Emergency Management Around the World: On Common Ground

A couple of years back I was offered a contingent contract to work on the emergency management program for a foreign country. It was to be a major upgrade to the existing system, bringing the country in line with the applicable emergency management standards. While the contractor that was to hire me did not get the contract for the project, as part of my due diligence, I did a fair amount of research into emergency management around the world, so I could avoid the tendency to see things in an American ethnocentric perspective.

What I found was both enlightening and encouraging from an overall emergency management profession perspective. I found that, in fact, my American point of view of emergency management was not that far from many other countries. The stories that are found on my blog “Waiting for the Next Disaster” and on other websites and listserves show evidence that this perspective continues to expand and grow. An example is the daily report “Around the World Today” authored by Arthur Rabjohn, CEM, R3 Manager-Europe & Africa at WorleyParsons LLC, as well as International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Europa President and IAEM Chairman of the Board. Reading the report reveals similar problems and challenges from all corners of the globe, from emergency response to program management.

It is especially interesting to note that when countries around the world have taken the initiative to improve their own emergency management capabilities, they move even closer to that perspective. The point of view, as it turns out, is not American, but global. The 9/11 from emergency management as the overall coordination and facilitation body to a primarily security focus was not only evident in the United States, but in many other countries around the world. I believe that the USA is finally in a state of change which will move us back to the viewpoint that “homeland security” is a part of emergency management, not the other way around. I see the same thing happening in many other countries, especially those with major natural disaster considerations. The “all hazards” approach is the way to go.

An example of the emergence of the all-hazards approach is in Indonesia. As reported in the Jakarta Post, the capital city of the province of Bali has created the Denpasar Disaster Management Agency. The Agency “has already tackled six disasters since it was established in December 2008, ranging from contagious diseases to floods and fires.” The article continues “The agency, the only one of its kind in the province, is responsible for all pre-disaster, disaster and post-disaster activities. The agency coordinates during pre-disaster and post-disaster periods while assuming full command of city resources when a disaster strikes.”

An example of the similar global perspective is the United Kingdom. The “Management and Co-ordination of Local Operations” system uses the Bronze/Operational (immediate "hands-on"), Silver/Tactical (ensure that the actions taken by bronze are coordinated), and Gold/Strategic (multi-agency management) levels. While differing in terminology, the basic principles are the same as the US ICS system. The UK Resilience website (http://www.ukresilience.gov.uk/) would be familiar territory to any American emergency manager.

The terminology differences are important to consider. After all, one of the principles of NIMS/ICS is consistent, standard terminology. However, it is enough of a challenge to come up with one standard in the US. While we are moving toward that goal, there are still issues of how NFPA 1600, ISO and EMAP interface, what is public and what is private, certification vs. accreditation, etc. It would be a monumental challenge to try to come up with an international standard.

Yet, that is in fact what many are working on around the globe, and should be at least a target on our radar. Damon P. Coppola, MEM, author of Introduction to International Disaster Management, argues in his paper “The Importance of International Disaster Management Studies in the Field of Emergency Management” that “there are a great number of highly successful emergency management systems found in the many industrialized nations of the world, and a handful in the developing world, that we stand to learn from considerably. Their lessons become our lessons only when we pay attention.” He cites The Netherlands, Japan, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and India as examples.

We need to continue to strive to improve emergency management programs around the world, and to continue to promote emergency management as a profession. We also need to continue to talk to each other around the world. The more we talk, the more we find how much we have in common, the more we can help each other and the profession, and ultimately, the more we can help the people that we are entrusted to protect.

Arthur Rabjohn, CEM can be reached at arthur.rabjohn@worleyparsons.com

Damon P. Coppola, MEM, can be reached at dcoppola@gwu.edu

The author can be reached at his blog “Waiting For the Next Disaster” at http://waiting-for-the-next-disaster.blogspot.com/ and presenting “Situation Assessment: The Elusive Common Operating Picture” at CPM 2009 West.

Harris Unity XG-100 Multiband Radio

LA TIMES: Report calls for new food safety oversight

Adding to the chorus seeking an overhaul of the nation's food safety system, a report issued Wednesday called on the Obama administration to put someone in charge of safeguarding the food supply and to create a Food Safety Administration.

The food safety system is "plagued with problems," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, which released the report in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Calls for reform of the Food and Drug Administration have only become louder since the salmonella outbreak linked to peanut products late last year. Voluntary product recalls are still being announced; the outbreak has sickened nearly 700 people in 46 states and possibly caused nine deaths.

"We are way overdue for a makeover," said Michelle Larkin, director of the foundation's Public Health Team. "It costs us around $44 billion annually in medical care and lost productivity, so the stakes are really high."

Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness (MI-CPHP)

FROM THE WEBSITE:
The Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness (MI-CPHP) is part of a national network of centers established to support preparedness efforts of state and local health departments nationwide. MI-CPHP is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MI-CPHP training products are competency-based, performance driven, targeted to the public health workforce, and designed to enhance individual and agency competency. Built upon existing national CPHP resources, MI-CPHP products are developed in response to community need and are disseminated to the national network of centers via the Centers for Public Health Preparedness Resource Center.

DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS: Thales's LibertyTM Multiband Land Mobile Radio Available Under GSA Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

CLARKSBURG, Md. – Thales Communications, Inc., a pioneer and global leader in the development, manufacture, and support of multiband, software-defined radio (SDR) equipment, announces its selection as an Industry Partner on the General Services Administration Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Equipment. The purpose of the BPA, which is in support of the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Justice, is to obtain Project 25 (P25)-compliant1 LMR equipment.

In early 2008, Thales Communications introduced the first multiband, software-defined LMR for government agencies and first responders. The LibertyTM multiband LMR enables Federal, State, Local, and U.S. Department of Defense agencies to communicate across all of the public safety bands 136-174 MHz, 380-520 MHz, 700 MHz, and 800 MHz using a single portable radio. Operating modes include P25-conventional, P25-trunked, and legacy analog. The Liberty radio offers full encryption capabilities, including the Data Encryption Standard and Advanced Encryption Standard with Over-The-Air-Rekeying. Key features include a color-coded display screen, keypad programming, and more than 2,600 channels. The Liberty radio is size, weight, and performance equivalent to existing single-band portable LMRs, and its Mil-Spec metal housing is submersible to 2 meters.

INSIDEBAYAREA.COM: Oakland police shooting: The mourning after

The horror for Oakland police that began Saturday afternoon did not end at daybreak Sunday. If anything, the light of day made the killings of the police officers all the more real as friends and family struggled to cope with their losses.

Five veteran officers were shot by the same suspect in two related events Saturday afternoon. Sgts. Mark Dunakin, 40, of Tracy; Erv Romans, 43, of Danville; and Dan Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley, died at Highland Hospital minutes after they arrived. Motorcycle officer John Hege, 41, of Concord, was pronounced brain-dead at Highland Hospital on Sunday morning, said police spokesman Jeff Thomason. A fifth officer, whose name was withheld by authorities, was grazed in the head and a

bullet entered and exited his shoulder, Thomason said.

LA TIMES: White House unveils plan to fight drug cartels at border

Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration said Tuesday it is speeding hundreds of federal agents and intelligence analysts to the Mexican border, along with specialized technology, as part of an ambitious new plan to attack the powerful drug cartels and prevent violence from spilling into the United States.

The initiative represents the most determined U.S. effort in years to counter the powerful and dangerous cartels and assist Mexican President Felipe Calderon in a battle that has already claimed more than 7,000 lives in Mexico over the last 15 months.

EMS RESPONDER: London EMS Computers Crash on Busy Saturday Night

London ambulances' computer system, which controls all medical 999 calls, crashed during one of its busiest nights of the year so far, the Standard has learned.

The breakdown for almost two hours on Saturday night threw London Ambulance Service's emergency response into chaos, forcing patients to wait more than an hour for medical help.

Politicians have called for an urgent investigation.

EMS RESPONDER: NJ Sheriff's Ambulances Fill Void as Volunteer Squads Shrink

Passaic County's Sheriff's Department is the only one in the state that operates its own ambulance squad. In most other counties, the sheriff's officers do what civilians do in an emergency. They call 911.

