response and prevention. The new guide was developed by the HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (HHS Partnership Center) with support from the Centers for Disease Control. Speakers will provide the latest information on H1N1 flu and vaccination plans, and an overview of the guide.

You and your organization are crucial leaders and resources in your communities, and essential partners in comprehensive state and local flu response. We want to ensure you and your communities have this resource and the most up-to-date information on H1N1 flu. The HHS Partnership Center will keep an open and dynamic channel of communication throughout the response effort. Following the completion of the call, HHS will send a call summary to their listserv. If you are not part of the HHS listerv, you can join us at www.hhs.gov/partnership, click ‘Join the Mailing List’ under the ‘Newsletter’ box on the right-hand side of your screen.

At the time of the call, copies of the guide will be available for download at http://www.flu.gov/ and at www.hhs.gov/partnership .


Dial-In Information:
Toll Free – 1.800.369.1899
Passcode - 1696323

$380 Million in Grants

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced more than $380 million in grants—funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—to pay for fire station construction and port and transit security initiatives nationwide while creating jobs and stimulating local economies. Detailed information is posted on IAEM's website at http://www.iaem.com/Committees/GovernmentAffairs/GovtAffairs.htm#DHS23Sept2009

• Grant Release Overview
• Press Release (23 Sept 2009)
• Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

2009-2010 IAEM Officers

Online voting for 2009-2010 IAEM-USA Treasurer and IAEM-USA Second Vice President, as well as a vote on IAEM-USA Bylaws amendments, opens Sept. 25, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. (ET) and will continue until Nov. 3, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. (ET).

All current IAEM-USA Individual, Affiliate and Lifetime members are eligible to vote. Go to the IAEM-USA Council Web Page at www.iaem.com/USA and click on the red “IAEM-USA VOTE 2008” link or go directly to the voting informational area at http://www.iaem.com/USAVote2009.htm, where you can access:

• Complete voting instructions for the 2009 IAEM-USA officer elections.

• A special Web page for each IAEM-USA officer candidate, with an article and photo.

• Information about the proposed IAEM-USA Bylaws amendments.

Online voting is secure and private. Once you are ready to vote, click on the RED link to the right in the voting informational area at http://www.iaem.com/USAVote2009.htm called VOTE NOW.

• When you click on the VOTE NOW link, you will be asked for your IAEM User ID and Password.

• Enter that information, and you will be taken to the Member Surveys page.

• Click on the survey called "2009 IAEM-USA Officers Election & Bylaws Vote." This is your online ballot. You will then be able to vote for IAEM-USA Secretary and IAEM-USA Second Vice President. You will also be able to vote yes or no on the IAEM-USA Bylaws amendments.

• When you have voted, click the "Post Survey Choices" button to cast your vote. (Once you click this button, you can't go back and you can't make changes - so be sure that your ballot is as you want it BEFORE you click the button.)

• You can only vote once. You cannot change your vote once it is placed. If you have any difficulties in placing your vote, contact IAEM Membership Director Sharon Kelly at info@iaem.com.

Please Note: If you sign in to the Member Surveys page and you do not see the survey called "2009 IAEM-USA Officers Election & Bylaws Vote" (your online ballot) or if you click on the survey link and get a message that says “You are not eligible to take this survey,” then our records show that you are not an eligible voter in the 2009 IAEM-USA Officers Election. In order to vote, you must be a current Individual Member, Affiliate Member or Lifetime Member at the time that you place your vote. If you have any questions about your IAEM voter eligibility, please contact Sharon Kelly at info@iaem.com.

All eligible IAEM-USA members are encouraged to cast their vote in this important election.

AMA Conference - December 1 to 3, 2009

The American Medical Association (AMA) in conjunction with the Health and Human Services Office of the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise and the National Disaster Life Support Foundation, Inc. announces that the Third National Congress on Health System Readiness will take place December 1 to 3, 2009 in Washington DC at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park. The Congress is a forum for leaders and other stakeholders to formulate essential elements of a comprehensive disaster medicine and public health preparedness system.

