Oct. 07, 2009

VIPER earns governor’s efficiency award
VDEM’s Virginia Interoperability Picture for Emergency Response, or VIPER, earned the governor’s “IT as Efficiency Driver” award during the Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium. The award recognizes the innovative use of technology to promote efficiency in government.

VIPER is a web-based tool that enables emergency responders to visually assess statewide emergency response operations in real time. It also automatically offers users instant access to essential local information through traditional Geographic Information Systems layers. For example, if a locality experiences a rapidly escalating traffic incident, VIPER will provide information about nearby hospitals; in the case of a hazardous materials spill, VIPER will offer data about area schools; during a flood, VIPER will alert users to low-lying areas that could be affected.

More information about VIPER is available at http://www.youtube.com/user/vdemviper.

Virginia Hazmat conference
The Virginia Hazardous Materials Conference and Expo, “HazMat Synergy: Working Smarter during Tough Times” is set for Oct. 19-21. The conference will provide workshop content that can be applied to the annual training hours required of hazardous materials response personnel. The price of registration has stayed the same as last year. Also, individual scholarships to cover member’s costs to attend and grants for hazmat teams to send their members are available.

The Virginia Association of Hazardous Materials Response Specialists and VDEM co-sponsor the annual conference. For more information, visit http://www.virginiahazmat.org/displayconvention.cfm.

DHS contractor collecting local data
Emergency managers throughout the Commonwealth may be contacted by TechniGraphics, a Geographic Information Systems contractor working for the Department of Homeland Security and the National Geospatial Agency. TechniGraphics is collecting critical infrastructure and key resources data, including the locations of local emergency operations centers and their alternate electrical power capabilities. This process is part of the Homeland Security Infrastructure Program Freedom project, funded by DHS/NGA, and is being conducted to enhance DHS’s GIS capabilities.

For more information about the project, contact Hazardous Materials and Counterterrorism Planning Branch Manager Randy Francis at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6585, or randy.francis@vdem.virginia.gov or GIS Manager Brian Crumpler at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6576, or brian.crumpler@vdem.virginia.gov.

New Citizen Corps survey finds increase in public preparedness
The 2009 “Personal Preparedness in America: Findings from the Citizen Corps National Survey” shows an increase in several aspects of personal preparedness, though many areas show a lack of action.

• 56 percent of households say they have emergency supplies set aside their homes for use only in an emergency (46 percent have supplies in their workplace, and 35 percent have them in their car).
  
• 61 percent expect to depend greatly on fire, police and emergency personnel for help in the first 72 hours of a disaster.
  
• 25 percent say they are not planning on doing anything to prepare.

The report also includes national Community Preparedness and Participation Target Capabilities List goals, such as:

• 80 percent of households should maintain pre-incident preparation, including creating and maintaining a communication plan, obtaining disaster supplies, and practicing evacuation/shelter-in-place and additional maintenance skills.
  
• Trained residents providing volunteer support to local emergency responder disciplines (law enforcement, fire, emergency medical, and public health services) should equal 10 percent of the population volunteering an average of 20 hours per year, or 560 million hours per year.
  
• 80 percent of residents within the jurisdiction are alert to unusual behavior—indicative of potential criminal/terrorist activity—and understand appropriate reporting procedures.

The full report and recommendations are available at http://www.citizencorps.gov/ready/2009findings.shtm.

Training...

Reminder: Coordinator’s Briefings deadlines
The 2009 Coordinator’s Briefings are VDEM’s annual opportunity to provide the latest information on state and federal policy and procedure regarding activities for local government emergency management personnel. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and sessions will run 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-ins will not be permitted.

Deadlines for registering through the Learning Management System and for reserving a room:

Enrollment and lodging information are available at http://www.vaemergency.com/train/calendar_course.cfm?id=10.

Protecting Critical Infrastructures: The National Capital Region as a Model for Cyber Preparedness
Nov. 3-4 in Charlottesville
This discussion-based workshop will address cyber attacks that could disrupts a locality’s critical infrastructures, causing the telecommunications networks to crash, the local water supply to stop flowing, or the electric grid to go down. Participants will look specifically at the National Capital Region to develop a set of action steps that could serve as a strategic model for the rest of the nation.

The workshop will be at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. The Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection and UVa’s Center for Risk Management of Engineering Systems are sponsoring the workshop.

More information and registration are available at http://www.thei3p.org/events/uvaworkshop09.html.

EM Update is the best way to communicate best practices and to get a heads up on issues that might affect you. Articles include case studies, cost/resource-saving local programs, examples of partnerships and regional cooperation and recognition of emergency managers who receive awards and honors in the field.

Please don't hesitate to contact the editor whenever you have a project that might benefit localities or want to highlight an important issue concerning Virginia's emergency response community. Contact Jolie Shank at (804) 897-6510 or by e-mail at pio@vdem.virginia.gov.

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