"Why would you not?" Monmouth County Undersheriff Ted Freeman said. "Every town has its own first-aid squad. Right now, the volunteer services are doing an outstanding job."

The same can't be said in Passaic County, where, like in most of North Jersey, membership in volunteer squads has declined sharply with the onset of the economic recession.

ACCELERATE: Twitter: How to get started guide for business people

Don't understand what all the Twitter fuss is about? Here’s a look at how and why to get started.

EMS RESPONDER: Ohio Committee Questions Need for Paramedics

A committee charged with finding ways for Columbus to save money has recommended that the city return to a basic emergency medical system.

The last time the Columbus Division of Fire provided only basic-level care was in 1968.

Since then, Columbus has provided advanced life support to anyone who calls 911 for medical attention, whether a patient needs it or not.

EMS RESPONDER: Emergency or Not, Use 911, Minnesota County Says

If you're being chased by a serial killer in Dakota County, be sure to dial 911.

Heart attack? House on fire? You've fallen and you can't get up? Ditto.

But what if the neighbors are making too much noise, you see a suspicious car circling the block or you have a parking complaint? What if a child prankster dials your home and makes rude sounds into the phone, or if a car alarm down the street won't shut up?

In that case ... dial 911.

FIREHOUSE: Biden Says Administration Backs Firefighters

Vice President Joe Biden says the Obama administration is committed to getting firefighters the equipment, training and additional staffing they need to do their jobs.

FIREHOUSE: Gaines Tapped for USFA Deputy Director

Former Fairfax County Fire Chief Glenn Gaines has been appointed USFA deputy director.

Gaines takes over the slot vacated last year by Charlie Dickinson.

NEW VERSIONS OF ALOHA AND MARPLOT

MARPLOT has been upgraded to version 4.0.

• Compatibility with shapefiles, common raster formats, and web-mapping services
• Automatic download of the latest county street maps
• Automatic download of state and national layers
• LandView-like population functions
• Instant weather forecasts and elevation data for locations of interest

ALOHA has been upgraded to version 5.4.1.1.

• New chemical library, including updated DIPPR data, AEGLs, ERPGs, and TEELs.
• Minor bug fixes

Freedom Dynamo Electric Shaver

FROM THE WEBSITE:

Electric Shavers can really be a pain in the bare-skinned cheek (both figuratively and literally!). Well, we at ThinkGeek have a dream that one day everyone will be able to have a nice shave without the hassle of plugging into walls or the frustrations of dead batteries! You already use enough electricity throughout your day, for goodness' sake! Can't the trimming of one's hair be held as sacred as it once was?!

(goosebumps now in full effect)

The Freedom Dynamo Electric Shaver provides true liberty through its Wind 'N Go lever, avoiding any need to use actual electricity. One minute of winding, and you've got yourself enough power for a full shave! It also comes with three individual heads that properly flex and rotate to provide a close and precise performance. And for any on-the-go users, it comes with a travel case, which includes a mirror, cleaning brush and adapters (as noted below). We'll have to insist that you provide the hair, however. Sorry!

MTSTANDARD.COM: Crash recovery: Cause of downed plane still a puzzle

The airplane that crashed Sunday at Holy Cross Cemetery and killed 14 people was configured to hold a maximum of 10 people, meaning there were more passengers than seats on board.

But acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Mark Rosenker, said it is unclear if the extra passengers had any bearing on the cause of the crash.

ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS: Redoubt quiets after sending ash north

Mount Redoubt roared to life Sunday and Monday, blasting a column of ash and steam almost 12 miles above Cook Inlet.

RadioSTAT Portable Emergency Advisory Radio Station

FROM THE WEBSITE:
During public health and safety emergencies, take a RadioSTAT Portable Emergency Advisory Radio Station into critical areas and speak directly to citizens via standard radio receivers.

RadioSTAT can be a lifesaver, allowing the broadcast of critical instructions and information regarding . . .

	Disasters/Evacuations.
	Medical Emergencies (hospital surge, points of distribution field information, quarantine isolation, decontamination).
	Terrorist/Shooter Incidents.
	HAZMAT and Traffic Information.
	Critical Public Safety Instructions. Road Construction/Infrastructure Failures.
	AMBER Alerts.

RadioSTAT is built for speed and portability. All electronics are housed in an easy-to-transport, high-impact, weather-resistant case. The quick-erect antenna system folds down for transportability. The entire system may be set up in 10 minutes by one person. For details, see planning steps and specifications, which follow.

RadioSTAT broadcasts may be received on standard vehicle radios over a 3-5 mile range (25-75 square miles). The stations are priced affordably so that multiple units can be deployed simultaneously at different locations during an emergency, if required. Each RadioSTAT station can broadcast a select series of messages from a prerecorded library. Or, as situations change, new messages may be recorded on the spot. Audio software is provided for message creation, editing, processing and archiving on a field laptop or desktop PC. Messages may be staged on flash drives for quick deployment. “Live” programming may be placed on the air immediately with the flip of a switch.

RadioSTAT is a FCC-licensed service. Operate one or more RadioSTAT units within a specified territory such as a city, county or state. The signal is typically announced to the public by FASTrack or other portable signs, positioned at the periphery of the coverage area.

During non-emergency times, it is recommended that RadioSTAT operators establish the broadcast on an ongoing basis at a “home location” using a (optional) fixed antenna. This will help promote the broadcast frequency, enhances its value for citizens and affords additional frequency protection for the service. If the home location ever requires evacuation, RadioSTAT’s portability becomes an instant asset, allowing reestablishment of the signal from the new location quickly.

RadioSTAT’s portability makes it especially useful at large public gatherings. Broadcast key information, such as: schedules, traffic, parking, safety and critical instructions for patrons approaching or exiting.

USA TODAY: FedEx plane crashes in Tokyo; 2 dead

TOKYO (AP) — A FedEx cargo plane smashed into a runway and burst into a ball of fire while attempting to land at Tokyo's main international airport Monday, killing the American pilot and co-pilot. Investigators believe wind shear, or a sudden gust of wind, may have been a factor.

Questions were also being raised about the safety of the MD-11, a wide-body airliner built by McDonnell Douglas and based on the DC-10.

ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS: Fifth explosion rocks Mount Redoubt volcano

An erupting Mount Redoubt exploded again this morning at 4:31 a.m. -- its fifth and strongest discharge yet -- sending an ash cloud to new heights, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: “PKEMRA Implementation: An Examination of FEMA's Preparedness and Response Mission”

EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION: Call for Proposals: Cooperation projects on preparedness and prevention

WDIV: CDC Searches For Passengers On Flight From Germany

DETROIT -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking for passengers who may have come in contact Tuesday with a passenger who was infected with tuberculosis.A passenger aboard a Northwest Airlines Flight No. 51 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Detroit Tuesday had tuberculosis, the CDC has confirmed.

PHYSORG.COM: New Madrid fault system may be shutting down

(PhysOrg.com) -- The New Madrid fault system does not behave as earthquake hazard models assume and may be in the process of shutting down, a new study shows.

A team from Purdue and Northwestern universities analyzed the fault motion for eight years using global positioning system measurements and found that it is much less than expected given the 500- to 1,000-year repeat cycle for major earthquakes on that fault. The last large earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone were magnitude 7-7.5 events in 1811 and 1812. Estimating an accurate earthquake threat for the area, which includes parts of Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky, is crucial for the communities potentially affected, said Eric Calais, the Purdue researcher who led the study.

MIAMI HERALD: Court papers reveal nuclear feud at Turkey Point

At 1:09 one afternoon last year, 90 metal rods slid into the cores of the two nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, part of an automatic shutdown that had been triggered by a utility worker's blunder moments earlier at a substation miles away. A million customers lost power.

Florida Power & Light executives ordered that the reactors be back online within 12 hours, according to court documents. The plant's top nuclear operator, David Hoffman, said that would be dangerous. When FPL executives disagreed with him, he walked out at 8 p.m., refusing to participate in actions he felt were unsafe.