Hosted by the AMA in cooperation with partners from all sectors, this year's conference will focus on establishing a framework for catastrophic health events - distinct from day-to-day clinical and public health interactions - that enables all health professionals to appropriately respond in a disaster or other public health emergency.

Integrate lessons from recent public health emergencies - such as 2009 H1N1 influenza, terrorist attacks and natural disasters - into clinical and public health practice. Advance health systems to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters and other public health emergencies appropriately. Develop a distinct educational framework for all health professionals to ascribe to in catastrophic events.

http://www.ama.assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/public-health/center-public-health-preparedness-disaster-response/third-national-congress.shtml

Scholarship

The annual scholarship awards competition for Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation (YLD) is open to all active members of the fire & rescue and emergency medical services community.

In 2008 YLD gave away five $1,500 scholarships including the Donald E. Sellers scholarship for Emergency Medical Services and the Chief John Eversole scholarship for Hazardous Materials Responders.

The deadline for applications is October 5th. Applicants can fill out an application on line or download an application and fax or mail it in. Please help spread the word to your contacts, or better yet, mentor and sponsor a rising star.

For more information go to http://www.yld.org/

Postings

Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (Lourdes - New York)
of two Hospital-wide Emergency Preparedness drills... preferred: emergency planning and management, emergency department, emergency medical services and/or fire...

Educator
Emergency Management Planner (Saint Barnabas Health Care System - West Orange, NJ) Emergency Management Planner to work under the direction of the Director of Emergency Management to ;... Certification in Emergency Management Extensive...

Specialist
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center (Jamaica, NY)
Emergency Operations and Response Plans. Operates the Emergency Management Situation Room or Command Center during emergencies. Keep accurate track of emergency...

Specialist
THE BROOKDALE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND ME (Brooklyn, NY) Emergency Operations and Response Plans. Operates the Emergency Management Situation Room or Command Center during emergencies. Keep accurate track of emergency...

Cool idea for surge & disasters

Convert bus into field hospital/surge capacity-brilliant!
http://www.firstlinetech.com/products/dpr_ambubus_stretcher_conversion_kit.html

International Medical Mission

In support of our partner, "Helping Hands Medical Mission", we were asked to share the three upcoming dates for missions to various sites. HHMM is in need for medical help for three mission sites.

This is a great opportunity to network, gain international experience in the field, and join a very important cause. Anyone interested in attending, please feel free to contact me. If you are looking for an internship idea or research for a Capstone, this may be a great opportunity.

1. The mission sites are:
   
   Chunhuhub, Quintana Roo, México (November 13-22, 2009)
   Tanauan- Batangas, Philippines (January 27 – February 6, 2010)
   Asafo, NW Ghana (April 14-25, 2010)

Abstract Submission Open -

The 2010 Integrated Medical, Public Health, Preparedness and Response Training Summit abstract submission site is now open for submission.

The 2010 Summit will be held in Nashville, May 12-16, 2010 and information can be accessed at: www.IntegratedTrainingSummit.org

The abstract/poster submission site is currently active and a link is located on the website under "Important Updates" home page Abstact deadline is Oct. 15th, 5pmEST. Posters will be accepted until March 2010.

Tom Bowman, MS, REHS
CAPT, US Public Health Service
Regional Emergency Coordinator, Region IV
Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations
thomas.bowman@hhs.gov
http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/

Jobs (all over)

Emergency Preparedness/Safety Manager
(Meriter Health Services - Madison, WI)
implements the four phases of emergency management: mitigation,
preparedness, response, and recovery. An... Emergency Preparedness
chapter and Safety Management...

Emergency Management Specialist
Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
(CDC) - Atlanta, GA
in public health, CDC is the nation's premier health... for emergency
response coordination, emergency preparedness, and participating in
material management... $70,399 - $91,513 a year

Disaster Recovery Project Specialist
CHS Corporate - Franklin, TN
in a disaster situation. Establish disaster... center operations
management, 5 years disaster recovery experience preferably in a multi-
hospital setting...

Jobs (All Over)

Project Management Skills

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
Experience... impact of disaster scenarios; designing, planning and implementing an enterprise
wide disaster recovery...

