July 16, 2008
VDEM and the Virginia Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service have signed an agreement that will allow all registered members of VA-ARES to operate under Virginia's Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service plan as registered RACES members. This agreement enhances the working relationship between the Commonwealth and VA-ARES that has developed over the years in providing emergency amateur radio communication resources during disasters and emergencies.
In addition, this agreement recognizes any licensed amateur radio operator registered with their local jurisdiction, regardless of affiliation, as a RACES member.
VA-ARES is a volunteer organization of amateur radio operators who train to provide communications during emergencies. RACES is a program endorsed by the Federal Communications Committee to allow amateur radio operators licensed through the FCC to provide essential communications between state and local governments during emergencies. RACES is mandated by the Commonwealth's Emergency Operations Plan to provide communication between the Virginia Emergency Operations Center and local emergency operation centers in accordance with the Federal Communication Commission Rules and Regulations and the RACES Communications Plan.
For more information about amateur radio operations at VDEM, contact VDEM Amateur Radio Liaison Terry Hebert at terry.hebert@vdem.virginia.gov or at (804) 371-4507.
New deputy state coordinator of Administration selected
Brett Burdick has been selected to serve as VDEM's deputy state coordinator of Administration. He will oversee finance, recovery and mitigation, information technology and homeland security grants. His additional responsibilities include strategic planning, policy and legislative issues and serving as a member of the agency executive management team.
Burdick joined VDEM in 1994, and he has been the agency's director of the Technological Hazards Division since 2000. During his 14 years at VDEM, he has served in many capacities, including environmental programs manager, terrorism program manager, regional response team member for the Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia's representative on the Southern States Energy Board Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee and member of the national Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability.
New Region 4 coordinator named
Willie Richardson has been selected to serve as regional coordinator for VDEM's Region 4. Richardson brings many years of emergency management experience to this position, most recently as emergency management coordinator for Pulaski County and as a VDEM adjunct instructor. Regional coordinators provide hands-on support to jurisdictions within their regions and assistance across territorial boundaries in times of crisis. Richardson is replacing Joe Coyle, who now serves as VDEM's Local Support Services Division director.
VNG emergency response force now active
The Virginia National Guard has created a new special task force to respond during emergencies to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive incidents. The CBRNE Enhanced Response Force, or CERF, consists of approximately 250 Virginia soldiers and airmen from several different units from across the state rather than one specific unit. The specially trained and equipped elements of the CERF are capable of searching an incident site that includes damaged and collapsed buildings, rescuing any casualties from rubble piles, decontaminating citizens injured in the attack, and performing triage and initial medical treatment.
When requested by a locality through the Virginia Emergency Operations Center after the governor declares a state of emergency, the Virginia Guard's Joint Operations Center will deploy CERF members to the incident site, where they will fall under control of the incident commander.
The U.S. Congress authorized and funded Virginia's CERF in 2006, to include full-time manning and equipment. The force was recently validated in a full-scale exercise June 26 involving 200 players. With the validation, the CERF is ready to respond in the event of a crisis. The CERF can also respond to incidents outside of Virginia under the terms agreed to in the Emergency Mutual Aid Compact.
There are 17 National Guard CERF units across the country. Additional information about the national CERF program is available at http://vko.va.ngb.army.mil/VirginiaGuard.
NFA learns from VDEM
The National Fire Academy has developed the new NFA "Hazardous Materials Operations" curriculum based on VDEM's hazardous materials operations training. Formerly a standards-based curriculum, the remodeled course uses VDEM's responder-based modular approach as a model. The NFA chose VDEM's curriculum after a review of several similar courses for its compliance with standards, its practical, hands-on approach and its diligence to keep current with new technologies and procedures.
For more information about VDEM's Hazardous Materials Operations training, contact VDEM Hazmat Training Supervisor Ron Hargrave, who helped to develop the training, at (804) 897-6500, ext. 6573 or ron.hargrave@vdem.virginia.gov.
VOPEX 2008
VDEM will lead the Virginia Operations Plan Exercise with a simulated radiological emergency at the North Anna Power Station on July 22-23. This drill will help state and local governments test their response procedures in the unlikely event of a radiation release.
Response agencies and local government representatives will role-play their emergency operations functions from the state and local government emergency operations centers. Participating localities include the cities of Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Richmond and the counties of Albemarle, Amelia, Buckingham, Caroline, Chesterfield, Culpeper, Cumberland, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Hanover, Henrico, King George, King and Queen, King William, Louisa, Madison, New Kent, Orange, Page, Powhatan, Prince William, Rappahannock, Richmond, Rockingham, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Westmoreland, as well as Charles County in Maryland.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will monitor the progress of the drill and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results, detailing areas needing improvement. FEMA will review the success of the exercise at a public meeting July 25.
Annual exercises rotate between the Surry and North Anna nuclear power stations and usually last about six hours. Multi-day drills are conducted every six years.
National Preparedness Month
2008 will mark the fifth anniversary of National Preparedness Month. Throughout September, national, regional, state and local organizations will distribute educational information, host events and sponsor activities throughout the country to promote emergency preparedness. Any organization planning to participate in a National Preparedness Month event should register online at http://www.citizencorps.gov.
This year, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman and Ranking Member Susan M. Collins, along with House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson and Ranking Member Peter T. King, will serve as honorary Congressional Co-Chairs of National Preparedness Month 2008. They will lead the effort to increase public awareness about the importance of getting a kit, making a plan and staying informed.
New approach to CERT training in Fairfax County
Fairfax County's Community Emergency Response Team program is introducing a new tiered approach to training citizen responders. Instructors will offer the current course at three levels that build upon each other.
- CERT is the original Federal Emergency Management Agency course.
- CERT Level 2 is the original FEMA course with additional hands-on training and applications of learned skills, which Fairfax County CERT has taught for the past five years.
- CERT Level 3 will offer added training for CERT Level 2 members to integrate them into existing county incident command structures. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue instructors and other county agencies will lead the course, which will require a member background check and written and practical examinations. Upon successful completion, CERT Level 3 members will be provided accountability credentials and join the county call-out system, a plan that is currently under development.
More information about Fairfax County CERT is available at http://www.fairfaxcountycert.blogspot.com.
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.
Produced
by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236