At 11:49 that night, Feb. 26, 2008, he submitted a heated resignation letter, blasting FPL for constantly putting cost savings ahead of safety and creating a horrible morale problem. ''People are not valued and are treated like equipment and numbers,'' Hoffman wrote.

Hoffman's charge offers a rare insight into safety complaints made by nuclear workers, who are often forbidden by contract from saying anything negative about their bosses. The information came to light because FPL is suing him for the return of a bonus, and he's charging in a countersuit that the utility is improperly trying to silence his complaints about safety.

MLIVE: At-home caregivers prepare for emergency situations

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Nobody's happy when the lights go out. But for those who depend on home medical equipment, power failures can be deadly. Tammy and Roger Rudi's nine adopted children all have special needs, many requiring life support equipment.

When the power goes out -- as it has three times this year -- the Rudis have to move fast.

"We have a little backup generator, but we can only plug in two things at a time. So we have to decide what we need most," said Tammy Rudi.

General Motors retiree Wayne Nelson, 75, had more on his mind than wet feet during the February melt that flooded his Burton home.

Nelson depends on a portable oxygen machine. His backup generator was out in the garage -- shin-deep under water.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TIMES: Ice storm brings to light emergency preparedness for those with disabilities

During the ice storm in January, situations arose due to power outages that were a matter of life or death for some.

These concerned people who depend on oxygen and other equipment.

About 17 of them, including their caregivers, were taken care of at the Washington County Health Department in Fayetteville for five days.

One of the temporary residents was a quadriplegic man who depended on a breathing treatment.

These were just a few of the Washington County residents with disabilities and other health concerns facing the disaster.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION: An Analysis of Federal, State, and Local Homeland Security Budgets

NIEM (National Information Exchange Model)

FROM THE WEBSITE:

NIEM, the National Information Exchange Model, is a partnership of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. It is designed to develop, disseminate and support enterprise-wide information exchange standards and processes that can enable jurisdictions to effectively share critical information in emergency situations, as well as support the day-to-day operations of agencies throughout the nation.

NIEM enables information sharing, focusing on information exchanged among organizations as part of their current or intended business practices. The NIEM exchange development methodology results in a common semantic understanding among participating organizations and data formatted in a semantically consistent manner. NIEM will standardize content (actual data exchange standards), provide tools, and managed processes.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Next-Generation Law Enforcement Fusion Centers: Crime Analysis in Action

Every time a cop walks the beat, a trooper patrols the highway or a deputy questions a suspect, a key question enters their minds: Is everything as it should be?

In the wake of major terrorism acts, that question has taken on national and global significance. You also hear: Are we safe? From my perspective as a law enforcement professional of 25 years, we are. Here's why:

WCTV: New E.O.C. Building Going Up

Local emergency operations officials will soon be able to better operate during times of emergencies.

Taylor County is constructing a new emergency operations center.
Emergency management officials say it will allow them to coordinate all emergency activities.

YAHOO/BUSINESS WIRE: James Lee Witt Associates Receives Contract to Develop Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government Plans for the City o

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GlobalOptions Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLOI - News), a leading provider of domestic and international risk management services, today announced that James Lee Witt Associates (JLWA), its Crisis Management and Preparedness Services Division, has obtained a contract to assist the City of Alexandria, Virginia’s Office of Emergency Management in building its comprehensive emergency preparedness program.

POST-GAZETTE: FEMA to review city fire equipment contract

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will ask the city of Pittsburgh for documents explaining its $977,550 purchase of a firehouse ventilation system from an Ohio company with federal money and without a competitive process, agency officials said today.

The city is buying the system, made by Sweden-based Nederman Inc., from Toledo-area firm Clean Air Systems Inc. Two other vendors have complained that they were not given the opportunity to submit their own proposals, though FEMA -- which is paying $716,760 of the cost under an Assistance to Firefighters Grant -- demands "full and open competition" on all purchases made with its grants.

FEMA regularly reviews grants, and in this case will conduct "a full desk review," said Lisa Lewis, director of the agency's grants management division. "With the concerns [expressed by competing vendors] we'll take a closer look at it" than normal.

WTHR: FEMA makes laptops more secure after theft

Griffith - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is putting new safeguards in place to protect sensitive information stored on laptop computers after one containing personal information for about 50 Indiana flood victims was stolen from an inspector's car.

FEMA is installing more protection software on all of its laptops and now uses additional encryption and data-tracking software in all portable data storage devices, the Post-Tribune of Merrillville reported Sunday.

PORTLAND NEWS: Multnomah County gets new emergency management director

Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler has named interim director David Houghton to head the county's Office of Emergency Management.

The announcement comes weeks after a scathing report by the District Attorney's Office that accused the agency charged with coordinating disaster response with "flagrant mismanagement and a systematic failure of basic record keeping" that created an environment "ripe for abuse."

TIMES-PICAYUNE: Obama undecided on whether to make FEMA separate department

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says he has not decided whether to restore the Federal Emergency Management Agency to a stand-alone department but promises that his administration is committed to robust Gulf Coast recovery efforts regardless of the agency's status.

WGNO: Rainwater Encouraged By New FEMA Tone

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's hurricane recovery chief said he's encouraged to hear a new tone at FEMA. Paul Rainwater met Friday with Tony Russell, the newly named acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Louisiana office. Rainwater said the two discussed issues including the new state-federal "decision teams" meant to help settle funding disputes and speed rebuilding projects stemming from the 2005 hurricanes.

TIMES PICAYUNE: N.O. FEMA office gets 'Decision Team'

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Wednesday that, in cooperation with Louisiana officials, she is creating a new "Decision Team" at the New Orleans' FEMA office to "expedite final decisions" about rebuilding projects that have been the source of long-running disputes between FEMA and the state.

MISSOURI NEWS: Homeland Security Secretary advocates "all hazards" approach

United States Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has instituted an "all hazards" approach to public safety since joining the Obama Administration.

Homeland Security grew from the ashes of September 11, 2001 in response to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Yet, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano won't single out terrorism as the biggest threat to the security of the nation.

"There are always a number of threats to our security," Napolitano said during a news conference at the State Emergency Management Agency in Jefferson City. "They can be international, they can be terrorist, they can be domestic and domestically raised. So, it's hard to say what is the single largest."

SAIPAN TRIBUNE: Work on $2.8M emergency center project delayed

The contractor for the $2.8 million construction of the CNMI Emergency Operations Center on Capital Hill is asking for a five-month extension to complete the project due to change orders and delays caused by last year's weather, Saipan Tribune learned yesterday.

Once completed, the project will provide a state-of-the-art command and control center to better equip the CNMI to address both man-made and natural disasters.

POST-GAZETTE: Volunteer presents extensive credentials for emergency management position

When Dr. Tom Stein volunteered to be Franklin Park's emergency management coordinator, it was pretty clear he was the right guy for the job.

In addition to being an emergency room doctor and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Allegheny General Hospital, he is a colonel in the Army Reserves, has decades of military disaster and emergency training, is on the board of directors for the Red Cross of Western Pennsylvania and is a member of Allegheny County Council's Emergency Medical Services executive committee.

YAHOO NEWS: 5,000 evacuated after hazardous acid spill in Pa.

WIND GAP, Pa. – Evacuation orders for about 5,000 people in northeastern Pennsylvania remain in effect even as authorities say the leak of a hazardous chemical has been contained.

Authorities say a tanker truck carrying more than 16 tons of hydrofluoric acid overturned early Saturday near Wind Gap, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia.

The Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) Coalition

FROM THE WEBSITE:

An emergency or disaster is an event that can result in significant harm to lives and/ or property, as well as disruption in daily activities. Emergency management officials create response mechanisms and guidelines to manage such events.

But for the kidney community, emergencies and disasters can be the difference between life and death. Dialysis and kidney transplant patients must take special preparedness measures to ensure their own health and safety during and after disasters.

The Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) Coalition provides technical assistance to ESRD Networks, CMS organizations, and other groups to ensure timely and efficient emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for the kidney community.

Please browse the information about the Coalition, membership, Response Teams, and resources for patients, providers, and ESRD Networks.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.

