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July 14, 2010

VDEM Training survey assesses needs
VDEM’s Office of Training and Exercises is conducting a survey to determine long-term training needs and to make improvements to the program. The short survey is open to the emergency management community and the general public from July 14 to Aug. 14:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y8L9JGG

As a regional hazmat officer, Taylor will develop and maintain a state hazardous materials emergency response program; enhance local response capabilities; assess and mitigate hazmat emergencies; and develop and deliver hazmat training.

Taylor has assumed responsibility for the northern Virginia and Fredericksburg Regional Hazardous Materials Response Teams and will be assisting all Area 1 jurisdictions with hazardous materials planning, training and emergency response. He can be contacted by e-mail at joe.taylor@vdem.virginia.gov

North Anna Radiological Emergency Preparedness Exercise set for July 20
Response personnel from state and local government and Dominion will demonstrate their ability to protect public health and safety in a full-scale exercise on July 20 for the utility's North Anna Power Station. The exercise will involve localities within 10 miles of the power station.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management will lead the Virginia Operations Plan Exercise, or VOPEX, a simulated radiological emergency, to help state and local governments test their response procedures in the unlikely event of a radiological emergency. These annual exercises rotate between the Surry and North Anna nuclear power stations.

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 Caroline, Hanover, Louisa, Orange and Spotsylvania counties.

Law enforcement personnel will practice traffic control measures in the field. Local and state radiological monitoring teams will take simulated field readings and communicate via radio.

FEMA will monitor the progress of the drill and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results, detailing areas needing improvement, and review the success of the exercise at a public meeting on July 23 at 11 a.m. at the Richmond Marriott West.

Localities added to disaster declarations
The city of Buena Vista has been added to the list of localities eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance program as a result of the severe winter weather that occurred Dec. 18-20, 2009. Buena Vista joins 48 Virginia localities included in the declaration. More information is available at http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=12308

Page County is now eligible for Public Assistance for the severe winter storms and snowstorms that occurred Feb. 5-11, 2010. More information is available at http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=12708

DHS Launches "See Something, Say Something" campaign
DHS has launched the first phase of the nationwide "See Something, Say Something" campaign and announced a new national information-sharing partnership with Amtrak as part of the Department's Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative.

The campaign’s goal is to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats and to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities. The campaign was started by New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority and funded, in part, by $13 million from DHS' Transit Security Grant Program.

In the coming months, DHS will expand the "See Something, Say Something" campaign nationally with public education materials, advertisements and other outreach tools to continue engaging travelers, businesses, community organizations, and public and private sector employees to remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.

In addition, FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division has partnered with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to research ways to improve the public’s response to suspicious activity. Research findings and recommendations will be presented at the IACP Annual Conference in late October. For more information about the "See Something, Say Something" campaign, visit http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1278023105905.shtm

VDEM supports Boy Scout Jamboree
The National Boy Scout Jamboree, July 26 – Aug. 4 at Fort A.P. Hill, will host approximately 43,000 scouts and staff to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. The Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Fire Programs, Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services, Caroline County and the Fredericksburg Hazardous Materials team will provide operational support to the BSA and Fort A.P. Hill personnel.

This is the last year the Jamboree will be held at Fort A.P. Hill, where the event has been held since 1981. The 2009 Jamboree was moved to 2010 to coincide with anniversary celebrations. The next Jamboree will be in 2013 at the BSA’s new permanent facility, The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.

National Preparedness Month widget available
The national Ready campaign has created a new National Preparedness Month widget that directs visitors to NPM resources. It is available for download (http://www.fema.gov/help/widgets/index.shtm#5) and can be pasted into e-mail signatures or websites.

Copy this code for the widget:

<p><a href=”http://www.ready.gov/america/npm10/index.html“><img alt=”National Preparedness Month - September 2010 (Register to become a Coalition Member) graphic” src=”http://www.fema.gov/graphics/widgets/ready_npm2010_150.gif” border=”0” /></a></p>

Already, more than 1,700 organizations have signed up as NPM Coalition Members. To learn more about NPM, visit http://www.ready.gov/ and click on the NPM banner. You can register to become an NPM Coalition Member by visiting http://ready.adcouncil.org

Training…
VDEM training Calendar
The table below lists VDEM courses for the next quarter.

*L-146E is designed for localities with upcoming HSEEP-compliant exercises and DOES NOT count toward completion of the L-146, HSEEP Training Course. The September 13 course is targeted toward the Tidewater area.

** G-289 Public Information Officer Awareness is a MANDATORY prerequisite for G-290 Basic Public Information Officer. Students must enroll in both courses to satisfy requirements for completion.

Due to budgetary constraints, VDEM must cancel a class if a minimum of 15 students have not enrolled two weeks before the class begins. Sign up early.

VDEM’s Learning Management System Knowledge Center provides information and enrollment for each class. Students who do not already have an account through any state agency Learning Management System domain must register for a VDEM LMS account (a one-time process) in order to enroll. Step-by-step registration and enrollment instructions are provided on the LMS login page at https://covkc.virginia.gov/vdem/external/ Assistance is available from VDEM’s Office of Training and Exercises at lmshelp@vdem.virginia.gov or (804) 897-6500, ext. 1234.

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