IOM releases report on research priorities for public health preparedness

Well, it ought to be interesting to see how this all plays out as the last time I poked through the FY2009 request (as it pertains to public health preparedness funding), the academic-based CPHPs are on the chopping block. You can't do research to meet the PAHPA mandate if you don't fund the research centers!!


The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently convened a committee to articulate gaps in knowledge and make recommendations regarding research priorities for improving emergency preparedness and response systems in public health. This study was done, at the request of CDC’s Coordinating Officer for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (COTPER), to assist the Department of Health and Human Services in meeting the “Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act” (PAHPA) mandate that Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) conduct research.

The report, Research Priorities in Emergency Preparedness and Response for Public Health Systems, is now available to view or download on the IOM website.

http://emergency.cdc.gov/planning/iomreport2008.asp?s_cid=ccu020408_ResearchPriorities_e

New international manual for nuclear terrorism prevention available

New manual on terrorism prevention

“Interpol, Europol, the World Customs Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have produced a reference manual that detailshow to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear terrorism. Combating Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material has been written for law enforcement, intelligence, emergency workers and the nuclear industry.” (Nuclear Engineering International,20Feb08)

http://www.neimagazine.com/story.asp?sectioncode=132&storyCode=2048805

If you can't trust your government with money, then how can you trust them with homeland security?

Not exactly directly related to homeland security; however, this is what is to be expected after you abuse your power and trust by not meeting the public's expectations and/or not listening or responding to public need. This comes back around in the arena of community resiliency ... how does the government come into poorer inner city communities (for example) and "sell" the public on pandemic flu preparedness and community-based preparedness schemes? If nobody trusts you - especially after Katrina,the appointment of Harriet Miers, illegal wiretapping, brazen logic-free Cabinet members and appointees, etc. - you can't get the job done at the end of the day. This ultimately moves us backwards, not forwards...


Public trust in government bleak, survey finds
By Robert Brodsky

Taxpayers overwhelmingly believe the federal government has failed to explain how it generates and spends money, creating a growing expectations gap that is eroding the public's trust in its leaders, according to a new survey released Wednesday. The survey, Public Attitudes to Government Accountability and Transparency 2008, measured how 1,652 adults felt about federal, state and local governments' financial management and accountability to taxpayers. The results paint a grim picture of the public's unhappiness with both the availability of financial information and the way it is delivered to citizens, said Relmond Van Daniker, executive director of the Association of Government Accountants, which commissioned the study. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive, a market research firm based in Rochester, N.Y.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39336&dcn=e_gvet

Are you NIMS-compliant or NIMS-competent?

This is, IMHO, the direct result of mandating NIMS and ICS training (i.e. "excessive" federal linkage of grant funding with training mandates) for positions within agencies that have little to no emergency response role. In other words, we have distracted a great deal of people who will not likely "respond" in online training just because they work for an agency/group that receives federal preparedness funding. Sure, they are compliant, I guess. But are they competent? Probably not. Here's a snippet of a good article on this topic:


The good news now: Many, if not most, of our agencies are now NIMS-compliant. The bad news: Many of us have the illusion that we are also NIMS-competent. But those who actually manage incidents on the street have, in many jurisdictions, observed that in practice, little has changed. Practitioners have either refused to change the way they've done business for years, or they've continued the same old practices with a different vocabulary. Our colleagues in the fire service continue to be the most proficient users of the Incident Command System, because they use it more than EMS or law enforcement agencies.

http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=7052

remote sensing and GIS: essential tools for preparedness

GREAT informational post combining primers on remote sensing and GIS
with emergency response planning ... another essential tool in our collective
preparedness efforts!!

http://rashidfaridi.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/gis-remote-sensing-and-image-processing-in-studying-urban-systems/

NLM adds new specialized collection in preparedness for special populations

A new Web page that addresses emergency and disaster preparedness and special populations has been added to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Enviro-Health Links.

"Special Populations: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness"
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/outreach/specialpopulationsanddisasters.html provides links to selected Web sites featuring emergency preparedness for special populations. This includes people with disabilities, people with visual or hearing impairments, senior citizens, children, and women. Links to information in languages other than English are also provided.

more info on Joppatowne program in today's Baltimore Sun

Another article about the Joppatowne program in today's Baltimore Sun ... check it out:


The students were answering the questions during a homeland security and emergency preparedness class being piloted at Joppatowne High School this school year.The program was started to give students a chance to develop skills they can use. Students also will learn how the United States protects against threats to public health and safety, said Frank Mezzanotte, the magnet programs coordinator for the county's public school system.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.homeland20jan20,0,703936.story

Grassroots Disaster Response: Harnessing the Capacities of Communities

I may not necessarily agree with the Heritage Foundation, but I do indeed believe
in the libertarian ideal of self-sufficiency. I find this report to be important and well-supported in terms of documentation. And this concept of personal/family preparedness is of paramount importance as far as I am concerned:


After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005, Washington was justly criticized for the shortfalls in federal assistance.[1] However, too much attention was given to the role of government and too little to the efforts of those who can and should make the biggest difference in the critical first hours and days of a crisis—people in the communities themselves. The greatest advance that America could make in preparing for catastrophic disasters is to build better individual-based programs, a culture of preparedness, and resilient and self-reliant communities.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/bg2094.cfm

"Survivor Day", Richmond (VA) and personal preparedness

Don't wait for the Feds! Become more self-sufficient ... its the old libertarian adage about supporting yourself so your federal government doesn't have to. Richmond has a good idea ... I'm sure down the road, a well-educated prepared populace reduces the cost of emergency response for the city.