BIG MEDICINE: Marking the one year anniversary of the sinking of the Alaska Ranger

Monday marks the one year anniversary of the sinking of the 189-foot fishing vessel Alaska Ranger in the Bering Sea. The crew of the Alaska Ranger was forced to abandon ship after the vessel began taking on water 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The ensuing rescue was the largest in recent Coast Guard history. Of the 47 crewmembers aboard the Alaska Ranger, 42 were rescued.

FREE PRESS: Carbon monoxide detectors made Michigan law

LANSING -- Carbon monoxide detectors will be required in all new homes under a law signed Thursday by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

MUNICIPAL SOLUTIONS: Is your Security Consultant an Expert?

The security industry has always had an unfortunate public image of being an industry that is a law unto itself and is made up of large numbers of rogues with criminal records. This may indeed be true of some but the majority work hard to maintain a professional product within a professional industry. The purpose of the SIA is to legislate and organize this largely fragmented industry, a task rather like that of swimming uphill in a pool of sticky toffee.

HOMELAND1: Seven phrases you should never say on television

In the preparedness business, engaging the public is a necessity and a challenge. Effective risk communication includes identifying audiences and understanding how they perceive the messages we broadcast. With that in mind, with tongue in cheek, and in memory of (and apologies to) the late, great George Carlin, here are seven phrases you should avoid when you’re communicating risk to your public. We’re all guilty of these, and we almost always mean well, but we can do better.

JEMS: Why the U.S. should consider equipping medics with ketamine

Models of prehospital care differ across the globe, but the provision of adequate analgesia, particularly for extremely painful and complicated orthopaedic injury, should be a universal goal for all contemporary EMS systems. For many years, this expectation has been met in hospitals with ketamine. Now, the ketamine tide is coming in for paramedics in Australia, with a number of services trying it out. The drug was introduced to my own agency, Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), six months ago. I’ll explain why your service should consider adding it to your protocols.

WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY: Auditors declare FEMA acquisition files a disaster

Contracting documents at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters office are such a mess that the agency was unable to find two-thirds of the files requested during a recent audit.

Contracting officers at FEMA’s Washington office could not locate 16 of the 24 files the accounting firm Urbach Kahn and Werlin requested, according to the audit released March 13 by the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general.

And the files FEMA did find were not in good shape, the auditors said.

YAHOO/AFP: Medvedev orders large-scale Russian rearmament

MOSCOW (AFP) – President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday announced a "large-scale" rearmament and renewal of Russia's nuclear arsenal, accusing NATO of pushing ahead with expansion near Russian borders.

Meeting defence chiefs in Moscow, Medvedev said he was determined to implement reforms to streamline Russia's bloated military and stressed Moscow continued to face several security threats needing robust defense capacity.

"From 2011, a large-scale rearmament of the army and navy will begin," Medvedev said.

FREE PRESS: Sri Lankan national charged with threatening flight crew

A 40-year-old Sri Lankan national, who U.S. authorities have twice tried to deport, was in federal court today charged with throwing a tantrum and threatening the flight crew of a London-bound Northwest Airlines jet last month during his removal.

REUTERS: London police launch counter-terrorism PR campaign

LONDON (Reuters) - London police launched a new counter-terrorism publicity campaign on Monday, calling on residents of the capital to keep their ears and eyes open for anything suspicious and to report it.

The campaign is not linked to any specific threat, police said, but rather a reminder that attacks have happened in the past and could easily happen again. The slogan is: "Don't rely on others. If you suspect it, report it."

"Terrorists can be stopped in their tracks if suspicious activity is passed to the police," Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, the head of the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command, said in a statement.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: First Responders See New Risk in Suicide by Chemicals

Two recent cases of suicide by hazardous chemicals prompted author August Vernon and Red Hat Publishing to develop a set of guidelines for first responders to consider when approaching a scene that could involve suicide and hazardous materials.

The two cases involved men in their 20s who sealed themselves inside a vehicle with tape to prevent the gas from escaping. The household chemicals mixed together produce a flammable, noxious gas and cause victims to go unconscious and eventually suffer heart failure.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Main Federal Disaster Relief Law Has Fallen Behind Modern Threat Levels

In new research published in the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, New York University Professor Mitchell Moss explains that the cornerstone Federal disaster relief legislation, the Robert T. Stafford Act, is dangerously out of date, and must be reformed to provide for rapid relief after a catastrophe.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: New Method for Detecting Explosives

A group of researchers in Tennessee and Denmark has discovered a way to sensitively detect explosives based on the physical properties of their vapors. Their technology, which is currently being developed into prototype devices for field testing, is described in the latest issue of the journal Review of Scientific Instruments, which is published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Smart Grid Security Requirements Released

The economic stimulus package signed by President Obama in February contains $11 billion for smart grid technology. With all the improvements that the Smart Grid is expected to bring, it will contain several places for potential vulnerabilities. Smart grids combine several pieces of technology including special meters, wireless networks, and software - not to mention existing systems. The integration of these pieces poses significant security challenges. Advanced metering infrastructure is a command and control system that contains millions of nodes and touches every consumer and many businesses. Because of this, building robust security into the system as it is implemented is paramount.

AUTONEWSCAST: Porsche Delivers Cayenne Emergency Medical Vehicles to Stuttgart’s Fire Service

Stuttgart. The City of Stuttgart has taken delivery of two new Porsche Cayenne emergency medical vehicles for the municipal fire department’s Emergency Medical Service. Today both vehicles, which have the radio identification names “Florian Stuttgart 5/82-1” and “5/82-2” were handed over in Zuffenhausen to Dr. Martin Schairer, Stuttgart’s Deputy Mayor in charge of law, public safety and order, by Thomas Edig, Porsche AG’s Executive Board Member responsible for Human Resources and Welfare.

ICMA: Disaster Recovery: A Local Government Responsibility

Disasters happen. A massive flood inundates a central downtown. A tornado levels a small town in a matter of minutes. A hurricane ravages a community.

And, all disasters are local. They happen in cities and towns and counties of all sizes where citizens look to their local government managers and elected officials to lead the immediate response, guide the longer-term recovery, and reassure them that life will be normal again . . . someday.

Regardless of community size or the nature of the disaster, local government leaders are responsible for overseeing all four phases of emergency management—preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation (see Figure 1). Federal and state governments play a supporting role in the immediate aftermath and in providing funding and guidance for long-term recovery and mitigation.

Preparation and response—half of the emergency management cycle—generally get the most attention, particularly in high-risk areas. Preparing to respond usually involves significant training and practice to ensure that key local employees and supporting resources are ready to jump into action quickly and that local residents understand their roles and responsibilities in preparing for and responding to disasters.

Local government leaders—particularly those who have been through a major community disaster—recognize that preparing for long-term disaster recovery demands as much attention as preparing for short-term response. After a major disaster, the recovery process takes months and even years to bring a community back to a "new normal" and as strong as or better than before the disaster.

FEDERAL COMPUTER WEEK: DHS sees upgrade for Common Operating Picture

The Homeland Security Department wants to upgrade its Common Operating Picture (COP), the situational awareness tool used at the department’s National Operations Center (NOC), and make it more accessible to state and local authorities, a senior department official has said.

DHS’ activated the COP in May 2006 and currently uses it as a situational awareness tool for strategic, operational and tactical purposes at the NOC. The department now plans to spend millions to upgrade it, refresh technology and eventually to build a new version of the COP that would allow for improved visualization and increased users.

Harry McDavid, chief information officer of DHS’ Office of Operations, Coordination and Planning, said in a recent interview that when DHS originally developed the COP, the urgency brought by the 2001 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina didn’t allow for much advanced planning and officials made use of existing technology. However, McDavid said officials overseeing COP have since planned how to develop its capabilities and have worked with other DHS agencies on topics such as geospatial information, Service Oriented Architecture and federated search engines.

WHITE PAPER: Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities

REPORT: Seattle December 2008 Winter Storm AAR

REPORT: US Senate Special Report - Deficiencies in Federal Disaster Housing Assistance After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

CHICAGO OEMC: Mayor Daley Announces Major Upgrade To Chicago's 911 System

Mayor Richard M. Daley today announced the completion of major upgrades to Chicago's Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system at a press conference at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), 1411 W. Madison St.