Director, Public Health Preparedness Preparedness
Arlington, VA
The Director of Public Health Preparedness will focus... of public health readiness with the understanding of public health preparedness programs in state health... $65,000 a year

Emergency Management Training Coordinator
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center - Corvallis, OR
support the SHS hospital Emergency Coordinators. OSHA... hospitals in the SHS System. Candidate will be e xpected to write emergency Preparedness plans. Required...

PH Specialist AC: Emergency Preparedness
State of Vermont - Burlington, VT
must be in Public Health emergency preparedness and... management experience or program administration in Public Health emergency preparedness and/or Incident...

Educator - Emergency Management Planner
Saint Barnabas Health Care System - West Orange, NJ
Emergency Management Planner to work under the direction of the Director of Emergency Management to ;... Degree in Emergency Management, Health Care, Education...

Emergency Management Associate Job
Mayo Clinic - Rochester, MN
emergency response plans and exercises. Manages fire safety and emergency management programs as delegated... state, and local public health agencies as designated...

Emergency Management Specialist, GS-0301-12
Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) - Atlanta, GA
public health, CDC is the nation's premier health... people from public health threats, researching emerging diseases, or mobilizing public health programs... $70,399 - $91,513 a year

Einstein AHLS course

You can find the national listing for the upcoming Einstein AHLS course here:
http://www.ahls.org/ahls/ecs/main/courseSchedule.do?courseid=2286

The class will be Thursday and Friday, December 3-4 from 0800-1600.

The course is already accredited for both EMS con-ed in Pennsylvania and physician AMA category I CME.

PHYSICIANS RECEIVE 16 HOURS OF CAT I CME.

Additionally, the Center for Special Operations and Training at Einstein will provide a certificate for physicians who work at Pennsylvania trauma centers that this course meets criteria for required trauma continuing education hours including pediatrics hours.

Continental breakfast and lunch is provided both days.

Please pass this information along to EMS and ED personnel. The course is appropriate for ALS providers, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacologists and nurses. EMT-Basics with a strong background in hazardous materials and clinical care should contact us before registering. If you provide care for hazmat or WMD contaminated patients including those who sustain blast injury or other trauma in the setting of terrorism, this course is also for you.

Questions concerning cost, course location and any other logistics should be directed to David Nitsch, CSOT Director at nitschd@einstein.edu

Brochures and additional e-mails with course information will be forthcoming.

From DMM Student Scott Glazer

LaGuardia airport held its mandated disaster exercise on Saturday 9/12. Operation SADD (Simulated aircraft disaster drill) simulated 2 aircraft colliding at the intersection of 2 runways – one landing (737) and one taking off (smaller regional jet). The 737 ended up in a remote corner of the airport (perfect location for an exercise) and the RJ crashed into flushing bay between the airport and Rikers Island.

We had 154 volunteer victims, mostly boy scouts and explorer scouts, all managed by our volunteer coordinator who is an FBI agent. We added 40 dummies to the water to simulate victims and for a recovery operation. Delta allowed us to utilize an aircraft as a prop for the land based MCI drill.

The drill began with the crash and we had a burn pit that we lit up to simulate the ensuing fire. As this was extinguished by arriving port authority police ARFF trucks, an extrication scenario was begun with 3 old prisoner transport buses donated by NYC corrections. These buses simulated sections of the fuselage (we asked for aircraft donations but no takers) and Port authority police, NYPD and NYC Corrections units begun cutting and extricating from the buses. We then moved into the MCI portion with the victims (all moulaged with descriptive tags) either lying on tarps or walking around the aircraft… The water segment was also underway with marine assets from the Port Authority Police, NYPD, FDNY, NYC Corrections and the National Guard participating in recovery with a casualty collection point established at our police dock, with FDNY EMS and the ME's office responding to evaluate the victims recovered.

All of the victims were triaged, treated and transported (to a simulated hospital in the ARFF garage) while FDNY established large diameter hose relays to the ARFF trucks and assisted with patient moving. NYC Corrections and National Guard mobilized and also assisted with patient movement and scene security. US Coast Guard established a virtual water command in a mobile command vehicle as the water rescue branch and coordinated boats. Unfortunately, due to the weather, only 1 helicopter asset arrived, the port authority police helicopter but was only on scene about an hour.

