January 4, 2006 -- EM Update


Jan. 4, 2006
State Employee Terrorism and Security Awareness Orientation A terrorism awareness course has been developed to teach state employees basic terrorism awareness. The State Employee Terrorism and Security Awareness Orientation program, available in multiple formats, teaches prevention and self-protection techniques and familiarizes employees with their role and their agencies' role in responding to emergencies. Qualified state employees can register for train-the-trainer sessions and additional courses online. The Commonwealth Preparedness Workgroup Training Subcommittee developed the course to cover five priority emergency topics: terrorism awareness; explosive threats; chemical, biological and radiological/nuclear threats; cyberterrorism, identity theft and social engineering; and crime prevention. The subcommittee consists of representatives from the state departments of Consolidated Lab Services, Corrections, Criminal Justice Services, Emergency Management, Environmental Quality, Fire Programs, Health, Labor and Industry, and Transportation, as well as the Virginia State Police, the Capitol Police and the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness. Call Ken Clark at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6572 for more information. STARS implemented The new Statewide Agencies Radio System was established last month with the Virginia State Police. STARS integrates radio and wireless information on a standard network to provide interoperability to first responders at the state and local levels. Twenty-one state agencies are scheduled to implement the system over a six-year period. Localities will be able to access STARS through their emergency communications dispatch centers at no cost. VDEM will have access to the system through the Virginia Emergency Operations Center later this month. VDEM chief deputy director to speak at forum Janet Clements will participate in a Jan. 19 panel discussion of local and state preparedness and response to the Avian Flu, weather-related emergencies and acts of terrorism in the Washington metropolitan area. In addition, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin and Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams have been invited to speak at the 3rd Citizens Forum, sponsored by The Washington Times, which will publish a full-page report. New Region 2 office To better serve northern Virginia outside of the National Capital Region, the Region 2 office has moved from its location in Culpeper to the town of Orange in Orange County. The new address is 127 Belleview Ave., Orange, VA 22960. Though not yet connected at the new office, the primary telephone number will remain the same but the fax number will change. The Region 2 coordinator can be reached by e-mail. The Region 4 and Region 6 coordinators will also move later this year. PDMG applications due Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program applications are due Jan. 20. The nationally competitive grants are available for mitigation planning and structural projects that reduce the overall risk to population and structures. A separate grant application is required for each project. For more information and the application, please go to the VDEM Grant and Funding Database. Eligible applicants include local governments and planning district commissions with hazard mitigation plans that will be approved by spring 2006, state colleges and universities, and private nonprofit organizations. Best practices... Fairfax County campaign wins international award A Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council campaign has won a MarCom Creative Award in an international competition (Public Service/ProBono category). The "Make a Home Emergency Supply Kit" campaign used faith-based groups to educate citizens. There were more than 4,600 entries in 220 categories. The MarCom Creative Awards honor excellence and recognize the creativity and hard work of marketing and communications professionals. Contact Merrily Pierce for more information. Training... Recovery from disaster: the local government role Local disaster recovery team members such as emergency managers, city and county administrators, public works directors, building inspectors and community planners can learn the roles and responsibilities of each member of a local disaster recovery team. Participants will also develop an outline of their own local disaster recovery plan. The 16-hour class is scheduled for Feb. 15-16 and April 26-27. Registration deadlines and forms are available online.
Subscribe to EM Update	View EM Update Archives
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 Brendlinger at (804) 897-6510 or by e-mail at pio@vdem.virginia.gov.
Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management 10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236