Feb. 28, 2007

New emergency response laws
The 2007 Regular Session of the General Assembly adjourned on Feb. 24, considering several bills that directly and indirectly affect Virginia's emergency response community. Notable bills that have been submitted to the governor for his signature include:

House Bill 2271 requires that local school boards annually review written school crisis, emergency management and medical emergency response plans and that the local division certify that review in writing.

Senate Bill 1167 provides a sales and use tax exemption for certain hurricane preparedness equipment purchased during a seven-day period each year beginning on May 25.

House Bill 2726 grants localities the authority to require a review of and suggest amendments to the emergency plans of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care centers and child day care centers that are located within the locality.

House Bill 2729 requires that localities provide floodplain-property owners with written notification when the Federal Emergency Management Agency makes changes the FEMA floodplain map.

House Bill 3048 and Senate Bill 1318 require every local and inter-jurisdictional agency to review and update its emergency operations plan every four years. The locality’s governing body must formally approve the updated plan.

Senate Bill 787 requires VDEM to develop an emergency response plan to address the needs of animals in an emergency and to assist localities in developing their own emergency response plans. See story below to learn how the Commonwealth has already begun to plan for animals.

Senate Bill 1202 and House Bill 2304 specify that, upon written request by a chief executive of another state that has declared a state of emergency, personnel, equipment or supplies of the Commonwealth or a political subdivision may be used to assist that state. In addition, the bill authorizes the governor to provide financial assistance to Virginia state agencies and political subdivisions that provide emergency aid to another state. The bill also increases from 29 to 34 the membership of the Secure Commonwealth Panel by adding the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and four members from the business or industry sector.

Visit VDEM's 2007 Bill Watch page for more details and links to the full text:
www.vaemergency.com/newsroom/07legsummary.cfm.

Virginia groups collaborate to protect pets in emergencies
Virginia emergency managers, veterinarians and animal advocacy groups have developed a set of guidelines to provide assistance to pet owners and pet-friendly shelters during an evacuation. A memorandum of understanding, finalized in January, sets forth specific responsibilities for five organizations during an emergency declared by the governor. Representatives from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies will help to identify pet-friendly facilities and train volunteers to coordinate assistance to those shelters during disasters. Representatives of the five groups will meet quarterly to evaluate the progress of implementation and to revise and develop new plans or goals as appropriate.

The participating organizations had already begun work on the pet sheltering MOU when President Bush signed into law the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards, or PETS Act, which requires state and local agencies to include pets in their disaster plans. The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives shortly after Hurricane Katrina, and the Senate followed suit with a similar bill. The combined legislation:

• Requires that local and state emergency preparedness authorities include pets and service animals in disaster plans to qualify for grants from FEMA.
• Grants FEMA the authority to assist states and local communities in developing disaster plans to accommodate people with pets and service animals.
• Authorizes federal funds to help create pet-friendly emergency shelter facilities.
• Allows FEMA to provide assistance for individuals with pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, following a major disaster.

New report on Katrina's impact on disabled communities
"Assessing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Persons with Disabilities" offers information gathered from surveys, focus groups and interviews at six research sites in the Gulf Coast states as well as in-depth interviews with centers for independent living staff and emergency preparedness directors and staff in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The report focuses on the barriers that emergency responders faced in helping those with disabilities. The nine recommendations target local-level planning and can be implemented with little or no investment. The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research funded the research.

Read the report: www.rtcil.org/products/NIDRR_FinalKatrinaReport.pdf

Update readers have a new opportunity to give feedback
Update readers now have a chance to provide feedback in a new online survey. The survey will help the VDEM Public Affairs Office to assess readers' preferences and to improve the newsletter. The survey will be available for a limited time.

Take the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=264383327493

New magazine published for first responders
Fire and EMS personnel now have their first full-color, glossy magazine that will explore the challenging and changing role of Virginia's emergency service providers. Each issue of Virginia Fire & Rescue will provide extensive coverage of the latest in fire, emergency medical services, hazardous materials, technical rescue, professional development, industry issues and the latest in product technologies. Published by First Responder Publications, LLC, in Lynchburg, the magazine will debut Feb. 22. Subscriptions are free to fire departments; individual subscriptions require a yearly fee.

The magazine features a companion Web site at www.virginiafireandrescue.com.

Conferences...
VEM conference
Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, will be the keynote speaker at the 2007 Virginia Emergency Management Conference. "Shaping Our Destiny" will take place at the Williamsburg Marriott Hotel on April 17-20. Anyone involved in preventing, preparing for, responding to or recovering from emergencies and disasters would benefit from the many experts in homeland security and emergency management at this conference. The fee varies depending on the number of days attended.

More information, including a full agenda, is available online:
www.vaemergency.com/newsroom/events/vema2007.cfm.

National Conference on Citizen Preparedness
Local elected officials, private sector partners, state and local government volunteer coordinators and anyone interested in citizen preparedness are invited to the National Conference on Citizen Preparedness. The National Emergency Management Association, the International Association of Emergency Managers and the Department of Homeland Security will jointly host the conference on June 10-13, 2007 in Alexandria, Va. Conference participation is an allowable use of Citizen Corps grant funding from DHS. Detailed information and online registration is available on the IAEM Web site. A conference agenda will be posted soon.

Conference information: www.iaem.com/NCCC2007.htm

Training...
Benefit-Cost Analysis Training and Mitigation Project Application Writing Overview
VDEM's Recovery and Mitigation Division encourages community mitigation project development team members to attend this three-day workshop. The first module, Benefit-Cost Analysis Training, provides 20 hours of training on the modules used by VDEM and FEMA to determine cost-effective mitigation projects. The second module provides six hours of training in writing grant applications. VDEM will provide training materials and snacks. Registration for the April 16-18 class in Richmond is available online.

For more information and to register, visit VDEM's Training Calendar at www.vaemergency.com/train/spec_opps/BCA_training.cfm.

Disaster Damage Assessment Training
Local government personnel and volunteers with specific responsibility for field damage assessments and recording damages in the field should attend Disaster Damage Assessment Training. The workshops will train personnel on the Federal Emergency Management Agency standard for conducting damage assessments. Five training dates and locations have been scheduled throughout the Commonwealth with more to follow. Morning sessions are devoted to damage assessment of residences and businesses; afternoon sessions are devoted to damage assessment of infrastructure. Although every effort will be made to register all who apply, it might become necessary to limit registration. Please note that students must register separately for the morning and afternoon sessions.

For more information and to register, visit VDEM's Training Calendar at www.vaemergency.com/train/calendar_course.cfm?id=89.

Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236