If that wasn't enough, we placed several of the deceased victims near the aircraft to simulate a recovery in the near future, after the rescue segment was concluded, so the ME's office could utilize their high tech mapping, investigatory and ID equipment. The airline was present to simulate the obtaining of the manifest and airline resources. Although the family assistance plan was mentioned as activated, we had enough on our plate for the exercise and that was notional.

Overall, it went well, with each agency practicing their response to an aircraft incident and their own internal protocols. As usual, the issues raided were; communications, better visibility of the CP, too many vehicles and CP vehicles at the CP with generators drowning out voice comms, and media relations.

International Preparedness and Response to Emergencies and Disasters

Link to the International Preparedness and Response to Emergencies and Disasters conference, January 11-14, 2010 http://www.ipred.co.il/

Continuing Medical Education

Continuing Medical Education

Date & Location: Tuesday, September 22nd, 17:00-21:00hrs
Cornell College, Uris Auditorium
1300 York Avenue @ 69th Street

Topic: Influenza: The 2009-2010 Season
What the EMS Worker Needs to Know?

SARS: Lessons Learned From the Toronto Experience
Dr Howard Ovens-Director Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Centre Mount Sinai Hospital, Associate Professor University of Toronto.

Seasonal Influenza: A Primer
Dr. Wallace Carter-Associate Medical Director New York Presbyterian EMS, Director Emergency Medicine Residency.

H1N1: Nothing but the Facts

Dr. Lisa Saiman-Department of Epidemiology, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University.

Keeping You Safe: The New York-Presbyterian Hospital Response
Dr. Robert Bristow- Medical Director of Emergency Management New York Presbyterian, Attending Physician Emergency Medicine Columbia University Medical Center.

Register:
Call Ana Doulis at 212-746-0885 x2

SPACE IS LIMITED

NPS Center for Homeland Defense and Security Announces Third Annual Essay Competition

NPS Center for Homeland Defense and Security Announces Third Annual Essay Competition

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security (www.chds.us) is seeking entries for its Third Annual Essay Competition. The competition carries a $1,500 prize for the winning entry and the writer will be invited to the Center's campus for its annual Forum. This competition strives to stimulate original thought and analysis on issues in Homeland Security and Homeland Defense. The competition is open to anyone with an interest in homeland security issues.

The criteria for the essay and its submission are:

Statement of Purpose:

According to the National Strategy for Homeland Security, the objectives of homeland security are to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur. The purpose of this competition is to promote innovative thinking that addresses these objectives.

Essay question:

How can, or should, the United States make homeland security a more layered, networked, and resilient endeavor involving all citizens?

Responses may be general or may focus on a specific aspect (organizational, policy, strategy, practice, technological innovation, social impact, etc.) or discipline/field, such as emergency management, public health, law enforcement, critical infrastructure or intelligence. The essay may also be written from any perspective — e.g. government, private sector, cultural, local community or citizen.

Who may enter:

Anyone interested in homeland security issues. Individuals associated with CHDS past and present are not eligible.

Competition Guidelines:

The essay should be no more than five pages, single spaced, 12-point type and in Word or PDF format. Do not include author's name on the essay. Entries will be submitted via webpage instructions. Deadline for submission: January 31, 2010.

Notification:

The winner and finalists will be announced no later than May 31, 2010.

Criteria:

Essays are judged according to the relevance of the response to the question, innovation of ideas, strength of the argument and quality of the writing.

Award:

The winner will receive a $1,500 cash award and will be invited to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, located at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he or she will be recognized at the CHDS Forum.

Last year's winning entry was titled "Emergency Response, Public Health and Poison Control: Logical Linkages for Successful Risk Communication and Improved Disaster and Mass Incident Response" and authored by Valerie Yeager, research assistant and writer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness. The essay was the top essay out of 147 entries.

The winning essay for the first year of the contest was titled "Reducing the Risk" by Matthew Allen, a staff scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California. This essay was chosen out of 80 entries.