The CAD system coordinates the City's delivery of police, fire and Emergency Medical Service resources to 911 calls

"On an average day, Chicago's 911 Center answers 15,000 calls for emergency service. Our call takers and dispatchers answer those calls with calm professionalism. Their job is a critical one," said Mayor Daley

"That is why it is so important that we provide 911 with the best tools availble to assist the residents who are calling in need," he said.

The upgrade was paid for by a $6 million grant from the United States Department of Homeland Security and includes a new UNIX operating system, an upgraded Oracle database, new HP servers and Storage Area Network cabinets.

One of the most groundbreaking elements of this upgrade is the integration of the Operation Virtual Shield (OVS) camera network into each CAD workstation.

FEDERAL COMPUTER WEEK: DHS forms new research centers

The Homeland Security Department has hired two not-for-profit organizations for up to $712 million for up to five years to run two new research and development centers. The centers will both be Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs).

TIME: Fusion Centers: Giving Cops Too Much Information?

At the time, it seemed one of the unanimous lessons of the tragedy of Sept. 11 — law enforcement agencies at all levels of government have to do a better job of sharing information with each other in order to prevent terror plots. Making that actually happen, of course, is easier said than done, which is why newfangled, multi-organizational agencies were set up to promote cooperation and overcome turf battles. But now critics claim that these so-called fusion centers are making it all too easy for government to collect and share data from numerous public databases.

LA TIMES: Little-known U.S. agency hunts down radioactive castoffs

Reporting from Sunnyvale -- The four-man government disposal team arrived Monday from Los Alamos, N.M., to take away the small canister of plutonium. Weighing just 1.3 grams, the plutonium-238 isotope had been owned by a Silicon Valley company for nearly 30 years and was stored safely in a 10-foot hole in the ground.

But in the wrong hands, federal officials say, the highly radioactive isotope could pose a serious threat to public safety and conceivably provide terrorists with material for a dirty bomb.

HS TODAY: FEMA Would Succeed In or Out of DHS, Deputy Says

The acting deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) argued before a House panel Tuesday that removing his agency from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would not disconnect it from valuable resources in times of a catastrophe.

TENNESSEAN: Metro, Belmont look to team up on emergency information center

Belmont University has agreed to provide space for Metro Nashville to set up a central location from which to disseminate information after a disaster, Mayor Karl Dean announced today.

NEWS-LEADER: Ex-trooper to head Missouri emergency agency

A former Missouri Highway Patrol troop commander has been named director of the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency.

Paul Parmenter, 61, was with Troop C for 11 years before his retirement in 2002 after serving in the patrol 29 years.

BIG MEDICINE: Main federal disaster relief law has fallen behind modern threat levels

In new research published in the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, New York University Professor Mitchell Moss explains that the cornerstone Federal disaster relief legislation, the Robert T. Stafford Act, is dangerously out of date, and must be reformed to provide for rapid relief after a catastrophe.

Two years after Hurricane Katrina, and six years after the September 11 attacks, the Federal government still lacks the legal authority to provide rapid financial assistance to residents, small businesses and municipal governments following a major disaster, according to the Journal article (Vol. 6 : Issue 1, Article 13, January 2009).

NY TIMES: Fears of a ‘Real I.R.A.’ Bomb Plot

Updated | 2:29 p.m. Henry McDonald of The Guardian reported on Thursday that police in both Ireland and Northern Ireland have been searching all week for a large bomb, “after receiving intelligence reports that the Real I.R.A. has smuggled a large device into Northern Ireland from the south.”

Hours later, Ulster Television reported that a “bomb alert” near a British army base in Northern Ireland had ended when a controlled explosion was “carried out on a hoax bomb near Ballykinler Army base in Co Down.” As Irish Times explained the area is of particular concern because: “It is understood a 300-lb. bomb left near a primary school in Castlewellan last month was destined for Ballykinler.”

YAHOO/AP: FBI cited for poor freedom of information work

WASHINGTON – The FBI tells two out of every three Freedom of Information Act requesters that it can't find the records they asked for — a failure rate five times higher than other major federal agencies, a private study has found.

The FBI's performance results from an outdated and deliberately limited search process, according to the National Security Archive, a private group that publishes declassified government documents and files many FOIA requests.

CNN: Taliban threaten to kill aid workers as spies

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A top Taliban commander has issued a new threat to foreign aid workers, saying that under the insurgent group's new "constitution" they will execute them as spies or hold them in exchange for the release of Taliban fighters.

CNN: Cheney says Obama's policies 'raise the risk' of U.S. terror attack

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama administration has endangered Americans and opened the country to further attack by reversing Bush administration anti-terrorism policies such as harsh interrogations of suspects, former Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday.

BBC NEWS: Australia oil coast 'half clear'

About half of the beaches affected by an oil spill along the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia have now been cleared, say officials.

PC WORLD: LG Rumor Updated Today

The next-generation LG Rumor slider wireless phone is scheduled to go on sale today priced at US$50 after rebate with a two-year service agreement.

YAHOO TECH: Stolen-data trove offers look inside a botnet (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO - Getting hacked is like having your computer turn traitor on you, spying on everything you do and shipping your secrets to identity thieves.

Victims don't see where their stolen data end up. But sometimes security researchers do, stumbling across stolen-data troves that offer a glimpse of what identity theft looks like from criminals' perspective.

Researchers from U.K.-based security firm Prevx found one such trove, a Web site used as a stash house for data from 160,000 infected computers before it was shut down this month.

The find offers a case study on just how much data criminals are stealing every day, from the utterly inconsequential to the alarmingly private.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: First Responder IPT to be Heavy in Practitioners

When a disaster strikes, it's the local government and first responders on the ground who must respond, not to mention the emergencies firefighters, emergency medical technicians and police officers respond to on a daily basis. And by their own admission, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) needs to do better job of reaching out to this community. To that end, DHS S&T is in the process of forming an integrated product team dedicated to serving the technology needs of first responders.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: 3-D Personnel Locator 'Bakeoff' Planned for April and May

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) is planning a sort of a "Consumer Reports type bake-off" for April and May of this year in order to ascertain the current capabilities 3-D personnel locators.

The directorate is interested in seeing how systems currently available perform under the conditions where most of the fatalities occur and then in some more complicated environments.

"3-D location is the holy grail of the first responder community," Jose Vasquez, director of first responder technologies for the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology directorate said. While it would be great to know exactly where every firefighter was during a fire at all times, this is another one of those applications where it is apparent that perfect is the enemy of pretty good, he said.

GT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Terrorist Screening Center Recognized for Information Sharing Efforts

Yesterday, on the first day of its annual conference, the National Fusion Center Coordination Group recognized the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), with an award for TSC's information sharing and outreach initiatives to bridge the counterterrorism efforts of federal agencies and state and local law enforcement.

TSC is a component of the FBI which maintains the U.S. government's consolidated terrorist watchlist.

USA TODAY: Official: Australian oil spill worse than thought

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Ten times more oil than originally thought leaked from a ship to blacken miles of white sand beaches along Australia's northeast coast, a government official said Saturday.

Authorities declared a disaster zone along 37 miles of some of Australia's most popular beaches in Queensland state after they were covered in a blanket of heavy fuel oil that spilled from a ship hit by rough seas on Wednesday.

Queensland state Deputy Premier Paul Lucas told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Saturday that officials originally thought between 5,300 and 7,900 gallons of oil had leaked from the ship. Lucas said it is "now apparent" that the amount of oil spilled was around 60,700 gallons . He did not explain how he arrived at that estimate or offer any further details.

BBC NEWS: Obama warns of US food 'hazard'

President Barack Obama has said the US food safety system is a "public health hazard" and in need of an overhaul.

He sounded the warning during his weekly radio and video address, as he appointed a new head of the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New York Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has been named for the post.

APP.COM: Monmouth Democrats shuffle top jobs; GOP lambasts move

FREEHOLD — Democrats on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders have pulled the trigger on a high-level administration shakeup despite heavy criticism that the changes were politically motivated.

But Democrat John D'Amico Jr. said Republicans had expressed no concerns about the political spoils system for several decades when they had control of the county government.

