Nov. 21, 2007

Adjunct Emergency Workforce strategy approved
Gov. Tim Kaine has approved the Adjunct Emergency Workforce emergency management strategy, designed to augment agency staffing needs in the Virginia Emergency Response Team during declared emergencies. This initiative provides an opportunity for employees who are designated as "non-essential" during emergencies and who meet established job requirements to re-deploy to work as frontline and administrative members of the VERT. The goal is to have the AEW ready for the 2008 hurricane season, which starts June 1.

The governor encourages all eligible employees to register as participants in the AEW with their supervisors' approval. Gov. Kaine believes that a supplemental emergency workforce will be more effective if staffed by employees who have a genuine desire to help. Detailed human resources and financial policy guidance is being drafted. Human Resource managers should direct all questions to Rue White at the Department of Human Resource Management at rue.white@dhrm.virginia.gov.

New online COOP resources
VDEM has created guidance for developing a continuity of operations plan for local governments and for institutions of higher education. The new resources include COOP planning manuals, worksheets and templates.

• The manuals offer procedural and operational guidance for preparing and implementing a COOP plan.
• The worksheets assist in assembling the information necessary to develop the critical elements of a COOP plan and correspond with the seven phases of the COOP planning process.
• The templates help to complete cohesive documentation for a COOP plan that is specific to the organization's needs.

These documents will provide the tools necessary to develop a comprehensive COOP plan that consists of a basic plan and department plan for local governments and larger institutions. The basic plan outlines jurisdiction- or institution-wide considerations, and each department plan captures critical operational data. For smaller institutions, the toolkit offers a comprehensive template.

Resources for local governments and for institutions of higher education are available in the COOP Toolkit on the VDEM Web site at http://www.vaemergency.com/library/coop/index.cfm.

Regional Training and Exercise Planning Workshops
Training and Exercise Planning Workshops will take place in each of VDEM's seven regions. Emergency managers are invited to review and update the existing Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan for the period 2008 - 2010. Emergency managers will:

• Discuss State Homeland Security Strategy priorities for the next three years and the previous year's improvement plans
• Translate priorities and their associated capabilities into training and exercise activities
• Develop the Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan
• Coordinate training and exercise schedules
• Improve coordination between training and exercises

The goal of the workshops is to prevent duplication of efforts, to avoid overextending resources during training or exercises and to maximize the efficiency of training and exercise funds.

Meetings are Nov. 27 (Region 3), Nov. 28 (Region 2), Dec. 4 (Region 5), Dec. 12 (Region 6), Dec. 13 (Region 1), Dec. 18 (Region 4) and Dec. 14 (Region 7 - by invitation only due to space constraints).

For more information about these meetings, contact your local emergency manager or regional coordinator. A directory is available at http://www.vaemergency.com/library/directories.

Governor lifts burn ban
Gov. Tim Kaine has lifted the statewide burn ban, which has been in place since Oct. 19. Local burning restrictions might still apply; anyone planning to burn should check with their local fire department and/or fire marshal's office before proceeding. Though the ban is credited with keeping down the number of wildfires to 118 during the six-week fall fire season, people who violated the burn ban caused at least 18 of these fires.

The governor urges Virginians to remember that the danger of wildfires does not diminish with the end of the burn ban. In addition, anyone who allows a fire to escape is liable for the potentially significant costs of suppressing that fire.

Safety information for open-air fires is available at http://www.dof.virginia.gov.

Online Geospatial Information System survey
Virginia emergency managers are invited to participate in a new GIS survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=wVeqk4bjqIWvZH6Pfkp5sw_3d_3d. The West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety has directed Virtual Medical Campus/Homeland Security Programs at West Virginia University to conduct research into the informational needs of local emergency managers in a mass evacuation scenario. The five-minute online survey has been developed to gather basic information about localities' use of GIS technology and the GIS information they will require during a catastrophic evacuation.

Emergency managers from Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will also participate. Information gathered from this survey will help to formulate a software program that can geographically present requested information for exercises and emergencies.

Governor's public service announcements
Gov. Tim Kaine has recorded five PSAs for the Ready Virginia campaign, available for download at http://www.ReadyVirginia.gov in video and audio formats. The topics are hurricane, all hazard and winter preparedness. Each PSA urges Virginians to get an emergency kit, make a disaster plan and stay informed before, during and after an emergency. Also available on the site are PSAs available in video and audio format from the Ad Council and a mailing insert that organizations can customize with their own contact information.

Outreach presentations available
VDEM has added a new section to its Web site that features the 2007 Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference and Training, "Ready Virginia," held Nov. 14 at the Newport News Omni Hotel. Nearly 200 public safety educators, emergency management professionals, first responder and Citizen Corps members and volunteers attended. VDEM and Virginia Citizen Corps co-sponsor the annual conference.

Copies of most of the guest speakers' Microsoft® PowerPoint presentations, along with the agenda and a list of speakers are available at http://www.vaemergency.com/library/outreach/outreachconf.cfm.

Wal-Mart emergency management internship
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is currently taking applications for a 2008 summer internship in its Emergency Management Department. The ten-week program at the Wal-Mart Home Office in Bentonville, Ark. is open to rising juniors, seniors or graduate students who are interested in emergency management and are majoring in a related field such as emergency management, homeland security, meteorology, government, business, systems engineering or any similar program. The student will work in the emergency operations center during response and recovery efforts and develop and implement internal training, policies and procedures.

The deadline for application is Jan. 15. Interested students can apply online at http://www.walmartstores.com/careers (job ID # 18786). Contact Bryan Koon at (479) 204-8159 or bryan.koon@wal-mart.com with questions about this internship or Wal-Mart's Emergency Management Department.

Training...
Public Transportation Emergency Preparedness Workshop
This free two-day workshop is an opportunity for local and state emergency managers to coordinate with transit and transportation systems in their areas. Instructor presentations, interactive exercises and small-group activities will help participants to start dialogues about their existing disaster plans and to identify steps to improve local and regional preparedness.

Classes are Jan. 15-16 in Richmond and April 22-23 in Chesapeake. For more information about the class, contact Senior Program Coordinator Frank Veneziale at the National Transit Institute at (732) 932-1700 ext. 251. Registration is available at http://www.connectingcommunities.net.

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