For contest information and to enter, visit www.chds.us/?essay/overview.

About CHDS:

Established in 2002 on the campus of the 100-year-old Naval Postgraduate School, the Center seeks to educate homeland security leaders in strategic thinking and leadership from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The Center's master's degree program graduates 90 senior officials every year and is noted for offering the nation's first master's degree in homeland security. The Mobile Education Team (MET) travels around the country and has conducted more than 100 seminars for governors, mayors and their homeland security teams. More than 3,000 senior officials have participated in the MET program since its inception. The Center's Executive Leaders Program draws leaders from government and private industry to provide an educational forum to enhance senior leaders' capacity to identify and resolve homeland security problems. For information, visit http://www.chds.us/.

About NPS:

The mission of the Naval Postgraduate School is to provide unique advanced education and research programs in order to increase the combat effectiveness of the U.S. and Allied armed forces as well as enhance the security of the United States. For information, see http://www.nps.edu/.

For information, contact:

Heather Issvoran
Director, Strategic Communications
(831) 402-4672
Email: hissvora@nps.edu

EMForum.org Recording Available of Children Needs in Disasters Program

The Live Meeting Recording of today's EMForum.org presentation is now available at http://www.emforum.org/pub/eiip/lm090909.wmv. This is a large file and requires Windows Media Player or Windows Media Components for QuickTime, or a similar product to view. The presentation Slides as well as Ratings and Reviews are available from the Background Page http://www.emforum.org/vforum/090909.htm .

While visiting the EMForum.org site, please respond to this week's poll question, and take a moment to rate and/or review this session using the link on the left side of the EMForum.org homepage www.emforum.org .

NOTE: Now you can follow EMForum.org on Twitter to get our program-related announcements and other posts. Go to http://twitter.com/EMForum or go to our home page and click on the Twitter icon. Direct subscription to our RSS feed is also available from http://www.emforum.org/EMForumRSS.xml .

This educational service is provided by the Emergency Information Infrastructure Project (EIIP).

2009 IAEM-Student Council Chapter of the Year

The International Association of Emergency Managers, Student Council is soliciting entries for the IAEM-SC 2009 Chapter of the Year Award.

The IAEM-SC would like to recognize the accomplishments and achievements of its Chapters through an annual awards program. This year, the IAEM-SC will be recognizing a Chapter of the Year. If your Chapter would like to apply, please complete the attached form and return it to Matt Feryan, IAEM-SC Treasurer/Awards Committee Chair, no later than Friday October 16, 2009. The winning Chapter will be determined by the IAEM-SC Awards Committee and will be recognized at the 2009 IAEM-USA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL.

For any questions please contact Matt Feryan at jmferyan@hotmail.com

PhilaU DMM is one of two universities at a high level delegation in Israel sponsored by the Israeli Government. There are representatives from PhilaU, Naval Post Graduate School, Greece, France, USA, and Jordan. Among the many tabletop exercises we are all working on together, one of the topics is population resiliency. I am posting on the DMM blog a few examples of resiliency for the Israeli population in the bombed city of Sderot. I am sure you are familiar with this city which borders the Gaza Strip and has been attacked thousands of times over the past 7 years. Please visit the blog for pictures of the bomb shelter playground that was built for the children of Sderot. Your thoughts are welcomed in the Water Cooler, and the pictures and discussions may lead many of you to new research topics or even a Capstone.

Montgomery County Disaster Drill

Since September 11, 2001 the Public Safety Community (Fire, Police and Emergency Medical Services) has trained to prepare for the worst and strive for the best possible outcome for all incidents. To this end, once every three years, the Eastern Montgomery County Emergency Management Group plans and executes a “disaster” exercise to help area municipalities and emergency responders prepare for large scale incidents and evaluate ways to improve performance. Groups involved in the training include police departments with SWAT and MERT teams; fire departments with hazmat operations; search and rescue teams; municipalities’ public works departments; area hospitals emergency departments and emergency response teams; the county dispatch center and mobile operations; emergency medical services and the American Red Cross.