"I'm somewhat amused by these passionate objections," D'Amico said at a Hall of Records meeting room packed with about 300 people Thursday night. "In 1985, when the Republicans took control, every single division head got a pink slip on Christmas Eve and they were told they were finished by the end of the year."

The chief financial officer, Mark E. Acker, a 25-year employee who earns a $176,000 salary, and two other department heads who had served under the former Republican administration were ousted.

Other changes were internal promotions, except for the appointment of Glenn Mason to emergency management coordinator. Mason was Freeholder Amy A. Mallet's running mate on the Democratic ticket last November. Mallet's victory gave the Democrats the board majority for the first time since 1985.

DHS: Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the National Fusion Center Conference in Kansas City, Mo. on March 11, 2009

BIO-MEDICINE: AHRQ Issues Recommendations for Safeguarding Children During Public Health Emergencies

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released two new tools designed to protect and care for children who are in a hospital or a school during a public health emergency.

SECURITY MANAGEMENT: Fusion Centers Under Fire in Texas and New Mexico

03/09/2009 -

Civil libertarians are pushing for legal limits on personal data law enforcement organizations can collect after a Texas fusion center's bulletin singled out Muslim and antiwar groups for direct scrutiny.

In late February, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized a leaked intelligence bulletin from the North Central Texas Fusion System asking law enforcement officers to report on the activities of Islamic and anti-war lobbying groups, specifically the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the International Action Center (IAC). CAIR is a national Muslim advocacy group, while IAC is an American activist organization that opposes all U.S. military intervention overseas.

USA TODAY: NFL exempt from terrorism lawsuits

WASHINGTON — The National Football League and dozens of other companies and organizations have won exemption from lawsuits under a post-9/11 law that prohibits them from being sued if terrorists attack a site they are protecting.

The law, called the SAFETY Act (Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies), aims to help security providers by guaranteeing they will not pay any claims that terror victims might file after an attack.

FEMA: Underground Power Lines Spare Bardstown Big Repair Bills

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- It's the trees. Nestled in north-central Kentucky, the densely wooded Camelot subdivision of Bardstown, Ky., often found trees or broken limbs falling on its overhead power lines during storms, leaving the subdivision in the dark. The City of Bardstown was repeatedly forced to dispatch utility crews, each time at great expense. In a single year of bad weather, the city might pay a minimum of $15,000 just to keep the overhead wires repaired.

For city Risk Manager Michael Forsee, the obvious solution was to bury the power lines, but the $100,000 cost was prohibitive. He applied for a Hazard Mitigation Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when he learned that the grants provide funds for local communities to strengthen their infrastructure against natural disasters. The Camelot subdivision fit the criteria.

DAILY WORLD: New chief should rebuild FEMA

President Barack Obama has named a new director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. After all the complaints lodged against the agency and the solid evidence of FEMA's need for revamping, continued operation under the same leadership would have been unwise. It would have sustained strong discontent, particularly along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY: Emergency Responders Need Equipment Compatibility, DHS Official Says

The question from the 1984 Ghostbusters film -- "Who ya gonna call?" -- is a loaded one around here. One of my jobs as the director of the Command, Control and Interoperability Division at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Directorate for Science and Technology is to ensure that our heroes -- emergency responders -- can talk to one another. The buzzword is interoperability. I hear it daily, and there's no question it's critically important.

FEDERAL COMPUTER WEEK: DHS plans enhanced interoperability standard

The Homeland Security Department expects to complete an enhanced version of its Bridging Systems Interface technical standard in the this summer to better enable interoperability among emergency response agencies, a senior official said at the GovSec conference today.

The enhanced standard will allow for better connections between systems that link disparate radio systems, said Luke Berndt, chief technical officer for DHS' Office of Interoperability and Compatibility. It also will provide for better linkages with different types of first responder radio systems.

YAHOO/WWJ RADIO: Seagull Crashes Through Chopper 950 Window

NOTE: Bill Szumanski is a friend, a fellow former student at Denby High School in Detroit, and a good guy. Fortunately, this incident is one that came out okay for everyone except the bird.

Southfield (WWJ) -- An unwelcome passenger aboard Chopper 950 Thursday morning. WWJ Newsradio 950 Traffic Reporter Bill Szumanski was in the helicopter when a seagull crashed through a window and landed between his feet.

The pilot of the chopper, Joel Alexander, throttled down to a safer speed.

"Because of the wind that is rushing in through the open window, you really don't want maintain the hundred, 115 miles per hour we would normally be at," Szumanski said shortly after the helicopter landed.

Listen to what Szumanski told WWJ's Roberta Jasina and Joe Donovan: AUDIO

The bubble of the chopper is made of plexiglass.

Everyone in the chopper is okay, except for the seagull who unfortunately was killed. The aircraft will be out of commission for a few days while repairs are made.

YAHOO TECH: New tech could charge a phone battery in 10 seconds

Batteries are both the unheralded worker bees and the fatal flaw in every mobile technology product produced today. We can't do anything without them, but batteries are almost always the reason we can't do more than plugged-in technology would otherwise allow.

While research has yielded few new advances in squeezing higher capacity into existing battery form factors, there's one spot of good news on the horizon: Technology that would dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to recharge a battery.

WSFA: Ala. gunman killed his mother, grandparents and others

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - The Coffee County coroner said a suspect in Tuesday's deadly rampage started his day of bloodshed at his mother's house in Kinston, burning it to the ground. The mother's body was inside the house, but Coroner Robert Preachers said officials have not been able to enter the house to determine if she was shot. News of the mother's death brings the body count to at least eleven people, including the gunman. The man's shooting spree covered two counties (Coffee and Geneva) and targeted people in the town of Kinston and the cities of Samson and Geneva in extreme southeast Alabama.

WASHINGTON POST: A Struggle Over U.S. Cybersecurity

The resignation of the federal government's cybersecurity coordinator highlights a power struggle underway over how best to defend the government's civilian computer networks against digital attacks.

Rod A. Beckstrom resigned the post Friday after less than a year on the job, citing a lack of funding and the National Security Agency's tightening grip on government cybersecurity matters.

Beckstrom is director of the National Cyber Security Center -- an organization created last March to help coordinate such security efforts across the intelligence community. But recently, Beckstrom said, efforts have been underway to fold his group into a facility at the NSA.

Beckstrom said in an interview over the weekend that his group was formed to coordinate the various agencies' efforts but not to be controlled by the NSA.

DHS: Statement from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Sara Kuban on Secretary Napolitano’s Address to National Fusion Conference

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE: Advocates say DHS managers, rank-and-file are dissatisfied with personnel policies

PERSONAL MONEY STORE: Prepare for a Natural Disaster or Emergency with Food Storage

Today, especially in these tough economic times, it is common for people to put aside some money in case of an emergency. Why then, do we not save food as well? It makes sense to save money because we believe that money will buy us everything we need. What are we to do when we have the money but there is no food for us to buy? This is why I propose everybody should begin to prepare a food storage.

CONTINGENCY TODAY: EU and NATO should work together on crises

The House of Lords EU Committee has today called on the UK Government to use NATO's 60th anniversary next month as an occasion to promote cooperation between the EU and NATO.

CONTINGENCY TODAY: National emergency radio strike

Employees at Airwave, the UK's emergency services communications network, are set to strike.

DOWNEY PATRIOT: Sauter accepts new position

DOWNEY— Sitting behind a desk full of paperwork, Mark Sauter pours over local, state, and federal safety mandates.

Newly-appointed Deputy City Manager/Public Safety Emergency Operations Chief Sauter is starting out the New Year making sure the city of Downey is in compliance with the multitude of governing safety policies and procedures.

Sauter, 50, brings 30 years experience as a first responder to his new position. Joining the Downey Fire Department in 1979, he had been the fire chief since 2000.

The city’s public safety emergency operations position has sat empty since 2005, when its duties were divided up between different departments. After the September 2008 water contamination crisis, City Manager Gerald Caton sought to fill the position immediately.

MOUNT VERNON NEWS: Blubaugh resigns; Hatton consulting

MOUNT VERNON — During a special meeting of the Knox County Emergency Management Executive Board, Thursday afternoon, board members unanimously voted to accept the resignation of Knox County EMA/Homeland Security Director Marie Blubaugh submitted by Blubaugh before the meeting.