What is Survivor Day?

Richmond Ready is a concept the City adopted to ensure planning, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation are not just actions taken by public safety officials and private partners but also the private citizen. Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that accompany disasters. The issuance of a survival kit following a 4 hour training session will give each household that edge of confidence! Our citizens must be ready and able to deal with such events.

http://www.richmondgov.com/departments/emergencymanagement/survivorday.aspx

Socorro HS (TX) trains students to become CERT members

Not quite Joppatowne, but training high school kids as CERT members is a great idea.


Students at Socorro High School pursuing careers in public safety learned first-hand last week how to handle an emergency situation in two days of exercises at the El Paso Fire Department training academy.

About 31 students in Socorro's Security Services Class, a part of the curriculum for the Career and Technical Education program, became Community Emergency Response Team members last week after training with firefighters.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/neighborhoods/ci_7801342

Iowa Central Homeland Security Training Center and federal spending

Well, this is one way for localities to get federal dollars -- in West Virginia, we call these "Byrd droppings" (after the one and only Senator Robert C Byrd). Here's an example from the recently passed 2008 omnibus spending bill:

U.S. Rep. Latham: Training center provides important resources for Iowa's first responders
12/20/2007
WASHINGTON, DC — Iowa Congressman Tom Latham has secured $423,000 in funding for a state-of-the-art first-responder training program at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. “These funds will allow this important program to continue to provide first-rate training for all of Iowa’s first responders,” Latham said. “It’s essential that the brave men and women Iowa families trust with their help in times of crisis have the most up-to-date tools and training available.

Iowa Central Community College is the leader in helping our professional first responders prepare for worst case scenarios.”The funds secured by Latham will allow the Iowa Central Homeland Security Training Center (ICHSTC) to move forward with its instruction for law enforcement personnel and others, as part of a six-state rural preparedness consortium.

To-date Latham has secured over $1.7 million for the center, which has trained over 21,755 first responders during 795 different training sessions. The first responder training includes terrorism awareness, basic incident command and bombing awareness.

http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=113775

They key part of this is the "six-state rural preparedness consortium" that will help out a part of the country that is likely to suffer once funding goes to a purely risk-based system.

American Red Cross - another great source for community-based emergency preparedness training

In my continued struggles to collect great online training, don't forget what is available at the Red Cross website:

http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/community.html

Not necessarily ALL online, but includes many easily forgotten but very useful things like
"babysitter training" and CPR/First Aid, etc. Contact your local chapter for more info!

"Meth labs" can be emergencies too!

Especially when they explode in an apartment building with a common HVAC system where there are children present....

A former colleague (from MI, no less) once stated to me that he thought meth lab emergency resposne was only second to "WMD/terrorism" emergency response in complexity and # of agencies/responders involved. Think about it, here's a few of them:
- fire department respond to the fire,
- police respond by taking control of the crime scene and calling in other resources,
- specialized meth entry/remedial teams from local, state, regional sources help "put out the fire" and take evidence
- DEA regional contractors show up to remove chemicals and document everything
- child protective services come take the kids who need help
- local or state health department may need to coordinate the clean up and re-entry efforts, perhaps in conjunction with other agencies (housing, code enforcement, environmental quality, etc.)
- private contractor(s) needed for pre-remedial assessment, actual clean-up, and post-remedial assessment and/or validation of clean-up

Not to mention the court system, jails, rehab facilities, etc.... the societal costs of these are huge. There's really no money available to home owners impacted by this. Insurance doesn't cover thses things. There's no local or state grant money, although in the past, federal EPA "Brownfields" money has been available to help pay home owners back once they have footed the bill for a clean up (which typically can be 3,000 to 8,000 dollars).

Here's a typical story for you, perhaps you've read about one closer to your house:

Meth lab explodes in apartment complex
Dec 12, 2007 03:24 PM EST
PAW PAW - A meth lab exploded on the balcony of an apartment building, causing a fire that nearly reached the attic of the 16-unit complex.
The explosion just after 9 a.m. sent the fire department to the 800 block of E. St. Joseph Street. Witnesses told Paw Paw police about a man seen running from the scene.
A Van Buren County Sheriff Department K-9 joined the search and found a bag with a large amount of methamphetamine and meth-making products.
Police searched the apartment involved and found the suspect's girlfriend and her three young children. Child Protective Services was called and is on the case.
The suspect, though, remains at large and the investigation continues. No injuries were reported.
24 Hour News 8 will have more information as soon as possible.