This year’s exercise, a weather related event, is planned for the morning of Sunday, October 18, 2009 at various locations across eastern Montgomery county. In order to help us successfully be able to drill, we are asking for help from the community in the form of adult volunteer “victims”. Volunteers are needed at several locations and at various levels, ranging from becoming a “true victim” in make-up and playing a role to simply arriving via their personal vehicle at a Red Cross Shelter. Of course the extent to which you participate is up to you. Please consider helping us to be better prepared for an event we all hope will never occur.

If this sounds like something of interest, please contact Jamie Haddon via e-mail at Jamie.Haddon@main.sars.org or by calling Jamie at (215) 659-1885 ext 116.

Internships at UNESCO

Internships at UNESCO Students from a wide range of disciplines, are all able to apply for individual 1-4 month internships at UNESCO Headquarters and Field Offices. Depending on your qualifications, these internships relate either to the Organization's strategic activities or to administrative or technical functions.

The aim is to give you professional experience in an international organization which relates to and supplements your studies. An internship affords you the opportunity to work in a multicultural, intergovernmental organization.

Call for Poster Abstract Submissions: Joint Commission Resources EP Conference

Joint Commission Resources

6th Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference

April 8-9, 2010

Call for poster abstract submissions due October 26, 2009

The Joint Commission Resources (JCR) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in collaboration with the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response, invite interested participants to submit poster abstract presentations for exhibit at the Joint Commission Resources 6th Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference on April 8-9 2010 in Washington, DC.

Poster abstract presentations may be submitted via email at center@ynhh.org with the subject line "Poster Abstract Submissions" no later than 5 PM EST October 26, 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.ynhhs.org/emergency/disasterconference/index10.html.

Katrina Hospital Investigation Follow-Up

ProPublica Report
www.propublica.org
September 4, 2009

Slate Follows-up on Our Katrina Hospital Investigation —And We Follow-up Too By Sheri Fink

Slate's Josh Levin has a thoughtful story today following up on our exploration of post-Katrina deaths at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans. Our story, co-published with the New York Times Magazine, revealed that at least 17 patients at the hospital died in the final hours of patient evacuation after all were injected with morphine and/or the sedative midazolam. Levin points many of those who died were patients of a separate long term acute care hospital, LifeCare Hospitals of New Orleans, that leased the 7th floor of Memorial. He argues that "this separation of authority and personnel caused chaos in the days after Katrina and probably contributed to the death toll at the hospital." We thought we would answer a couple of questions Levin raised about the relationship between the two hospitals and the physicians present at the facilities. http://propublica.lyris.net/t/10068/23321/760/0/

* ProPublica's Daily Bailout and Stimulus Coverage *

FHA Faces Mounting Losses by Paul Kiel: Among the crowd of government agencies that have rushed to aid the economy, the Federal Housing Administration often gets overlooked. And yet, along with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the FHA has played a huge role in preventing a complete housing collapse. All together, those three currently buy or guarantee more than 90 percent of mortgages. But the FHA is facing mounting losses and, The Wall Street Journal reports, it may soon be forced to notify Congress that its reserves have slipped below the
mandated level. http://propublica.lyris.net/t/10068/23321/761/0/

Biden Touts the 'Silver Buckshot' by Amanda Michel: The stimulus is a "silver buckshot," not a "single silver bullet." That's how Vice President Joe Biden described the stimulus in a speech Thursday marking the 200th day since the Recovery Act's passage. http://propublica.lyris.net/t/10068/23321/762/0/

* Editorial Picks: Today's Investigative Stories from Around the Web *

Texas' Costly, 'Untenable' Health Care System Texas Observer
http://propublica.lyris.net/t/10068/23321/763/0/

Backlog of disability claims makes millions wait Des Moines Register
http://propublica.lyris.net/t/10068/23321/764/0/

Call for Poster Abstract Submissions: Joint Commission Resources EP Conference

Joint Commission Resources

6th Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference

April 8-9, 2010

Call for poster abstract submissions due October 26, 2009

The Joint Commission Resources (JCR) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in collaboration with the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response, invite interested participants to submit poster abstract presentations for exhibit at the Joint Commission Resources 6th Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference on April 8-9 2010 in Washington, DC.