Blubaugh’s resignation letter, read to the board by Assistant Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville, stated she had made the decision after meeting with her attorney. The resignation was effective immediately. The special meeting had been scheduled last week by the board to discuss the future of Blubaugh’s employment amidst allegations of misconduct.

Allegations against Blubaugh had included the misuse of her assigned county vehicle, a lack of communication by the director with her staff, and the forwarding of a recorded phone call between Deputy EMA Director Brian Hess and Mount Vernon Fire Chief Shawn Christy to Fredericktown EMS Chief Rick Lanuzza without the knowledge of Hess or Christy.

MONTGOMERY ADVISER: RANTS AND RAVES: EMA's accounting lapses troubling

RANT: For serious problems in the handling of state contracts by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

An audit by the State Examiners of Public Accounts of EMA financial activities for the 2007 and 2008 fiscal years contained four negative findings.

POST-TRIBUNE: Feds: FEMA laptop security inadequate

The Federal Emergency Management Agency does not properly secure thousands of laptops it manages and, as a result, sensitive personal information stored on those computers is not secure, according to a July 2007 report by FEMA's own parent agency.

FEMA has not ensured that the 32,000 laptops it owns or manages adhere to "minimum-security settings" or meet "adequate laptop computer inventory management procedures," the 33-page report from the Department of Homeland Security says.

"As a result, sensitive information stored and processed on Federal Emergency Management Agency laptop computers may not be protected properly," says the report, issued by Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General.

The report indicated that "significant work remains for (FEMA) to further strengthen ... controls necessary to protect its government-issued laptop computers."

HARTFORD COURANT: Ham Radio Experiencing A Resurgence

WETHERSFIELD - The radio beeps and displays the words: "Antenna Tuned."

"K1MMH/K1MMH," Mary Hobart launches her call by pushing a button on the ham radio set up inside the Wethersfield Volunteer Ambulance headquarters.

Silence.

"K1MMH/ K1MMH," Hobart tries again.

MEDIA NEWSWIRE: Ambulance jobs to be slashed by National Party

(Media-Newswire.com) - Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said today he held grave fears that the National Party’s three per cent “efficiency dividend” would result in cuts to vital emergency services.

“This is a front-line service delivery agency providing vital ambulance, fire and rescue and disaster management services. Close to 400 emergency services workers could be slashed every year under the National Party’s cuts,” he said.

Mr Roberts said the National Party would rip away $29.2 million every year from the Department of Emergency Services.

“This is not about redirecting or reinvesting funds and this money is not lying around. It would mean jobs cuts and a reduction in services,“ he said.

The Queensland Government has already conducted efficiency reviews into the Queensland Ambulance Service ( QAS ) and Queensland Fire and Rescue Service ( QFRS ) to redirect resources from non-essential spending to boost front-line service delivery.

DAILY GAZETTE: Constantine to be appointed to emergency management position

SCHENECTADY — Majority Democrats in the Schenectady County Legislature plan to appoint Thomas P. Constantine as director of emergency management Tuesday night.

Constantine was a top contender for the vacant position of Schenectady County sheriff until he was knocked out, going so far as to change his party membership from Republican to Democrat.

Democrats are instead endorsing Rotterdam police Lt. Dominick Dagostino, a Conservative and the son of prominent Democratic county Legislator Judith Dagostino, vice chairwoman of the county Legislature.

BOONE NEWS REPUBLICAN: On the Job with...Dave Morlan, Emergency Management Coordinator

Whether it is coordinating communication lines between emergency responders or implementing emergency response plans, Boone County Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Morlan has a long list of responsibilities.
Morlan, who assumed the position in 2003, spends a great deal of his time focusing on emergency planning.
"I spend a lot of time doing planning or research for planning, like emergency response plans, hazardous materials plans, even to the point of terrorism-type plans so that we have something that will give us direction if a disaster hits or some type of incident happens," Morlan said.

AP: Illinois church gunman's motives a mystery

MARYVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Worshippers at the sprawling First Baptist Church in this St. Louis suburb initially weren't alarmed when a young man they didn't recognize walked up the church's center aisle during the early morning sermon. Until he opened fire.

The gunman, identified by authorities as a 27-year-old from Troy, strode toward the Rev. Fred Winters shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, exchanged words with him, then fired a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol until it jammed. Churchgoers then wrestled him to the ground as he brandished a knife, said Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent.

Winters later died of his injuries.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: New airport security rules to require more personal information

You may have been patted down at airports or suffered the indignity of having your dirty laundry from a vacation searched at screening checkpoints. Now prepare yourself for security to get a little more personal.

Passengers making airline reservations soon will be required to provide their birth date and their sex in addition to their names as part of aviation security enhancements the 9/11 Commission recommended. The information provided at the time seats are booked must exactly match the data on each traveler's ID.

The new program, called Secure Flight, shifts responsibility for checking passenger names against "watch lists" from the airlines to the Transportation Security Administration. Only passengers who are cleared to fly by the TSA will be given boarding passes.

TIME: Fusion Centers: Giving Cops Too Much Information?

At the time, it seemed one of the unanimous lessons of the tragedy of Sept. 11 — law enforcement agencies at all levels of government have to do a better job of sharing information with each other in order to prevent terror plots. Making that actually happen, of course, is easier said than done, which is why newfangled, multi-organizational agencies were set up to promote cooperation and overcome turf battles. But now critics claim that these so-called fusion centers are making it all too easy for government to collect and share data from numerous public databases.

NEWS-PRESS: Southwest Regional hospital moves to Gulf Coast

Eight hours, 10 minutes.

That's how long it took to move 112 patients from Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center to Gulf Coast Medical Center on Sunday. That's four hours and almost 200 patients fewer than organizers initially estimated.

The emergency room at Southwest Florida Regional closed at 7 a.m.; by 3:30 p.m. the typically bustling, 34-year-old hospital was empty except for the staffers who stayed behind to complete the closure. As Southwest closed, the new $285 million, 436,000-square-foot expansion at Gulf Coast went fully online.

It was a plan years in the making, initially laid out by Hospital Corp. of America, the former owner of the two hospitals. Lee Memorial Health System inherited the construction project and building closure plans when it bought the hospitals in 2006.

WV GAZETTE: State says fusion center enhances public safety

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When someone killed three people sniper-style six years ago in Kanawha County, various law enforcement agencies received countless phone tips. Most were no good.

Police could have used a central location where analysts could sort leads and share them with the proper agencies, say proponents of the year-old West Virginia Intelligence/Fusion Center.

"It takes a ton of information to get an ounce of intelligence," center director Thom Kirk said.

PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL: The man with a plan in case of emergency

Hurricanes. Plane crashes. Chemical spills. Pandemics.

For any disaster likely to befall Santa Rosa County, Daniel Hahn has a response plan. In January, when a train derailed near Avalon Boulevard, he was ready.

"We had a train accident exercise before the train accident happened, except our exercise had chemicals leaking and it was on the train tracks right south of the City of Milton," said Hahn, 43, plans chief for the Santa Rosa County Division of Emergency Management. "Then, all of a sudden, we had a real train wreck. Fortunately, nothing bad happened."

In February, the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association named Hahn the 2009 Emergency Management Professional of the Year.

CORRECTIONS.COM: Using Social Media to Protect Public Safety

It’s not easy to understand why anyone with a warrant would voluntarily surrender to law enforcement. But I spoke to many offenders during an event in the nation’s capitol who told me that they were looking for a safe opportunity to turn themselves in. They wanted another chance to return into normal society.

But they and family members needed to learn about the program and be convinced that it wasn’t a scam. We had to earn their trust. We did that through social and conventional media efforts. This may have been one of the first efforts on the part of a federal agency to use social media during a campaign.

NEWS-STAR: Emergency agencies advance plans to talk on same frequency

More than three years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita exposed Louisiana's patchwork system of communication, homeland security grants will focus on creating a single communications channel for all state emergency agencies.