Linking public health and emergency preparedenss: 7 "model communities" identified

I found this whole thing fascinating. Partnership on the local level, whether it is on the scale of my howetown (1200 people) or Boston, is the key to any effective emergency response. (Bearing in mind that all emergencies start locally and require at least 72 hours of local self-sufficiency ...)

First here's the original press piece that clued me in:

Eau Claire Honored for Public Health and Emergency Care
Posted: 2:10 PM Dec 13, 2007Last Updated: 2:10 PM Dec 13, 2007

The city of Eau Claire is honored nationally for its work in combining public health with emergency care.

Eau Claire has been recognized by the American Medical Association as one of seven model communities.

The city has to meet numerous requirements to qualify, such as building relationships to prevent and prepare for disease, disasters and other emergencies.

The Eau Claire City- County Health Department says Sacred Heart and Luther Midelfort Hospitals were key players in receiving this honor.
http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/12478836.html

These "results" were published in the journal "Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparedness." Here's a link to and text of the abstract from PubMed:

Public health and the emergency care community must work together to effectively achieve a state of community-wide disaster preparedness. The identification of model communities with good working relationships between their emergency care community and public health agencies may provide useful information on establishing and strengthening relationships in other communities. Seven model communities were identified: Boston, Massachusetts; Clark County, Nevada; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Erie County, New York; Louisville, Kentucky; Livingston County, New York; and Monroe County, New York. This article describes these communities and provides a summary of common findings. Specifically, we recommend that communities foster respectful working relationships between agency leaders, hold regular face-to-face meetings, educate each other on their expertise and roles during a disaster, develop response plans together, work together on a day-to-day basis, identify and encourage a leader to facilitate these relationships, and share resources.

http://www.dmphp.org/cgi/content/abstract/1/2/142

emsacademy.com now available to train and track credits online

Here's another great online training resource for emergency preparedness ... this time, for the pre-hospital health care community as well as other first responders.

"MC Strategies, a leading provider of electronic education products and services to healthcare, announced today that USA Prepare, its emergency preparedness unit, will provide its technology and experience to emsacademy.com, a website dedicated to training EMTs, first responders and pre-hospital workers."

Full news release here:
http://www.mcstrategies.com/?a=press&c=2007_12_10

Illinois Universities Create Homeland Security Education Alliance

This is an interesting concept that tries to pool e-learning university resources in emergency management and homeland security.


Illinois universities have created a homeland security education alliance that aims to equip students and professionals with emergency management tools and boost the state’s overall preparedness levels. This cooperative agreement allows students at any of the eight participating universities to enroll in an online course at any of the other schools and use the credit hours toward a homeland security degree or track. This alliance broadens the number of courses available to students.

Full article here:
http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.9123e83a1f6786440ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=0abdb76030446110VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD

The Chief Learning Officer and preparedness training

Now, this is an seemingly unrelated story; HOWEVER, just think of the potential the business community has if this concept catches on with all the big players. The issue is is the rise of the CLO: Chief Learning Officer. Although it appears from the article below that the overall goal here is to tailor learning to the company's mission and goals, I would think continuity of operations would be one of THE biggest goals a company could have. Now we've made the link back to preparedness, whereby the CLO can bring personal preparedness, business preparedness, facility health and safety concepts, and continuity of operations concepts and training tools to all company employees.

To underscore my point:
"Bringing learning to the table is one of the biggest strategic advantages a company can have today," said Bill Byron Concevitch, chief learning officer for Verint Systems Inc., a global leader in work force optimization, which provides software solutions to help businesses and government agencies make sense of data. "If learning isn't woven into the fabric of the culture, a business will struggle to be successful and might not even know why it's not."

Concevitch sees his job as "giving the right people the right skills, at the right time, [to prepare them for] where they need to be."

Full article available at:
http://www.ajc.com/hotjobs/content/hotjobs/careercenter/articles/2007/12/07/1209_clos.html

Think globally, prepare locally

Think globally, prepare locally. A common Department of Homeland Security mantra
is "all disasters start locally." Communities and local governments need to plan for self-sufficiency, commonly for up to 72 hours before the Feds arrive. Projects like the CitizenCorps "Community Emergency Response Teams" (as developed by NORTHCOM, US Army) become ever more crucial to ensuring community-wide preparedness and response.

Here's the conclusion of a recent University of Tennesse study looking at our ever-worsening scale of distasters:

"Federal and state support must now be given to programs that enable local governments to work effectively with communities to prepare for and respond to all disasters."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112073337.htm

Joppatowne High School is "one of a kind"

Joppatowne High School in Maryland starts the first pre-college
program in "Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness"

From the article, "About 110 students expressed interest in signing up, and 61 10th-graders — 38 male and 23 female — were selected."

http://www.examiner.com/a-1070285~Homeland_Security_program_ties_lessons_to_real_world.html