Poster abstract presentations may be submitted via email at center@ynhh.org with the subject line "Poster Abstract Submissions" no later than 5 PM EST October 26, 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.ynhhs.org/emergency/disasterconference/index10.html.

Spanish Language Researcher Wanted

ITTR is looking for Spanish language researchrs for an online research project. Interested candidates please send your resume to arichman@itrrintel.org.

IAEM Healthcare

Last November the IAEM-USA Board approved the proposal for a Hospitals and Healthcare Caucus, similar to the Universities and Colleges Caucus. The purpose of the IAEM Healthcare Caucus is to promote issues specific to Emergency Management as it relates to hospitals and healthcare. We have established a Google Group called IAEM Healthcare. We have completed a salary survey through the Google Group. We will also be working on developing Core Competencies for Healthcare Emergency Management. The Group has seen very lively conversation recently on the use of hospital codes!

Jennifer Lord, current DMM student has been named the Region 1 Representative and Robert "Buzz" Buzzerd, a recent DMM graduate has been named the Region 2 Representative.

We invite you to join our Google Group and to become involved in Emergency Management for Healthcare!

We will be holding a semi-annual meeting National Conference (including a conference call bridge) on Sunday November 1, time to be announced via the Google Group. We look forward to you joining us to further the interests of emergency management in healthcare!

Secretary of Homeland Security wants to hear from YOU!

- ATTENTION SCHOLARS AND RESEARCHERS -

DHS has launched the National Dialogue on the QHSR and we wanted to ensure that we hear from you. Join the Dialogue NOW!

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to hear from you and your members during the second National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). As a member of the academic community, you have a unique view of government, both as an insightful analytic researcher and as an outside observer. The QHSR is a congressionally mandated, top-to-bottom review of homeland security that will guide and inform the nation's homeland security policies for the next four years. The QHSR has the potential to shape the broader homeland security missions of the nation and thus will have a great impact on your future research and publications.

Beginning Monday, August 31st through Sunday, September 6th, you have the opportunity to engage in an interactive online dialogue on homeland security. You can prioritize and comment on the proposed objectives and discuss what must be done to achieve them in the following areas: Borders, Counterterrorism, Disasters, Immigration, Planning, and Risk. Attached is a fact sheet providing more information on the National Dialogue on the QHSR; an additional source of information is www.dhs.gov/QHSR.

Strong participation from the academic community will add great value to this effort. Here's how you can get involved:

1. Participate from August 31 until September 6! The second National Dialogue is now live until Sunday, September 6. Join the conversation at http://www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org/.
2. Spread the word! Forward this announcement to your professional contacts and to those with an interest in the homeland security field at large. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Govloop!

Thanks again for all your help and support. If you or any of your members have any questions with the QHSR and/or National Dialogue on the QHSR, please feel free to direct them to me or qhsr@dhs.gov.

PhilaU Connect - September 8, 2009

PhilaU Connect: Professional International Presentations

Will be presenting

“Medically Clearing Local Nationals in Iraq"

September 8, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)

The PhilaU Connect Professional International Presentations is proud to present Evan Feurer, NREMTP, currently operating out of Iraq. Evan has enjoyed close to 20 years career in emergency services, disaster preparedness, operational and tactical medicine. Evan has participated in all facets of emergency medicine from the operations level to planning, from hands on to the academic. Evan has spent 15 years as an active paramedic working in traditional and tactical EMS. He has been a program manager of a university based disaster medicine research and training center where he was published in peer review journals and has worked for the US Army in training and curriculum development for disaster and medical response and civilian interface. Evan has also functioned as a course coordinator for a university based EMS training center where he implemented curriculum using the cutting edge of real world simulation training. Evan has written and implemented training programs from small municipal tabletops to multijurisdictional/multi-agency full scale exercises. In order to keep current and on the cutting edge of operational and tactical medicine, Evan has been traveling and training around the globe and currently deployed in Iraq functioning as a remote site paramedic officer.

The presentation will identify the risk factors of working with locals in a war zone and how those factors are mitigated. How we decide what to test for and how we do the testing in an austere environment.

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.