EMS DAILY NEWS: Paramedics honored for rescue

Burke County, NC - A select group of Burke EMS Special Operations paramedics were honored with awards at a recent Burke County Commission meeting. The award ribbons, including the highest award ever given to a Burke County paramedic, were presented for remarkable service during a particularly difficult mission in November of 2008.

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: Health emergency drills draw 2,000

Kamas -- It only looked like a run on the bank.

Ford trucks, SUVs and mini-vans -- a car every 10 seconds -- and pedestrians crashed the Zions drive-through windows Saturday on this homey mountain town's Main Street.

But even though cops and paramedics cased the scene, there was no crime and no threat to the cash. Instead, for two hours, hundreds poured into Zions Bank in Kamas and Coalville to practice how to cope with bioterrorism or another public-health emergency. For practice, volunteers relayed the information back to the county's emergency operations center.

EHS TODAY: Floodplain Managers Call for an Independent FEMA

The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) recommends that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) be restored to its former independent-agency status, with direct access to the president.

REUTERS: Cybersecurity chief Beckstrom resigns

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government's director for cybersecurity resigned on Friday, criticizing the excessive role of the National Security Agency in countering threats to the country's computer systems.

"He has tendered his resignation," Amy Kudwa, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman told Reuters.

Former Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rod Beckstrom said in a resignation letter published by the Wall Street Journal it was a "bad strategy" to have the National Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Defense, play a major role in cybersecurity.

BOSTON GLOBE: US taps state's homeland security official

Governor Deval Patrick's homeland security undersecretary has been tapped to serve as a top official at the US Department of Homeland Security. The department announced Thursday that Juliette Kayyem, the first Arab-American appointed to serve as a homeland security adviser at the state level, will be an assistant secretary for intergovernmental programs under Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION: Kimbrough: Former sheriff indiscriminately gave out badges

Clayton County deputies were given new badges Friday after the new sheriff discovered dozens of badges missing.

Sheriff Kem Kimbrough said former Sheriff Victor Hill distributed badges to residents who were neither department employees nor sworn deputies.

CNET NEWS: Craigslist to sheriff: Federal law protects site

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has responded to the lawsuit filed this week by the sheriff of Chicago's Cook County against the Web classified publication.

Buckmaster suggested that the suit is a waste of time. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called Craigslist one of the country's largest sources of prostitution in the complaint he filed in federal court and asked the court to force Craigslist managers to remove their erotic services section.

Buckmaster said in a statement late Friday that Craigslist wrote Dart in 2007 and explained that the law is pretty clear and favors Craigslist.

"As our counsel explained to Sheriff Dart's Department in 2007," Buckmaster wrote. "Craigslist cannot be held liable, as a matter of clear federal law, for content submitted to the site by our users...Frankly, Sheriff Dart's actions mystify me."

A spokesman for the sheriff's department could not be reached on Friday.

BHARAT BHASHA: Emergency Preparedness Should Not Be A Disaster

Natural disasters (or acts of nature) are considered to be the consequence of a natural hazard which affects human activities. They are termed a disaster if they cause financial, environmental or human loss due to lack of planning or lack of appropriate emergency management.

Acts of nature come in many varied forms. Land movement disasters include avalanches, earthquakes, lahars, landslides, mudflows and volcanic eruptions. Blizzards, droughts, hailstorms, heat waves and cyclonic storms (incuding hurricanes, tropical cyclones and typhoons) are all considered to be water disasters. Other disaster situations include fire, health and disease (including epidemics and famine), and space (impact events and solar flares).

Natural disasters are often related. Drought can lead to famine and disease, tsunamis are caused by earthquakes under the ocean, and volcanic eruptions can result in lahars and fires ravaging the land. All of these natural disasters can cause environmental emergencies. They can strike quickly and without warning. They can force you to evacuate your neighbourhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away.

Emergency management or disaster management involves preparing for a disaster before it happens. You cannot put an emergency on hold. Effective emergency preparation relies on a well thought out plan of action that will help you and your family know what to do in case of an emergency situation. Every household, school and business needs an Emergency Plan.

TECH CRUNCH IT: Swan Island Networks Wants To Put Governments In The Cloud

Swan Island Networks provides flexible, high-trust cloud computing platforms catered for security-conscious enterprises and government entities. Cloud computing is all the rage among big businesses but government entities, whether they be local, state or federal, have been more reluctant to jump on the bandwagon (or should we say, cloud).

Charles Jennings, CEO of Swan Island Networks, said that governments are hesitant to adapt to cloud computing for security reasons and strict procurement policies that leave out SaaS cloud services. Swan Island is hoping to be the platform for this sector by offering high-trust, heavily securitized clouds. Its cloud platform, TIES, is hoping to take government data infrastructures into cloud by offering a more agile platform that allows secure and authenticated virtualization of all data.

FRIENDTEK.COM: Six Sigma As A Useful Continuity Aid

Naturally, Six Sigma is considered for business continuity management, since it deals so actively with process analysis and improvement. But, before connecting Six Sigma with the management continuity processes, let us first go through the details and benefits of the concept of 6 Sigma in a business process.

JAKARTA POST: Disaster management agency busy already after 3 months

It has been a busy start for the Denpasar Disaster Management Agency, which has already tackled six disasters since it was established in December 2008, ranging from contagious diseases to floods and fires.

In the last four months, the agency has handled bird flu, Chikungunya and rabies outbreaks, flooding and a couple of major fires in the provincial capital.

"The agency was established because the city is prone to disease transmission," agency executive director Made Sudhana said Tuesday.

UPI: Don't fight Twitter, disaster expert says

BOULDER, Colo., March 6 (UPI) -- Disaster management specialists at the University of Colorado say managers should embrace rather than shun the online Twitter and Facebook sites' capabilities.

Jeannette Sutton, research coordinator at the university's Natural Hazards Center in Boulder, Colo., said she and colleague Leysia Palen have tracked the dissemination of information in several recent emergencies and found civilians using the Internet sites were remarkable accurate.

OH MY GOV: Governments and public officials use Twitter too

Twitter is all the rage these days, and despite having no way to monetize the technology and far too many people documenting each micro-step of their own lives, organizations from CNN to local elementary schools are using the free web and cell-phone based messaging service. Now governments at the federal, state and local level are also beginning to squeeze their communications into the rapidly fired, 140-character messages that have made Twitter famous and highly addictive.

Although it's possible stories about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton having negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians will break in real-time on Twitter one day, the service is more useful for emergency notifications like car accidents, structural fires, food recalls, extreme weather conditions, and massive train derailments - you know, the uplifting news.

MSNBC: State-of-the-Art Satellite Communications Program to Ensure Santa Barbara County Residents Are Radio Ready During an Emergency

SANTA BARBARA, CA - In response to the need for a system-wide communications solution in the event of a power outage during an emergency situation in Santa Barbara County, a community partnership between private and public organizations is collaborating to enhance the County's communications capabilities with residents for the next regional emergency.

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE: Advocates say DHS managers, rank-and-file are dissatisfied with personnel policies

The Homeland Security Department should focus on retaining senior executives, who are leaving DHS at a fast clip, union and nonprofit leaders told a congressional committee on Thursday.

Since its creation in October 2003 to September 2007, 72 percent of its career executives have left DHS, according to data from Homeland Security's fiscal 2009-13 strategic plan -- a rate significantly higher than other Cabinet-level departments, testified Max Stier, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight.

FOREIGN POLICY: More reviews: Merging the Homeland Security and National Security Councils

As part of a 60-day review underway on whether the Homeland Security Council should be merged into the National Security Council, the Obama White House has invited outside national security experts for periodic consultations on the matter.

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: Pasco Sheriff's aviation unit grounded by budget

NEW PORT RICHEY — Deputy John Perez flies. It's his passion. He joined the Pasco County Sheriff's Office right out of high school and spent time as a detective in vice narcotics, but he loved flying and when he heard there might be an opening in the aviation unit, he went for it.

That was 12 years ago. On Wednesday, Perez found out he won't be a pilot anymore. The Sheriff's Office is disbanding its aviation unit to save money. It takes more than a half million dollars a year to run the unit — from salaries and benefits down to rehabbing old surplus parts to keep the aircraft operational.