http://ers.medworxx.com/news.aspx Emergency Management News from Medworxx Emergency Readiness Solution Copyright 2007 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:11:26 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Most people are either indifferent to swine flu or fearful, but the makers of Purell hand sanitizer and Chlorox are happy. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/09/flu_handwashing_and_disinfecti.php Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:11:26 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0353 The often-spoofed, color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System may get an overhaul – moving from five colors to three in a bid to win the public trust. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/09/threatleveladvisory/ Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:24:47 EST Emergency Readiness Wired.com - Threat Level ERS0352 On the flu.gov website, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has just published this new Preparedness Guide for Small Business for 2009 H1N1 planning. http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/5057 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:59:01 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0351 The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Defense (DoD) today announced an initiative to grant select state and major urban area fusion center personnel access to classified terrorism-related information residing in DoD's classified network. http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1252955298184.shtm Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:59:01 EST Technology in EM Homeland Security ERS0350 Utilizing data gathered through observations, interviews, and document analysis, this study concentrates on the new task of social media monitoring and the emergent processes used by public officials during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. (account required to read full article) http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol6/iss1/67/ Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:59:01 EST Emergency Readiness Journal of Homeland Security and EM ERS0349 When it comes to US swine flu vaccine policy, I'm not calling the shots, but if I were I'd do it differently than the current plan, which calls for a vaccine containing only viral antigen and no immunity boosting adjuvant. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/09/swine_flu_vaccines_adjuvants_e.php Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:15:48 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0348 The Safe America Foundation, a national safety group working with the U.S. government, announced yesterday that text messaging, social networking sites, and Twitter could help families stay in touch in the wake of a disaster. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/in_case_of_emergency_please_use_twitter.php Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:01:55 EST Technology in EM ReadWriteWeb ERS0347 With HealthMap's Outbreaks Near Me application, you have all of HealthMap's latest real-time disease outbreak information at your fingertips. Open the app and see all current outbreaks in your neighborhood, including news about H1N1 influenza ("swine flu"). http://healthmap.org/iphone/ Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:01:55 EST Technology in EM HealthMap ERS0346 We have two contradictory impressions. One is that the pandemic has continued to develop in a very robust fashion. So it's a dynamic picture of change. The second is that it looks like a normal pandemic, just going about its business. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/09/how_the_flu_pandemic_looks_to.php Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:36:08 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0345 This technical report describes the development and first generation of a tool to measure key aspects of crisis decision making in public health emergencies, based on performance in exercises (e.g., tabletops, functional exercises, full-scale exercises) and real incidents (e.g., outbreaks of waterborne disease). http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/5020 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:25:25 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0344 In the first post in this primer series we discussed the nature of electromagnetic radiation. It is via EM radiation that the sun's energy reaches the earth and since it is the balance between the energy that reaches the earth and the energy that is radiated away from the earth that is at the center of the global warming problem, we need to get this part straight. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/06/primer_on_greenhouse_gases_ii.php Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:17:25 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0343 Objection to the scientific basis of greenhouse warming seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. That is, if you like getting the same gift over and over again and returning it because it's defective never works. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/06/primer_on_greenhouse_gases_i.php Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:17:25 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0342 "This report is being read very carefully." That’s what John Brennan said about the PCAST's H1N1 study released yesterday morning. http://www.hlswatch.com/2009/08/26/h1n1-mitigation-by-process-of-elimination/ Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:17:25 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0341 A moderated collection for rapid and open sharing of useful new scientific data, analyses, and ideas. http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/28qm4w0q65e4w/1# Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:32:37 EST Emergency Readiness PLOS Currents ERS0340 The story has often been told. Contemporary fusion centers started in a half dozen states and cities. Independently public safety officials perceived a need to organize and analyze various streams of information and intelligence. There was no grand national plan. Centers just emerged in response to a need. That was Phase I. http://www.hlswatch.com/2009/08/20/inside-the-fusion-center-petri-dish/ Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:50:59 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0339 The Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, in cooperation with Ranj Serious Games, has produced an online game focused on preventing, mitigating, and responding to pandemic. http://www.hlswatch.com/2009/08/15/this-weekend-save-the-world-from-x-flu/ Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:57:02 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0338 The recent global emergency involving Swine-Origin Influenza Virus (S-OIV) has highlighted the value for a global early warning system staffed by full time professionals whose discipline it is to perform this function on a daily basis. http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/biosurveillance/2009/05/emergence-of-the-operational-biosurveillance-analyst.html Fri, 08 May 2009 08:40:33 EST Emergency Readiness Biosurveillance ERS0337 Like other scientists quoted in the article, I also think deliberately self-infecting yourself or your family is a very bad idea, something I also expressed strongly in the aforementioned comment thread. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/05/swine_flu_why_we_are_party_poo.php Fri, 08 May 2009 08:40:33 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0336 Americans tracked news about the fast-moving swine flu virus more closely than any other story last week, with most turning to television for details on its spread. Still, when people were asked to name which information source was most useful, the largest share chose the internet. http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1216/swine-flu-internet-information-most-useful Fri, 08 May 2009 08:40:33 EST General Health Care Pew Research ERS0335 Breathing easier, may be an apt phrase for an almost audible collective sigh of relief. So far, the incipient swine flu pandemic is not extremely nasty. Is this perhaps premature? The world's premier scientific journal, Nature, and many flu scientists, suggest it is. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/05/swine_flu_what_does_so_far_so.php Thu, 07 May 2009 09:23:33 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0334 President Obama has nominated Dr. Tara O’Toole as DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology. The nominee is the founder and current director of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. http://www.hlswatch.com/2009/05/06/otoole-for-science-and-technology/ Thu, 07 May 2009 09:23:33 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0333 Let's be clear: what makes it a bad flu season is if you (or your family) get it. With that in mind, let's talk about the upcoming flu season, what you need to know about it, and (more next week in Part II) relate it to pandemics and pandemic preparedness and what you need to know about that. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/1/11/92850/7818/659/682759 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:33:33 EST General Health Care Daily KOS ERS0332 The AJC first reported that President-elect Obama asked for CDC Director Julie Gerberding’s resignation effective January 20th at noon. This is an important time, because it’s the moment that President Obama will take office. President Obama will not serve with the CDC headed by Dr. Gerberding. The COO, William Gimson, will be interim Director until a new Director is appointed. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2009/01/11/the-future-of-the-cdc/ Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:33:33 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0331 It appears there may be a partial flu shot mismatch again this year, with early data from Canada, the United States and Britain suggesting the vaccine component meant to protect against influenza B is not a match for the flu B viruses causing the most disease. http://www.thestar.com/article/569149 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:33:33 EST Emergency Readiness Toronto Star ERS0330 This is part two of ... Trust for America's Health 2008 "Ready or Not: Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism" review. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/ready-or-not-2008-part-two/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:33:48 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0329 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced its approval of DNV Healthcare Inc. to become the first new hospital accreditation organization in more than 30 years. http://www.dnv.com/industry/healthcare/news/medicareapprovesdnvtoaccreditushospitals.asp Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:55:35 EST Emergency Readiness DNV ERS0328 The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies -- from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts -- to pull off their heinous attacks. http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/12/the-gagdets-of.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:49:41 EST Technology in EM Wired ERS0327 After a few months of workshops and design interations, it is finally time for the field-based use of the LiveResponse prototype with the Roadsmart application. http://jonaslandgren.blogspot.com/2008/12/liveresponse-mobile-video-broadcasting.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:49:41 EST Technology in EM Information Technology and Emergency Response ERS0326 In light of the recent earthquakes and wildfires in California, more emphasis has been placed on the Emergency Management Guide for Nursing Homes, which was recently released by the Florida Healthcare Association (FLHA). http://mhanewsnow.typepad.com/prepared/2008/12/emergency-management-planning-for-nursing-homes-.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:49:41 EST Emergency Readiness MHAOEP ERS0325 During the last several months, the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Public Safety has worked very closely with the Emergency Management Department (EMD), Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and other City agencies to develop a comprehensive initiative to enhance our preparedness and planning efforts. http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/4526 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:49:31 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0324 Disasters are recurring events that are global targets without boundaries and result in various levels of misfortune. However, with proper emergency management procedures the impact of a disaster can be less fatal and easily prepared for. http://flightchix.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/hurricane-gustav-phases-of-the-emergency-management-cycle/ Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:37:43 EST Emergency Readiness FlightChix's Blog ERS0323 If there was one overwhelming theme at the Nov 3 Risk and Crisis Communications conference in DC it was that the world of information has changed and that those involved in communicating with the public have to change with it. http://crisisblogger.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/new-study-shows-emergency-managers-slow-to-understand-communication-changes/ Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Emergency Readiness Crisis Blogger ERS0322 A coal shortage during an influenza pandemic portends grim outcomes. With this report, we attempt to conceptualize what happens when a pandemic disrupts the supply chain for coal, the fuel nearly half of the United States relies upon for electricity—the cornerstone of public health and organizational continuity. http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/4512 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0321 Google has launched Google Flu Trends, a web page where you can find up-to-date influenza-related activity estimates for each of the 50 states in the United States. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated user search queries for “flu”-related searches to estimate flu activity in the United States. http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/4509 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Technology in EM On the Homefront ERS0320 Everybody knows about IS-808 (the usual worthless online ICS/NIMS FEMA course), so hopefully these offer a bit more in substance and actually teach people what PHP is all about. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/quickly-noted-public-health-preparedness-training/ Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST EM Exercises and Training In Case of Emergency ERS0319 At least one little corner of the biodiversity problem seems to be doing well: biodiversity among deadly diseases. An outbreak of Ebola disease in Uganda in 2007 has now been shown to be caused by a previously unknown variant, now called Bundibugyo ebolavirus. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/11/new_ebola_virus.php Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0318 HANYS’ statewide Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee on Friday discussed a wide range of issues related to hospital preparedness for natural disasters or nuclear, biological, chemical, or terrorist attacks. The Committee heard presentations from state officials on the state’s emergency data system and federal funding for the coming year, and discussed how to integrate emergency preparedness into day-to-day operations. http://www.hanys.org/news/index.cfm?storyid=659 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Technology in EM HANYS ERS0317 Technology that helps many drivers reach their destinations may soon help Tippecanoe County ambulances respond to emergencies faster. http://www.jconline.com/article/20081123/NEWS02/811230352 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Technology in EM jconline.com ERS0316 City leaders have been constantly praising the response from emergency teams after the Branch Inn explosion. From a hospital standpoint, it was a situation that put years of medical training to the test. http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9367289 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Emergency Readiness KRDO.com ERS0315 A string of emergencies -- starting with the Metrolink collision and ending with the recent Sylmar fire -- has showed the mayor as an informer and comforter for the city. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-firemayor18-2008nov18,0,2820482.story Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:07:17 EST Emergency Readiness LA Times ERS0314 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, is excited to announce that Sherman Hospital is using the Medworxx Policy & Procedure Management System to manage their physician order sets, protocols and policies and procedures. http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/080902/medworxx_implemented.html?.v=1 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:01:29 EST Medworxx News Yahoo! Finance ERS0313 A number of Incident Annexes of the National Response Plan (NRP) were recently updated by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. The Incident Annexes address contingency or hazard situations requiring specialized application of the NRP. http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/4308 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:31:20 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0312 This "Red Letter Scenario" is part of a series of tabletop scenarios the Borough of Manhattan Community College has developed as part of their all-hazards emergency response plan. http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_277/bmcc.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:13:12 EST EM Exercises and Training downtown express ERS0311 Evaluation system developed by FEMA http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080823-9999-1b23hazus.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:13:12 EST Emergency Readiness SignOnSanDiego.com ERS0310 It hasn’t been business as usual for federal agencies responding to this summer’s wave of natural disasters. http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3677389 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:33:21 EST Emergency Readiness FederalTimes.com ERS0309 The new National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) , which was released last month is definitely a work in progress. http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/08/16/quick-pace-ambitious-goals-set-for-national-emergency-communications-plan/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:57:11 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0308 Within seconds of arriving at the overturned bus along U.S. 75, Sherman police Sgt. Stephen Dean grasped the size of what emergency responders were facing. http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/839121.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:57:11 EST Emergency Readiness Star-Telegram.com ERS0307 Today, officials said they will use the region’s federal homeland security funds for medical and law enforcement projects to detect and respond to terror attacks. http://bereadydc.blogspot.com/2008/08/national-capital-region-selects.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:57:11 EST Emergency Readiness Be Ready DC ERS0306 This paper reviews the status of efforts to develop the capacity and capabilities of the health care system to respond to disasters and other mass casualty events. http://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/4295 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:39:20 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0305 For county emergency officials, it's only a matter of a time until they'll need to use the county's emergency and disaster plan in the event of a natural disaster, pandemic influenza or biological or chemical attack. http://online.indianagazette.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35444&Itemid=52 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:20:27 EST EM Exercises and Training Indiana Gazette ERS0304 The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced the awarding of a contract to Simulation Education Services, Inc. (SES) to conduct specialized training and exercises to test hospital emergency response plans to pandemic influenza in all nine administrative regions of the state. http://www.domesticpreparedness.com/Updates/Industry_Update/State_of_Louisiana_Awards_State-Wide_Contract_to_Simulation_Education_Services%2c_Inc._(SES)_to_Conduct_Training_and_Exercises_to_Test_Hospital_Response_Plans_to_Pandemic_Influenza/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:44:52 EST Emergency Readiness Domestic Preparedness ERS0303 Flooding, hydro explosions, flu pandemics. It could - it does - happen here. The city and its hospitals are girding for the worst http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080726.EMERGENCY26/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Ontario/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:17:48 EST Emergency Readiness Globe and Mail ERS0302 Bills call for reverse-lane strategies for major roads, long-term shelters http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/NEWS0301/807250441/1007/NEWS03 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:17:48 EST Emergency Readiness APP.com ERS0301 In fact, just hours after the earthquake damage was judged to be minimal, the Department sent a link to its citizen preparedness guide to its entire email/text message list http://incaseofemergencyblog.com/2008/07/29/just-two-hours-after-warning-earthquake-la-fire-department-seizes-moment-to-promote-citizen-preparedness/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:17:48 EST Technology in EM In Case of Emergency ERS0299 What's more impressive is that the "Breaking News" segment was about twenty minutes late. As has been noted in previous earthquakes, Twitter got the news right away. http://disastermedia.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/chino-hills-earthquake/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:17:48 EST Technology in EM Disaster Media ERS0300 In a report released July 21, the Government Accountability Office found "many major gaps" in states' pandemic flu plans, particularly with respect to facilitating medical surge capacity and conforming to national response plan and national incident management system requirements. http://mhanewsnow.typepad.com/prepared/2008/07/gao-federal-age.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:22:45 EST Emergency Readiness MHAOEP ERS0298 Launched in 2007, the Medworxx Emergency Readiness System (ERS) helps hospitals provide patient safety and care during a disaster. A web-based, hospital-centric application, ERS addresses the Joint Commission mandated all-hazards approach to emergency management and is NIMS, ICS, and HICS compatible. http://giselleconyette.typepad.com/giselle_conyette/2008/07/medworxx-develops-a-strategic-software-platform-that-hospitals-use-to-communicate-aggregate-and-analyze-knowledge-today-m.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:22:45 EST Medworxx News Giselle Conyette ERS0297 Forecasters at the National Weather Service predicted the hurricane itself could dump up to 20 inches of rain with flooding of several feet in some areas, posing a threat to low-lying areas and colonias with poor drainage. http://www.themonitor.com/news/felt_14999___article.html/officials_say.html Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:22:45 EST Emergency Readiness The Monitor ERS0296 Saint Paul downtown hospitals say they are ready for the Grand Old Party to come to town. There are 101 emergency department rooms in Saint Paul hospitals. They are all coordinated from one small room at Regions. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=519570 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:40:58 EST Emergency Readiness KARE11 ERS0295 Changes include a new emergency management chapter in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals, which relocates current disaster planning standards EC.4.11 through EC.4.20. http://www.jointcommission.org/Standards/SII/sii_hap.htm Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:45:53 EST Emergency Readiness The Joint Commission ERS0294 While states have made progress in improving medical surge capacity, more needs to be done, especially to address altered standards of care following a mass casualty event, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. http://mhanewsnow.typepad.com/prepared/2008/07/gao-greater-med.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:45:53 EST Emergency Readiness MHAOEP ERS0293 During a flood and its aftermath, there are some basic facts to remember that will help protect your personal health and safety. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:09:02 EST Emergency Readiness CDC ERS0292 Nurses at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have reopened the facility after the rising water of the Cedar River flooded the basement, prompting the evacuation of 176 patients. http://include.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080714/NATIONAL02/307140030/-1/frontpage Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:53:07 EST Emergency Readiness Nurse.com ERS0291 In a comment letter on July 11, the American Hospital Association expressed concerns with the Homeland Security Advisory System as applied to the nation's hospitals. http://mhanewsnow.typepad.com/prepared/2008/07/aha-comments-on.html Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:53:07 EST Emergency Readiness MHAOEP ERS0290 Maryland's emergency response machine is among the nation's best -- yet remains vulnerable to catastrophe http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.disaster13jul13,0,7810618.story?page=1 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:15:16 EST Emergency Readiness Baltimore Sun ERS0289 Severe flooding, a devastating tornado, a plane crash or terrorist attack all are events that could push Scioto Valley hospitals past their capacity limits. http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B8/20080712/NEWS01/80712002/1002 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:15:16 EST Emergency Readiness CentralOhio.com ERS0287 Fire departments utilize the ICS on every call; it's their standard operating procedure, just as it is for emergency medical services (EMS). Hospitals, however, only use it during a disaster, which is a federal standard. But using it only during disaster scenarios leads to inconsistent and potentially weak command centers. http://www.govtech.com/em/365419 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:15:16 EST EM Exercises and Training Emergency Management ERS0286 According to the US News and World Report, the ongoing salmonella saintpaul outbreak is the largest food-borne disease outbreak in the history of the US. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/quickly-noted-salmonella-infects-us/ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:32:13 EST General Health Care In Case of Emergency ERS0285 This document is the 2008 FEMA Higher Education Program Report and it summarizes the current status of emergency management higher education in the United States. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/4250 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:32:13 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0284 Building resiliency into a community is not a bad thing. Striving for a resilient society is an admirable goal. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/on-resilience/ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:40:51 EST Emergency Readiness In case of Emergency ERS0283 Analytical Tools Enhance Patient Care Reporting Solution http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/iq4bis-emsystems-announce-partnership/story.aspx?guid=AF31EEBE-7835-4C0A-9341-6D29AE621093&dist=hppr Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:40:51 EST Technology in EM Market Watch ERS0282 The system is free and without registration or subscription barriers. It started in prototype in 2006 and now gets about 20,000 unique visits a month, mainly from the public health community (for comparison, this blog gets 30,000 to 40,000 visits a month). The system, called HealthMap, is pretty impressive. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/07/new_tool_anyone_can_use_to_tra.php Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST Technology in EM Effect Measure ERS0281 Medworxx Solutions Inc., (TSX-V: MWX - News), the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, announced that it has issued a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire all of the issued and outstanding stock of HealthCast Inc. of Boise, Idaho, the leading provider of enterprise access management and single sign-on solutions for hospitals. http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/080703/medworxx_healthcast.html?.v=1 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST Medworxx News Yahoo Finance ERS0280 These days, Sedlack and dozens of other Marin firefighters trained as paramedics find themselves responding to far more medical cases than any other call for service. The phenomenon is part of a nationwide trend in which the fire service has evolved into a kind of mobile emergency room. http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_9799061 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST General Health Care marinij.com ERS0279 In Williamstown, North Adams and Adams, ambulance services are turning onto the information superhighway to better communicate with hospitals. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_9773083 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST Technology in EM The Berkshire Eagle ERS0278 The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has just posted guidance information on its Web site about the types of personal protective equipment (PPE) that emergency responders should employ when responding to terrorism incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards. http://mhanewsnow.typepad.com/prepared/2008/07/guidance-posted.html Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST Emergency Readiness MHAOEP ERS0277 The body of disaster-management knowledge has grown from each catastrophe, Dr. Manuell said last week after she rolled a disaster-management cart back into its bay on an emergency department receiving dock. That accumulated experience is now being recognized by the medical school in an academic department that will teach it to future leaders in a disaster medicine fellowship, starting in July 2009. http://www.telegram.com/article/20080630/NEWS/806300379/1012 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST EM Exercises and Training telegram.com ERS0276 American Red Cross' Disaster Response Center to learn more about the growing role of new media in the Red Cross’s response efforts during the Midwestern floods and tornadoes. http://incaseofemergencyblog.com/2008/06/21/visit-to-red-crosss-dc-disaster-operations-center-highlights-new-new-media-initiative/ Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:10:13 EST Technology in EM In case of emergency ERS0275 There is no evidence of any infectious disease outbreak related to the death of a VIA train passenger en route to Toronto, says Ontario's chief medical officer of health. http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/423851 Mon, 12 May 2008 15:22:35 EST General Health Care thestar.com ERS0274 New Medicaid regulations that will reduce federal funding to states will not hurt hospitals’ ability to prepare for terrorist attacks and other national emergencies, Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt told a House panel Wednesday. http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=hbnews-000002718928 Mon, 12 May 2008 15:22:35 EST General Health Care CQPolitics ERS0273 Leading Organization in Healthcare Incident Management Integrates With Emergency Notification System Utilizing 3n Industry-Standard Interconnector for Hospital Emergency Response http://www.marketwirecanada.com/mw/release.do?id=825991&k= Mon, 12 May 2008 15:22:35 EST Emergency Readiness Marketwire ERS0272 3n (National Notification Network), the leading global mass notification system provider, today announced the launch of two new data centers in Canada. http://www.3nonline.org/content/?alias=press-releases&id=99 Mon, 12 May 2008 15:22:35 EST Technology in EM 3n ERS0271 The log entries and hundreds of e-mails were released as part of an Associated Press records request about the state response to the storms that killed nearly 60 people in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. After striking a hopeful note early on, the exchange of messages turned more grim as the night wore on. http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/041208/D900E80G1.shtml Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST Emergency Readiness jacksonville.com ERS0270 In an investigation that included dozens of interviews with city officials, front-line workers and experts as well as a review of hundreds of documents including dispatch logs and 911 audiotapes, The Chronicle found that delayed emergency medical responses are the result of numerous causes, from chronic understaffing, language barriers and botched dispatches at the city's 911 call center to traffic congestion and unavailable nearby ambulances. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/12/MNR0VTB9I.DTL&tsp=1 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST General Health Care SF Gate ERS0269 The Anniversary of the Virginia Tech Tragedy Is Marked by Mixed Improvements in Campus Safety and Communication http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=842890 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST Emergency Readiness Marketwire ERS0268 Around 10:20 Wednesday morning warning sirens, weather radio alarms and the emergency alert system were activated. Emergency Management agencies were testing their own tornado plans and schools were doing the same. http://new.khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=13013&storytopic=4 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST Emergency Readiness KHAS News ERS0267 Mayor Michael R. Boulanger said earlier he will contact 3N National Notification Network of Glendale, Calif., to begin installation of necessary equipment as soon as possible. The mayor estimated the system could be up and operating within weeks. http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1207295428139380.xml&coll=1 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST Emergency Readiness MAss live.com ERS0266 On Saturday, the region will have a chance to see how it responds to a pandemic flu in real time, with a mock flu pandemic drill at Bethel Health Care Center. It may be the first community-wide drill held in the United States to deal with pandemic flu, Dworkin said. http://www.newstimes.com/ci_8808073?source=most_emailed Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST Emergency Readiness NewsTimes.com ERS0265 A lot of you are going to have to make decisions above your level," was Scott's message to his people. "Make the best decision that you can with the information that's available to you at the time, and above all, do the right thing." This quote from Lee Scott, the chief executive officer of Wal-Mart, was made to his employees shortly before Hurricane Katrina made landfall illustrates the mind set the company took prior to the greatest natural disaster in American history which allowed the company to succeed where the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed. http://www.freeliberal.com/blog/archives/003287.php Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:12:36 EST Emergency Readiness Free for All ERS0264 In the March edition of the APHA newspaper, The Nation’s Health, there is an article on the President's proposed 2009 budget. The article is pretty scathing, too. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/the-public-health-budget/ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EST EM Funding In Case of Emergency ERS0263 Every once in a while we run across introductory presentations of basic bird flu-ology we think are particularly good. This is one. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/03/good_bird_flu_primer.php Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0262 A major Philadelphia hospital will be under simulated lockdown this morning as healthcare professionals stage a mock disaster drill with federal agencies. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080306_City_hospital_under_mock_lockdown.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:00 EST EM Exercises and Training philly.com ERS0261 3n (National Notification Network), the leading global mass notification system provider, and Medworxx today announced the availability of a robust, mass notification-enabled hospital incident command platform. http://www.3nonline.com/content/?alias=press-releases&id=161 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:44:02 EST Medworxx News 3n ERS0258 CDC has just issued a report on the state of US readiness for a health crisis. Its assessment is upbeat. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/02/us_readiness_for_a_health_emer.php Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:44:02 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0260 In reading through my current cohort’s assignments where they reflect on their understanding of the Incident Command System, it was interesting to me that a few held the system up as a true "answer all" during emergencies and disaster events. http://managingdisasters.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/the-incident-command-system-ics-is-a-tool Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:44:02 EST Emergency Readiness Disaster Management ERS0259 Emergency workers arriving in Greensburg the night a massive tornado struck the Kiowa County town weren't prepared for what they found. Virtually every building in the town had been destroyed or damaged. Cell phones didn't work. Electricity was out. Houses, buildings, street signs were gone. http://www.kansas.com/news/local/story/328453.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:44:02 EST Emergency Readiness Kansas.com ERS0257 The Department remains dedicated to fulfilling our duty to protect our country. Six years after September 11, 2001 we are moving beyond operating as an agency in transition to an agency diligently working to protect our borders and critical infrastructure, prevent dangerous people and goods from entering our country, and recover from natural disasters effectively. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3954 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:46:25 EST EM Funding On the Homefront ERS0256 On February 12, 2008, Ambassador Thomas McNamara, Program Manager, Information Sharing Environment, released the Privacy and Civil Liberties Implementation Manual, designed to provide information, resources, tools, and guidance on the ISE Privacy Guidelines. The Manual supports Agencies in understanding and implementing the ISE Privacy Guidelines while minimizing duplication of effort. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3983 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:46:25 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0255 A recently published Commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) raises some interesting and serious questions about conventional efforts for pandemic flu preparedness. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/02/toughening_a_community_for_a_p.php Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:46:25 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0254 At 9:04 on a cold fall morning, Sharie Sanderlin stands in the Portland, Oregon, drizzle, cheerfully awaiting the attack. When it hits, precisely on schedule at 9:06, she and some 275 other victims will speed-walk to their positions amid carefully strewn debris in the blast zone: a blown-apart bus, metal shards, smashed cars. http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/16-02/ps_homeland Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:40:25 EST EM Exercises and Training Wired ERS0253 On any given day, Dr. Roy Levin might treat a patient with a sprained arm, another with stomach flu or a child suffering from a cold and high fever. He used to treat patients in a hospital emergency room. Today he is medical director of an urgent-care center in Clovis. http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/352187.html Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:40:25 EST General Health Care FresnoBee.com ERS0252 Federal money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security comes with a catch. Washington and Benton counties must show the federal government by today that law enforcement, firefighters and medical emergency workers have the skills and equipment to work together during a disaster. http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/01/27/news/012808fznims.txt Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:40:25 EST EM Funding The Morning News ERS0251 The reality is that the majority of the uninsured delay seeking any care until they are very ill. The overriding reason for lengthening wait times is the boarding of acute patients, sometimes for days in emergency departments, while waiting for inpatient beds on other floors. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/l27emergency.html Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:40:25 EST General Health Care NY Times ERS0249 Reynolds and his organization are now taking applications from potential volunteers for the villages emergency agency, which Reynolds has headed since April 2007. Reynolds said he is looking for eight to 10 people to help fill out the organization. http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2008/01/26/news/623dema.txt Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:40:25 EST Emergency Readiness Morris Daily Herald ERS0248 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, announced the launch of the French version of their industry-leading Utilization Management System for the Quebec Marketplace. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20080122_090503_4_cnw_cnw Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Medworxx News Canadian Business ERS0247 The Homeland Security Department has made emergency response planning easier with today’s release of a new national incident response plan, officials said. The plan replaces an amended version of the original three-year-old National Response Plan (NRP). http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151400-1.html Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Emergency Readiness FCW.com ERS0246 Awarepoint Corporation and Skytron today announced Skytron Asset Manager, the healthcare industry's only integrated active RFID asset management and information resource solution to improve hospital patient care, enhance staff productivity and better manage equipment capital and rental expense. http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2008/1/prweb642171.htm Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Technology in EM eMediaWire ERS0245 Tracking the location and availability of resources such as hospitals, transportation equipment and water during an emergency situation can be life-saving. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/giot-mta011508.php Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Technology in EM EurekAlert ERS0244 A Medical Coordination Center intended to enhance communication between emergency responders during a crisis officially opened Friday at Somerset Medical Center. http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080112/NEWS/801120314 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Emergency Readiness Courier news ERS0243 Check out the work by Leysia Palen at University of Colorado, Boulder in the US. She focus her research on crisis informatics http://jonaslandgren.blogspot.com/2007/12/crisis-informatics.html Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Technology in EM Information Technology and Emergency Response ERS0242 The retooled National Response Framework, released today, promises a new streamlined plan to respond to disasters more efficiently and quickly than the previous plan. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3925 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Emergency Readiness on the homefront ERS0241 The San Francisco Bay Area is highly vulnerable to both natural hazards and human-caused disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, industrial accidents, and terrorist incidents. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3928 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Emergency Readiness On the homefront ERS0240 All of health care reform has homeland security implications, but emergency capability and response, hospital capacity, and public health are especially significant for both. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3931 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Emergency Readiness On the homefront ERS0239 The Ready or Not 2007 report focused on ten indicators, from Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) distribution planning to funding commitments. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2008/01/02/ready-or-not-2007-review/ Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:03:02 EST Emergency Readiness In case of emergency ERS0238 When representatives from community organizations ask you how they can take part in pan-flu preparedness, you may refer them to this document released December 6 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). http://mhanewsnow.typepad.com/prepared/2007/12/hhs-releases-ne.html Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:13:40 EST Emergency Readiness MHAOEP ERS0237 As winter weather created power outages in Provo and water from a broken pipe buried back-up generators, administrators were forced to evacuate the hospital. Although this was only a drill at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center on Thursday, the scenario represents one of many possible disasters. http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/66642 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:13:40 EST EM Exercises and Training BYU News ERS0236 AT&T said the Texas Special Needs Evacuation Tracking System (SNETS) solution uses RFID, wireless and mobile data technologies to provide real-time information on evacuees and is the US's first statewide citizen-evacuation system. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/878458/ Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Technology in EM Tradingmarkets.com ERS0235 I sat through a National Incident Management System (NIMS) training program recently, and my head is still spinning. Like every other fire service organization in this country, our department needs to prove that we are on-board with this plan, and we have gone to great lengths to ensure that everyone learns how to talk the talk and walk the walk. http://www.fireengineering.com/display_article/313283/25/none/none/BRNIS/Incident-Command-the-Washington-Way Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Emergency Readiness FireEngineering.com ERS0234 The Bush administration intends to slash counterterrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue departments across the country by more than half next year, according to budget documents obtained by The Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jQ0Ao4X0-a32dSRsZ9upSawSrPdgD8T8ARQG0 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST EM Funding Associated Press ERS0233 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, is pleased to announce that Calgary Health Region has chosen their Utilization Management System to improve patient flow across the region, with the initial deployment at the Foothills Medical Centre. Calgary Health Region joins Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the New Brunswick Department of Health in implementing the Medworxx Utilization Management System (UMS) region-wide. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20071128_100507_2_cnw_cnw Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Medworxx News Canadian Business ERS0232 This article intends to answer questions you might have and to shed some light on the CEM certification and process to provide a knowledge base to aid you, fellow emergency manager, in making a decision as to whether or not to certify. http://iaemeuropa.terapad.com/index.cfm?fa=contentNews.newsDetails&newsID=44079&from=list Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Emergency Readiness IAEM - Europa ERS0231 East Texas has a pretty good track record when it comes to handling a regional emergency. The Columbia disaster and hurricanes Katrina and Rita are good examples. But performance can always be improved. For the next two days county commissioners to fire fighters will undergo intermediate National Incident Management System Training, known now as 'NIMS'. http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=7430086 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST EM Exercises and Training KTRE ERS0230 Microsoft launched HealthVault, a free web-based service that allows users to store their medical records online and eventually share them with doctors and health care professionals. On October 17, an executive at Google noted that the search giant was also interested in the area of health information services. And on November 19, 23andMe, a startup focused on web-based personal genetic analysis, announced a program that will allow consumers to pay $999 for the privilege of exploring their own genomes. These latest developments — and dozens of similar initiatives — could push the online sharing of personal health information into the mainstream. http://www.bioethicsinternational.org/?p=367 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Technology in EM ERS0229 For the first time, a national study has tackled the contentious and provocative issue of death rates in hospitals, listing Canadian institutions by name and revealing where patients are likely dying avoidable deaths. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071130.HOSPITAL30/TPStory/National Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Emergency Readiness Globe and Mail ERS0228 Use the ER as a magnifying glass and you will shine a glaring light on all the big challenges in the system: the crying need for chronic-disease management; the dysfunction of primary care; the paucity of electronic health records; the shortage of health professionals, and nurses in particular; the gaping holes in community-based services (particularly for those with mental illness), and the lack of continuity of care. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071129.LPICARD29/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Ontario/ Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST General Health Care Globe and Mail ERS0227 The recent devastating wild fires in California remind us of the need to be prepared for any emergency or disaster, said Andrew McGuire, director of Emergency Management at Danbury Hospital. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19061040&BRD=1380&PAG=461&dept_id=157525&rfi=6 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Emergency Readiness Voices news.com ERS0226 Avineon, Inc., a successful provider of IT, engineering, geospatial and program management services, today announced the release of Avineonics(TM), a state-of-the-art information system that enables organizations to automate the preparation, organization, management, execution and documentation of emergency preparedness and incident management functions. http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/536100 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Technology in EM ThomasNet ERS0225 Patient throughput and its underlying components (patient assignment, bed managment, housekeeping, and patient transportation) have an enormous impact on hospitals that I’ve seen first-hand: ED waits, patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction, and even clinical outcomes. http://histalk2.com/2007/11/26/histalk-interviews-eric-rosow-chairman-and-ceo-of-premise/ Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Technology in EM HIStalk ERS0224 Every healthcare organization/hospital accepting payment for Medicare and Medicaid patients is required to meet certain Federal standards called Conditions of Participation (CoPs). http://glassworks4005.blogspot.com/2007/11/cms-and-jcaho-healthcare-security.html Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Emergency Readiness Glass works25545 ERS0223 One of the key drivers behind Nortel's Unified Communications strategy is the realization that success in the applications business of the future will not be based on who can build the best single application, but rather who can present the most comprehensive and useful experience to the user. http://blogs.nortel.com/ctoblog/2007/11/26/future-applications-a-melting-pot-of-mashed-up-stuff-that-will-make-life-better/ Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST Technology in EM John Roese's Blog, CTO, Nortel ERS0222 Emergency response teams took part in a live, simulated large-scale disaster exercise today at a Toronto-area hotel, involving a simulated bomb blast. The purpose of the exercise was to test the coordination and interoperability of these teams in a real emergency, and identify where improvements can be made. In total, close to 1,000 participants, observers, and evaluators were involved. http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=795769 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST EM Exercises and Training marketwire ERS0221 Thirty-four North American physicians, members of the American Physicians Fellowship (APF), came to Israel to prepare for whatever Israel needs in its next emergency. http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/11/22/news/local/physicians1123.txt Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:15:54 EST EM Exercises and Training Cleveland Jewish News.com ERS0220 Hospitals are required to have the capability of performing patient decontamination. Incorporating the incident command structure provided by the National Incident Management System and the Hospital Incident Command System into their decontamination plans will enable hospitals to be better organized and efficient in managing events producing contaminated patients. [login required] http://www.mdlinx.com/NurseLinx/xml-article.cfm/2050416 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Emergency Readiness MDLinx ERS0219 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, announced the launch of its Learning Management System (LMS) offering for the Healthcare IT Marketplace. The Medworxx LMS will be used by healthcare software vendors to help ensure that their customers use their products effectively, providing training and support to their customers. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2007/20/c2065.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Medworxx News CNW Group ERS0218 Rappaport is one of 30 American doctors who recently participated in a grueling five-day course in emergency medicine hosted by Israeli civilian hospitals and military medics. On this day, the group visited the Israel Center for Medical Simulation, a state-of-the-art training center for emergency medicine at the Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer near Tel Aviv. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/18/MN66T9B6P.DTL Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST EM Exercises and Training SFGate.com ERS0217 Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a global leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions, has selected the Send Word Now(TM) Alert service for its 28,000 global employees. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0329875.htm Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Technology in EM CNNMoney ERS0216 In his ongoing efforts to bolster response and preparedness in Pennsylvania, Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed dramatic changes in state operations to lessen the impact of future emergencies and natural disasters. http://www.govtech.com/gt/206477?topic=117693 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Emergency Readiness government technology ERS0215 It is a drill the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport conducts once every three years to test the airport’s and local emergency agencies’ effectiveness to respond to an airplane crash, according to the airport’s Executive Director Tom Heanue. http://www.leadercall.com/local/local_story_320094629.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST EM Exercises and Training Leader Call ERS0214 State building regulators will decide today whether to use a new high-tech tool to assess the seismic safety of hospitals, a proposal that would delay or erase billions of dollars in retrofits and reconstruction. http://parkwayblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/technology-saves-dollars.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Technology in EM parkwayblog.com ERS0213 Disasters are getting worse it seems but the federal government's preparedness has been limited to helping after a disaster has occurred. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071112073337.htm Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Emergency Readiness ScienceDaily ERS0212 Emergency Disaster Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. BioDefense, Inc. , announces that it will be exhibiting and attending the International Association of Emergency Managers 2007 Annual Conference in conjunction with the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Expo (http://www.iaem.com) in Reno, Nevada on November 11th through the 14th. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LATU16313112007-1.htm Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Technology in EM CNNMoney.com ERS0211 ESi(R), the global leader in crisis information management technology, announced today that Cynthia Foreman will join the company as regional manager in Florida. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,221855.shtml Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST Technology in EM earthtimes.org ERS0210 John Simon's job description involves making the best out of a bad situation. Saturday was a widespread illustration of just that. A mock disaster in rural Adams County mirrored how important — and effective — local emergency personnel are at what they do. http://www.whig.com/325746882423743.php Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:18:25 EST EM Exercises and Training Whig.com ERS0209 This post is one in a series examining the recently-released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21: Public Health and Medical Preparedness. Previous posts can be found here: Initial Reactions. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/hspd-21-biosurveillance/ Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:02:16 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0208 Emergency preparedness software gives first responders a better view of the rescue scene with new mapping technologies http://www.officer.com/print/Law-Enforcement-Technology/A-well-mapped-response/1$38698 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:02:16 EST Technology in EM officer.com ERS0207 A diversified group of local officials refined emergency communications and forged stronger relations with each other October 31 at a Public Health Preparedness Drill. http://www.rensselaerrepublican.com/articles/2007/11/05/news/news03.txt Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:02:16 EST EM Exercises and Training Rensselaer Republican ERS0206 Yes - John Hillery says that patients are best served by hospitals large enough to have a critical mass of expertise. No - Marie O'Connor says the closure of smaller hospitals is about medical empire building, not patient safety. http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2007/1105/1193444563767.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:02:16 EST General Health Care The Irish Times ERS0205 The first Emergency Mobile Trauma Unit and several support vehicles have been delivered to Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) and are ready for field testing and deployment. http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20071102163853910 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:02:16 EST Technology in EM The Paramus Post ERS0204 Protecting their community from significant public disasters is an important priority for Toronto's Humber River Regional Hospital (HRRH). One of the ways the hospital informs their community about those efforts is by actually involving members of the public in those preparations. http://www.hospitalnews.com/modules/magazines/mag.asp?ID=3&IID=100&AID=1312 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:02:16 EST EM Exercises and Training Hospital News ERS0203 Now that we have a bit of actual experience with CAP… and now that CAP has been adopted as a core technology for broadcast and cellular alerting in the U.S… it’s may be time to start talking about what we’ve learned that might make the next version of the CAP standard even better. http://www.incident.com/blog/?p=45 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST Technology in EM incident.blog ERS0202 The Federal Government has embarked on a rigorous and collaborative process that seeks input from all interested parties in developing this strategy. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3734 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0201 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, is pleased to announce that Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) has joined the ever growing list of customers that rely on the Medworxx platform to support their knowledge platform. http://www.medworxx.com/default.aspx?page=33&cnt.Id.0=2947 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST Medworxx News Medworxx ERS0200 Patients admitted to the emergency department of Hawke's Bay hospital in Hastings will be tagged with RFID chips so their movements can be automatically monitored by wireless scanners. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4254376a28.html Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST Technology in EM Stuff.co.nz ERS0199 The city does not yet have an emergency mass-notification system similar to the one officials credit with saving lives from the wildfires raging across Southern California. http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1193470233283270.xml&coll=1 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST Technology in EM Staten Island Advance ERS0198 Held yesterday at the northeastern edge of the Collins Bay penitentiary property, the event featured roughly 300 people, including 75 volunteer victims who simulated a crisis at the level train crossing near Armstrong Road on Bath Road. http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=750924&auth=Rob+Tripp Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST EM Exercises and Training The Kingston Whig Standard ERS0197 Spokane County plans to join several area organizations that use the sort of electronic notification equipment that has been warning thousands of Southern California residents to flee from advancing wildfires. http://eaglewire.blogspot.com/2007/10/emergency-management.html Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:49:08 EST Technology in EM Eagle Wire ERS0196 The EDXL Distribution Element (DE) specification describes a standard message distribution framework for data sharing among emergency information systems using the XML-based Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL). http://realworldxml.blogspot.com/2007/10/oasis-edxl-hospital-availability.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:10:04 EST Technology in EM XML ERS0195 The demands on the profession of disaster management are more than mental and emotional. Disaster response can be, and often is, extremely challenging physically. To be prepared, the profession should have high expectations for physical fitness. http://managingdisasters.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/fitness-is-a-job-requirement/ Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:10:04 EST Emergency Readiness Effective Health Executive ERS0194 The Pratt Regional Medical Center is better prepared to communicate with its own people and other entities following a contamination disaster drill Friday morning at the PRMC back parking lot. http://www.pratttribune.com/articles/2007/10/22/news/00.txt Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:10:04 EST EM Exercises and Training Pratt Tribune ERS0193 This directive establishes a National Strategy for Public Health and Medical Preparedness (Strategy), which builds upon principles set forth in Biodefense for the 21st Century (April 2004) and will transform our national approach to protecting the health of the American people against all disasters. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/10/20071018-10.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:10:04 EST Emergency Readiness The White House ERS0192 VoiceNation announces its partnership with the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create a bullet proof hotline service that FEMA team members can call in to receive updates about disasters. http://www.financevisor.com/market/news_detail.aspx?rid=57887 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:31:52 EST Technology in EM Finance Visor ERS0191 What American responders can learn from the Israeli experience http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=6378 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:31:52 EST Emergency Readiness EMSresponder.com ERS0190 he Joint Commission requires hospitals to implement 2 disaster drills per year to test the response phase of their emergency management plans. Despite this requirement, there is no direct evidence that such drills improve disaster response. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WB0-4PX16S9-3&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F15%2F2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=4634528ed53c9b6497e59021020a5432 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:31:52 EST EM Exercises and Training Science Direct ERS0189 he Health Information and Management Systems Society and the COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance are teaming up to extend electronic medical record technology to emergency response. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=7964 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:31:52 EST Technology in EM Healthcare IT News ERS0188 When the first patients walk through the doors of the new Brampton Civic Hospital in a couple of weeks, they will be entering a centre like no other in Canada - but one that will increasingly become the standard for health-care delivery across the country. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jT-CEMXgRqjCqL2BwKCPzMq_1pAA Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:31:52 EST Technology in EM Canadian Press ERS0187 Last month we talked about a program for rapid messaging out of CDC called PHIRE. I was skeptical at the time, and remain so. In short, I think that it has no natural audience and unnecessarily duplicates already successful efforts. In preparedness and response situations duplication of messaging resources is a big no-no. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/phire-not-exactly-lighting-things-up/ Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:26 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0186 It revealed a broadened focus that emphasized both natural disasters as a risk and offensive measures as a resource in protecting the homeland. http://www.hlswatch.com/2007/10/09/white-house-formally-issues-new-strategy/ Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:26 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0185 The volunteers were participating in a mass casualty training exercise hosted by the Dodge County Office of Emergency Management. Such exercises, along with vulnerability studies, capability studies and a multitude of other steps, allow Dodge County agencies to pursue federal homeland security grants. http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/news/250784 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:26 EST EM Exercises and Training Daily Citizen ERS0184 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, and Canadian Healthcare Management Inc., the leading Canadian Clinical Utilization consulting firm, today announced a strategic partnership that will deliver a comprehensive Clinical Utilization Management solution to hospitals. http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/071012/medworxx_joint_ventur.html?.v=1 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:26 EST Medworxx News Yahoo Finance ERS0183 York University launched a new graduate program in disaster and emergency management earlier this year. http://www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3857&Itemid=2 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:26 EST EM Exercises and Training Excalibur ERS0182 Send Word Now, the leading provider of on-demand alerting and response services, today announced that it raised $8.5 million in Series C financing. http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=778624 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:13:26 EST Technology in EM marketwire ERS0181 The death toll from the catastrophes that strike cities doesn't have to keep climbing http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9905403&subjectID=348924&fsrc=nwl&emailauth=%2527%252A%2520Z74LWGW%2520%2520%253C%250A Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:28:30 EST Emergency Readiness Economist.com ERS0180 A cache of hazardous chemicals the Oregon State Fire Marshall and the Department of Environmental Quality deemed a threat has been eliminated. Residents can relax knowing things are under control. http://www.eastvalleynews.com/appeal/article.cfm?i=10317 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:28:30 EST EM Exercises and Training SilvertonAppeal.com ERS0179 Today Microsoft unveils new web application HealthVault, a medical records manager that will let users—and their doctors—store and track personal health information online. http://lifehacker.com/software/launch/microsoft-launches-healthvault-medical-record-manager-307087.php Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:28:30 EST General Health Care lifehacker ERS0178 Swedish scientists are warning about Tamiflu in the environment because it passes through sewage treatment plants more or less unchanged. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/10/tamiflu_in_the_sewer_drug_resi.php Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:59:57 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0177 People who operate long term care facilities have a great deal to worry about. Issues related to staffing, reimbursement and regulations take much of their time and present constant challenges that require their immediate attention. Disaster planning often gets put off in the interest of handling routine, everyday responsibilities. No one likes to think about disasters-particularly one like a pandemic that could strike millions of people around the world. But the problem with failing to think about disasters is that they do happen, and when they happen, it is the people who are least prepared who suffer the most. While there is no mechanism to predict when the next pandemic will hit or how severe it will be, the consensus is that it will occur. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3688 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:37:29 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0176 The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Ohio more than $500,000 to strengthen its response to hazardous material incidents. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/10/01/daily9.html Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:37:29 EST EM Funding Columbus Business First ERS0175 WeatherBug has outfitted San Antonio's emergency operations center with its system to track live weather conditions. http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2007/10/01/daily16.html Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:37:29 EST Technology in EM Washington Business Journal ERS0174 There is a proposal to establish an emergency services network in the State which will link all the major government and private hospitals and ambulance service providers to give immediate care during all medical emergencies, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, R. Ashok said here on Monday. http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/02/stories/2007100261400400.htm Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:37:29 EST Technology in EM The Hindu ERS0173 Researchers suggest that a Web-based service, which could be up and running in three to five years, could improve reporting on disasters, the coordination of a response, the dissemination of information and promote resident-to-resident assistance. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/02/16/emergency_tec.html?category=technology&guid=20070216090000 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:37:39 EST Technology in EM Discovery Channel ERS0172 Networking and sharing experiences were the messages of the National Emergency Management Association’s Annual Conference in Oklahoma City on Monday. http://www.normantranscript.com/localnews/local_story_275002152.html Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:37:39 EST Emergency Readiness The Norman Transcript ERS0171 Living in Wisconsin, we’re not strangers to the severe weather that often rolls through in the spring, summer and fall seasons. http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/10165441.html Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:37:39 EST Technology in EM wsaw.com ERS0170 Emergency responders to have online info source http://www.fcw.com/online/news/150325-1.html Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:37:39 EST Technology in EM fcw.com ERS0169 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today awarded $5 million health care partnership emergency care grants to five health care partnerships. The recipients were selected via a competitive process aimed at improving hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies. http://media-newswire.com/release_1055163.html Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:22:00 EST EM Funding Media Newswire ERS0166 The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management along with the Las Cruces/Dona Ana Office of Emergency Management worked together Saturday in conducting a full-scale exercise to test the capabilities of the state Emergency Operations Center and Urban Search and Rescue, New Mexico Task Force One. http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_7041327 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:22:00 EST EM Exercises and Training Las Cruces Sun-News ERS0168 The Homeland Security Act of 2002 provided the authority for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It also directed the Director of DHS to create a National Incident Management System (NIMS). http://davis56123.blogspot.com/2007/09/implications-of-nims-integration-plan.html Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:22:00 EST Emergency Readiness rabbi22583 ERS0167 Many of us have heard rumblings of an effort underway – led by White House Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend and her deputy Joel Bagnal – to revise the 2002 National Strategy for Homeland Security. http://www.hlswatch.com/2007/09/25/revised-homeland-security-strategy-underway/ Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:12:22 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0165 Virginia Tech continues to be a driving force in people’s thinking about communication and particularly mass notification. http://crisisblogger.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/school-communication-social-media-sites-and-current-thinking/ Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:12:22 EST Technology in EM Crisisblogger ERS0164 Aurora's Office of Emergency Management is compiling a database of residents with special needs so emergency planners can assist them more effectively during a large scale disaster. Residents can voluntarily submit information to the city, and the information will eventually be placed into a mapping system so planners can pinpoint locations where residents need extra help. Special needs include use of a wheelchair or ventilator, being deaf or hearing impaired, or could include any special circumstances that require additional assistance. http://denver.yourhub.com/AuroraNorth/Stories/News/General-News/Story~368916.aspx Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:12:22 EST Technology in EM YourHub.com ERS0163 IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a new project with the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) to implement one of the most advanced city-wide intelligent security system ever conceived. The engagement is a part of Chicago's Operation Virtual Shield, a project that encompasses one of the world's largest video security deployments. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0307520.htm Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:12:22 EST Technology in EM CNN Money ERS0162 Medworxx (MWX: TSXV), makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, wins a place on Profit Magazine's Hot 50 List. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2007/26/c5128.html Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:20:54 EST Medworxx News Newswire ERS0161 The Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center recently published these three reports about catastrophic risk management and protection. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3678 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:20:54 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0160 The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will conduct the largest and most comprehensive counterterrorism exercise to date from Oct. 15-19 in Arizona and Oregon, and the U.S. territory of Guam. Top Officials 4 (TOPOFF 4) is the fourth in a series of congressionally-mandated exercises and involves various federal agencies as well as the governments of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1190667427078.shtm Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:20:54 EST EM Exercises and Training Homeland Security ERS0159 Three large-scale evacuation centers, a statewide text messaging alert system and inspections of smaller chemical facilities are some of the recommendations in a new state homeland security report. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/09/23/report_state_must_boost_ability_to_avert_recover_from_disasters/ Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:20:54 EST Emergency Readiness Boston.com ERS0158 Two years of planning and preparation will culminate with a full-scale disaster drill in Fauquier County on Sept. 22. Philip Myer is in charge of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services for Fauquier County. He said the exercise is part of the Virginia Region II Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program. http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab2.cfm?newsid=18831210&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=506066&rfi=6 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:31:52 EST EM Exercises and Training Times Community ERS0157 Manmade and natural disasters can take both a physical and emotional toll on its victims. While the immediate response to these disasters largely focuses on responding to the immediate needs of victims, often emotional needs are not readily addressed nor are response plans designed to address this basic need. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3660 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:16:40 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0156 The Federal Communications Commission’s new national broadband network for public safety will enable first responders to share data throughout much of the country starting as soon as 2009. But the new pipeline probably won’t achieve its full potential until more standards and systems for such data exchanges are widely adopted, according to experts. http://www.washingtontechnology.com/print/22_17/31431-1.html Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:16:40 EST Emergency Readiness Washington Technology ERS0155 Two global technology innovators have collaborated to put the power of geographic information system (GIS) technology into the hands of decision makers. ESi, the leader in crisis information management technology, and ESRI, the leader in GIS, today announced the release of WebEOC Mapper Professional (WebEOC Mapper). http://www.techlinks.net/CommunityAnnouncements/tabid/55/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/180240/WebEOC-Mapper-Provides-the-Power-of-GIS-for-Optimized-Situational-Awareness-Decision-Support-and-Much-More.aspx Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:16:40 EST Technology in EM techlinks ERS0154 In an earlier post, I passed along the gist of a GAO report (pdf) ripping DHS' implementation of key mission and management objectives. I'd like to spend a bit of time reviewing the Emergency Preparedness and Response section, as it's the area that I'm most concerned with and that DHS seems to be least concerned with. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/09/14/getting-down-to-specifics/ Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:16:40 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0153 ...conducting a survey of all US Healthcare facilties and healthcare systems, with the sponsorship of the Business Continuity Planning Workgroup for Healthcare Organizations (http://www.bcpwho.org/). http://www.healthgisguy.com/2007/09/preliminary-results-of-healthcare.html Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:16:40 EST Emergency Readiness HealthGISguy ERS0152 Emergency response authorities said they were pleased with the outcome of the Fort Bend County Local Emergency Planning Committee's full-scale hazardous materials response exercise Wednesday. http://www.herald-coaster.com/articles/2007/09/13/news/news01.txt Fri, 14 Sep 2007 10:48:19 EST EM Exercises and Training Fort Bend Herald ERS0151 Last week, they had an item on a new program out of CDC, named Public Health Information Rapid Exchange (PHIRE). From what I can gather, it’s a system for sending health alerts out to registered users. I signed up recently - and haven’t received anything yet, so sorry that I can’t tell if you if it’s the greatest thing since Facebook or not. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/quickly-noted-public-health-information-rapid-exchange/ Fri, 14 Sep 2007 10:48:19 EST Technology in EM In Case of Emergency ERS0150 Last week David Walker, Comptroller General, submitted a report (pdf) to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs regarding the status of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mr. Walker works for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and is tasked with auditing and evaluating government programs and spending. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/dhs-were-getting-there/ Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:49:07 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0149 Colorado State University this week launched its emergency cell phone text messaging alert service. The service is available to all faculty, staff and students who sign up. http://newsinfo.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=news_item_display&news_item_id=156508296 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:49:07 EST Technology in EM Colorado State University ERS0148 A slew of health organizations are kicking off programs focused on emergency preparedness to coincide with today's anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. http://www.nysun.com/article/62392 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:49:07 EST Emergency Readiness The New York Sun ERS0147 The concert of coughs, wheezing and fear in Lafayette General's emergency room Friday morning was all play - but not for fun. The hospital along with nine others in Acadiana tested how their procedures for handling a flu pandemic on Friday. http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NEWS01/709080312/1002 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:11:11 EST EM Exercises and Training The Daily Advertiser ERS0146 ASKED to describe his job, Michael D. Selves, director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security in Johnson County, Kan., recalls what he once told county commissioners who also posed the question. "My job," he said, "is to tell you things you don't want to hear, asking you to spend money you don't have for something you don't believe will ever happen." http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/jobs/09starts.html?ref=business Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:11:11 EST Emergency Readiness New York Times ERS0145 Let's say that a major bridge in your city has collapsed at the height of rush hour, claiming an unknown number of victims. You'd like to communicate with your staff, both to ascertain their well-being and to tell them what to do tomorrow. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9034702&source=rss_topic14 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:11:11 EST Technology in EM Computerworld ERS0144 Nassau County can now send telephone warnings to all its residents -- or just a targeted area of the county -- about storms or other emergencies, County Executive Thomas Suozzi said Thursday. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-liemer0907,0,4628944.story Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:38:07 EST Technology in EM newday.com ERS0143 An average of one ambulance per hour in New Jersey is being diverted to another hospital as residents increasingly seek treatment in emergency departments throughout the state, according to a report released Tuesday by the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. According to the report, ED visits in 2005 increased to 3.36 million -- a more than 25% increase since 1998. http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=47332 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:38:07 EST General Health Care kaisernetwork.org ERS0142 Police and fire departments from across Franklin County will join forces with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday for a full-scale explosive drill designed to test first responders' readiness and skills. http://www.10tv.com/?sec=news&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200709/1301419064.html Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:32:39 EST EM Exercises and Training 10TV.com ERS0141 This Policy Information Notice (PIN) provides guidance to health centers (i.e., section 330 funded grantees and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alikes) on emergency management expectations related to planning and preparing for future emergencies. http://bphc.hrsa.gov/policy/pin0715/default.htm Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:32:39 EST EM Funding HRSA ERS014 Matt Lawrence, a veteran UPS logistician, has become the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) first loaned executive from private industry. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070904006319&newsLang=en Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:03:32 EST Emergency Readiness Business Wire ERS0139 New Englanders like to consider themselves hardy folk - the kind who can handle three days of coastal pounding from a swirling no'easter and shrug it off as a "pretty good storm". http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/09/03/news/news02.txt Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:03:32 EST Emergency Readiness The Patriot Ledger ERS0138 The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (referred to as the Stafford Act-42 U.S.C. 5721 et seq.) authorizes the President to issue 'major disaster' or 'emergency' declarations before or after catastrophes occur. Emergency declarations trigger aid that protects property, public health, and safety and lessens or averts the threat of an incident becoming a catastrophic event. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3614 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:02:04 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0137 The emergency scanner in John Luther's car crackled to life Tuesday morning as firefighters searched for a truck fire in downtown Fayetteville. When Luther dropped his 6-year-old daughter off at elementary school, she told her teacher about the fire with the precision of a dispatcher. http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/09/03/news/090407fzplainlanguage.txt Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:02:04 EST Emergency Readiness The Morning News ERS0136 With more ill and injured people needing emergency care but do not speak English, hospitals, clinics and rescue squads are turning to picture boards to bridge the communication gap with easily understood images. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jQr3mVdgQVyiQjGEGRW2rgOSD4rA Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:02:04 EST General Health Care Associated Press ERS0135 As health-care businesses vie for their share of the market, it’s unusual to find hospitals forgoing competitive considerations to cooperate in the delivery of health-care services. http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070830/BUSINESS/208300343/-1/SPORTS02 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:02:17 EST Emergency Readiness Nashua Telegraph ERS0134 As you probably know, Gates is aggressively tackling third world diseases. He has targeted not only high-profile scourges like AIDS but also maladies like malaria, diarrhea, and parasitic infections. These latter illnesses are the really important ones to attack, because they kill millions a year and are entirely preventable. For decades, they flew under the radar of philanthropists in the West. So why did Gates become the first major humanitarian to take action? http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/15-09/st_thompson Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:02:17 EST Emergency Readiness Wired ERS0133 In the two years since Hurricane Katrina, the Red Cross has set higher benchmarks for sheltering and feeding disaster victims and helping them recover. http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_507_6992,00.html Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:17:16 EST Emergency Readiness American Red Cross ERS0132 In an effort to assist communities and organizations affected by natural disasters or major communications disruptions, Catalyst Telecom has become an authorized distributor of the Avaya Inc.'s Mobile Communication System (MCS). http://www.phoneplusmag.com/hotnews/78h2985742.html Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:17:16 EST Technology in EM Phone+ ERS0131 Schedule reminders on previously mentioned SMS reminder service PingMe with a phone call to the voice-to-text service, Jott. http://lifehacker.com/software/reminders/schedule-pingme-reminders-with-jott-294308.php Wed, 29 Aug 2007 10:02:38 EST Technology in EM LifeHacker ERS0130 The Federal Emergency Management Office (FEMA) has unveiled a prototype of the National Response Framework website. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3598 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:18:26 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0129 In today's world of emergency management, a four-year degree is a must, said Aaron Kenneston, emergency manager of Washoe County, Nev., though it's not necessarily critical the degree relate specifically to emergency management. http://www.govtech.com/gt/129736?topic=118264 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:18:26 EST EM Exercises and Training Government Technology ERS0128 Hundreds of police, fire, medical and other emergency personnel from Licking, Fairfield and Perry counties responded Saturday to terrorist threats around Buckeye Lake. It was a not a real emergency, but rather a training exercise to prepare emergency responders from various agencies and jurisdictions for a major threat. Funding for the exercise comes though the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070826/NEWS01/708260307/1002 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:56:37 EST EM Exercises and Training Newark Advocate ERS0127 Lorian Capital Corp. (the "Corporation")(TSX VENTURE:LRN.P), a capital pool company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), announces today that on August 23, 2007 it closed its Qualifying Transaction with Medworxx Inc. ("Medworxx") pursuant to which the Corporation acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares, options and common share purchase warrants of Medworxx (the "Acquisition"). http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=764013 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:56:37 EST Medworxx News marketwire ERS0126 Nova Scotians are reminded once again to be prepared to look after themselves and their families for the first 72 hours in an emergency. http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20070824001 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:56:37 EST Emergency Readiness Nova Scotia Emergency Managment Office ERS0125 In natural disasters, there is some consolation in the thought that nature just happens - it doesn't target victims. Not so with acts of terrorism. Knowing that technology can be used to wreak sudden harm on the unsuspecting makes for a scarier world, and we can't do a lot to prepare but to be on guard - that's why it's called "terrorism." http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18740096&BRD=1659&PAG=461&dept_id=8103&rfi=6 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:56:37 EST Emergency Readiness The Dolphin ERS0124 Pandemic influenza gets its share of headlines but there are other viruses out there that also are good tabloid fodder, most notably Ebola virus which causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever, whose gruesome effects were depicted in Richard Preston's book, The Hot Zone. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/marburg_virus_bird_flu_and_the.php Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:15:44 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0123 Lorian Capital Corp. ("Lorian") (CDNX:LRN-P.V - News), a capital pool company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"), announced today that it received conditional approval from the Exchange on August 14, 2007 concerning its previously announced Qualifying Transaction with Medworxx Inc. ("Medworxx"). http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070815/0291378.html Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:15:44 EST Medworxx News Yahoo! Finance ERS0122 HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has just released Emergency Preparedness Atlas: U.S. Nursing Home and Hospital Facilities, which is intended to help local communities identify the health care facilities (hospitals and nursing homes) that could be available and prepared to provide assistance under emergency conditions in their communities. http://nnlm.gov/mcr/news_blog/?p=525 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:15:44 EST Emergency Readiness National Network of Libraries of Medicine ERS0121 County Emergency Management Director Tim Hardy is hoping a new data collection system will help keep track of people completing necessary national incident management training. http://www.sunjournal.com/story/226290-3/Franklin/New_system_expected_to_help_training/ Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:15:44 EST Technology in EM sunjournal.com ERS0120 Historically, police departments, fire departments and ambulance drivers have all had their own independent communications equipment, so when there's a disaster that involves them all, they can't communicate with each other. http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/08/securitymatters_0823 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness Wired ERS0119 ... reports on an interesting draft specification from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for using the Session Initiation Protocol to deliver Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) alerts. http://www.incident.com/blog/?p=44 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Technology in EM incident.blog ERS0118 Last week, the DHS’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report (pdf) on the federal effort to coordinate and consolidate the various means of detecting a biological event, be it naturally occurring or man-made. The gist of the report? Given the money spent, we’re worse off than we were the first time President Bush made this a priority. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/national-bio-surveillance-miserable-failure/ Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0117 Yesterday included a post here highlighting a number of critical questions posed by the GAO in a wide ranging study of national challenges that will take about 100 years to address. Among them was a set of questions dealing with homeland security that I believe would be excellent fodder for a presidential debate leading up to 2008. The Center for American Progress decided not to wait for the politicians. They ran their third annual Terrorism Survey of policy wonks earlier this summer and released the findings yesterday. http://www.hlswatch.com/2007/08/21/1396/ Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0116 The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released a guide to federal law when accommodating people with disabilities. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3588 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness On The Homefront ERS0115 We keep seeing these discussions about the probability of a pandemic next year. Sometimes they center on the "overdue" for a pandemic notion, sometimes on using available data to give an estimate of the rough chances of a pandemic. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/estimating_pandemic_risk.php Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0114 The government and private businesses have spent billions of dollars on making our nation more secure. Still, there are many potential threats from terrorism, natural disasters, pandemic flu and other outbreaks. While governments can do much to prepare, it is up to individuals to take personal responsibility for their own safety and health. http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20070822/NEWS/708220304/-1/RSS&source=RSS Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness BlueRidgeNow.com ERS0113 ChoicePoint (NYSE: CPS), through its iMapData service, was a key participant in Operation Rapid Response, an internal preparedness exercise hosted recently by Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare in Louisville to test its ability to respond to a community-wide crisis using day-to-day facility management capabilities. http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=45354 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Technology in EM WebWire ERS0112 Medical identity theft can affect your credit report and discredit your health records. Officials don’t know how rampant the problem is, but they advise people to guard health information closely. http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/136407.html Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness thenewstribune.com ERS0111 Asia-Pacific countries accounted for 90 percent of people affected by natural disasters around the world since 2000, the region's emergency management chiefs were told yesterday. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/08/21/2003375144 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness Taipei Times ERS0110 In the event of a flu pandemic, the potential exists for millions of people to perish from illness as communities would be forced to face the prospect of infrastructure collapse, mass hysteria, rampant disorder and hospital overcrowding. http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=11348 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:26:58 EST EM Exercises and Training The Journal ERS0109 O’Malley will give an address on emergency management Friday to all attendees at the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City and is expected to repeat his 12 core capacities of emergency response throughout Maryland. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/displayUpdate.htm?StoryID=63896 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:26:58 EST Emergency Readiness Frederick News Post ERS0108 As more and more people take their meals already prepared ("ready to eat" or RTE) from supermarkets and delicatessens, so will more and more people take their pathogens the same way. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/pathogens_to_go.php Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:24:23 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0107 ...commenting in the last couple of days on a news item, originally from PCWorld, titled LA Fire Department all 'aTwitter' over Web 2.0, where throughout the article itself you would be able to read further how the L.A. Fire Department is starting to make use of social software tools like Twitter in order to be able to handle whatever emergencies and crises in a much more efficient and effective way by spreading information around much faster than through traditional tools. http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/km/elsua/archives/emergency-20-and-social-software-making-enterprise-20-really-matter-18340 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:24:23 EST Technology in EM elsua: The Knowledge Mangement Blog ERS0106 We write so much here about influenza A virus that you might get the idea it is an especially clever virus, always changing genetically in ways that allow it to perform new and nastier tricks. But other viruses are capable of doing the same thing, and one of them West Nile Virus (WNV), is currently becoming a a more persistent and serious public health hazard, all because of a clever little genetic trick it learned in the last decade or so. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/west_niles_lesson_for_pandemic.php Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:14:57 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0105 The city plans to build a $73 million, 10-story emergency operations and traffic management center in Downtown Honolulu, designed to make commutes smoother and improve communications between agencies during disasters. http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/NEWS01/708110347/1001/NEWS01 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:34:44 EST Emergency Readiness Honolulu Advertiser ERS0104 Waldo County will host a four-day, regional, full-scale disaster exercise Sept. 26-29 to test emergency responders and emergency managers from throughout Waldo County, neighboring counties and state and federal agencies. http://waldo.villagesoup.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=97698 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:54:19 EST EM Exercises and Training Village Soup ERS0103 A decision by the Bush administration to rewrite in secret the nation's emergency response blueprint has angered state and local emergency officials, who worry that Washington is repeating a series of mistakes that contributed to its bungled response to Hurricane Katrina nearly two years ago. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/07/AR2007080702115.html?sub=AR Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:25:11 EST Emergency Readiness washingtonpost.com ERS0100 ...a piece comes out in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that claims quarantine was an effective mitigation method for influenza in 1918. Time Magazine, for example, had an article with the headline: "Study: Quarantines Work Against Pandemics" http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/does_quarantine_work_for_pande.php Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:25:11 EST Emergency Readiness Effect Measure ERS0102 The threat of flooded roads and the challenge of evacuating people who have medical or other special needs remain Brunswick County Emergency Services' top concerns as the peak of hurricane season begins. http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/article/20070808/NEWS/708080497/1004 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:25:11 EST Emergency Readiness StarNewsOnline.com ERS0101 From In Case of Emergency - "My experiment with Twitter isn't going well. While I still haven't realized the potential benefits, I feel that's partly my fault. I'm simply too busy to interact with the community in order to see these potential benefits - and frankly, I'm just too old to update my friends on what I've been up to minute to minute." http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/social-media-roundup/ Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:12:10 EST Technology in EM In Case of Emergency ERS0099 Today, the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, made the following statement to mark the Emergency Management Act (EMA) coming into force on August 3, 2007. http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=758360 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:12:10 EST Emergency Readiness marketwire ERS0098 Fire and police department personnel and officials from surrounding towns gathered in Exeter to discuss how they would handle a regional outbreak of pandemic influenza. http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070807/NEWS/708070348 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:12:10 EST EM Exercises and Training Seacoastonline ERS0097 Firefighters and those they proudly serve are encouraged to avail themselves to free training at NFAOnline http://lafd.blogspot.com/2007/08/us-fire-administration-offers-nfaonline.html Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:12:10 EST EM Exercises and Training LAFD News & Information ERS0096 After a lengthy and detailed discussion last night, August 6, 2007, the Waterford Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved unanamously the appropriation of $2,905,364 from the Communications System designated line and $3,582,493 from the undesignated fund balance of the Capital Non recurring Expenditure Fund for the new Town Wide 800 MHz Trunked Radio System. http://waterford.ctlocalpolitics.net/?p=97 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:12:10 EST Emergency Readiness Waterford Political Blog ERS0095 Three papers developed by staff of ESi(R), the global leader in crisis information management technology, will be presented at the 2007 China-U.S. Conference on Disaster Management, being held in Beijing, August 7-9, 2007. http://www.techlinks.net/CommunityAnnouncements/tabid/55/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/179757/Augusta-Software-Firm-Will-Have-Major-Role-at-International-Disaster-Management-Conference.aspx Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:40:41 EST Technology in EM TechLinks ERS0094 A mock Medical Emergency Distribution System (MEDS) drill was conducted Wednesday, August 1, at Martin Middle School by East Providence Emergency Management and members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). http://www.eastbayri.com/story/289519128589031.php Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:40:41 EST EM Exercises and Training EastbayRI.com ERS0093 U. S. House of Representatives lawmakers said today, July 31, they remain concerned that the Bush administration might not be as prepared as it should be to handle a catastrophe or multiple disasters that occur simultaneously. http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=55817 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:40:41 EST Emergency Readiness Legislative Alert ERS0092 Many state agencies are contributing to the rescue and recovery effort. Here is a concise listing of each agency's efforts. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/08/03/bridge_state_response/ Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:40:41 EST Emergency Readiness Minnesota Public Radio ERS0091 Out of the ashes and tumult of Katrina, a new National Response Plan is near ready. http://www.hlswatch.com/2007/08/02/national-response-framework-emerges-from-dhs/ Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:59:35 EST Emergency Readiness Homeland Security Watch ERS0090 The first human trial of a DNA vaccine designed to prevent H5N1 avian influenza infection began recently, when the vaccine was administered to the first volunteer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/08/human_trials_start_for_h5n1_dn.php Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:37:01 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0089 Tornado prompted province to launch advanced warning system http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/News/327653.html Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:37:01 EST Technology in EM Sherwood Park News ERS0088 Physicians in Ontario community hospitals have a vital link to the resources of larger, more specialized hospitals in their region and the province thanks to a program based in Hamilton. http://www.hospitalnews.com/modules/magazines/mag.asp?ID=3&IID=97&AID=1281 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:37:01 EST Emergency Readiness Hospital News ERS0087 QUEENSLAND public hospitals are free to suspend elective surgery to relieve pressure on their emergency departments, Health Minister Stephen Robertson says. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22180905-3102,00.html Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:37:01 EST General Health Care couriermail.com.au ERS0086 Representatives from emergency, law enforcement and medical operations participated in a county-wide emergency management exercise last week. http://www.cameronherald.com/articles/2007/08/02/news/news06.txt Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:37:01 EST EM Exercises and Training The Cameron Herald ERS0085 Weston EMTs receive mass casualty training http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/weston/21044.shtml Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:37:01 EST EM Exercises and Training The Weston Forum ERS0084 A new study in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports that hospital management plans for mass casualty incident (MCI) disasters must be improved not only for orthopaedic surgeons but all medical personnel and staff. http://mediconews.com/2007/08/01/be-prepared-is-your-hospital-ready-to-save-lives-when-or-if-disaster-strikes/ Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:21:48 EST Emergency Readiness MedicoNews ERS0083 A combination of ice storms, flooding rains and tornadoes have left Oklahoma atop a dubious list. So far this year, the state has most federal disaster declarations in the country. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2007/07/30/82135.htm Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:21:48 EST Emergency Readiness Insurance Journal ERS0082 The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has made a draft copy of the new Z1600 Standard on Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs available for public review. http://continuitycentral.com/news03390.htm Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:21:48 EST Emergency Readiness Continuity Central ERS0081 It's mid summer, so it's time to drag out what we say each summer about spraying for West Nile Virus. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/07/west_nile_policy_nothing_chang.php Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:10:00 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0080 Albert Ashwood is the director of the Oklahoma department of emergency management. Nearly 2 years ago he appeared before a house committee to talk about problems with FEMA. Today he is back and he is not happy. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicsasusual/2007/07/if-its-legal-mo.html Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:10:00 EST Emergency Readiness Politics as Usual (ABC News) ERS0078 State officials are scrambling to create a $7.5 million spending plan that will get police, fire and emergency medical services on a common wavelength. http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4104113.html Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:10:00 EST Technology in EM Kennebec Journal ERS0076 If you're prepared to mitigate a release of radioactive and/or toxic materials, it doesn't matter if the source is natural, accidental, or intentional. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/the-specter-of-terror/ Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0075 Now there is open talk about the need and potential efficacy of non pharmaceutical interventions, or as the jargon has it now, "community mitigation guidelines." http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/07/pandemic_planners_and_the_wisd.php Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0074 Ever since the Virginia Tech tragedy in April, there has been a tremendous increase in interest in emergency notification. There is almost a sense of panic, so many seem so intent in putting emergency callout capability in place. http://crisisblogger.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/notification-is-not-communication/ Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Emergency Readiness Crisisblogger ERS0073 Florida Gov. Charlie Crist proclaimed July 26 "Get a Plan Day" by announcing the grand opening of Florida's State Response Center in Orlando. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2007/07/30/82104.htm Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Emergency Readiness Insurance Journal ERS0072 Federal Signal Corporation, a leader in advancing security and well-being, announced today that the Omaha, Neb., Tri-County Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Region, composed of the City of Omaha, Douglas County, Sarpy County and Washington County have begun to deploy the FS Codespear interoperable industry platform to enhance emergency management, planning and response within each respective agency's emergency management operations. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-30-2007/0004635275&EDATE= Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Technology in EM PRN newswire ERS0071 Canadian hospitals are starting to deploy patient-focused software where it's needed most http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070725.wgthospital26/BNStory/GlobeTQ Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Medworxx News Globe and Mail ERS0070 Events for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) http://www.compliancehome.com/events/HIPAA/Webinars/details10487.html Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Medworxx News Compliance Home ERS0079 After all of this blather about how social media can save the world, and why won’t emergency management folks, public health folks, preparedness folks and other response groups grab the bull by the horns and use social media - I finally signed up. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/07/20/a-hypocrite-no-more/ Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Technology in EM In Case of Emergency ERS0069 The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) (P.L. 106-390) provides an opportunity for States, Tribes, and local governments to take a new and revitalized approach to mitigation planning. DMA 2000 amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Act) by repealing the previous Mitigation Planning section (409) and replacing it with a new Mitigation Planning section (322). https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3554 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0068 The first of the putative "universal" vaccines against influenza A is entering Phase I (small scale safety and efficacy) testing. Manufactured by UK vaccine company Acambis, the vaccine is designed to protect against a wide range of influenza A viruses of many subtypes and many strains. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/07/universal_flu_vaccine_enters_p.php Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0067 On May 18, 2006, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on "Caring for Seniors in a National Emergency: Can We Do Better." The consensus among those testifying at the hearing was that government must do more to ensure the health and safety of older Americans during a disaster. http://elderabusecenter.wordpress.com/2006/05/19/katrina-lessons/ Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST Emergency Readiness National center on Elder Abuse ERS0066 In the event of mass casualties in the county, the hospital had a training session for volunteers who worked together to ensure the lives of local citizens in the event of an emergency such as a tornado, flood, or even an ice storm. http://www.ripleybee.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=42 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST EM Exercises and Training Ripley Bee ERS0065 State and local governments received nearly $3.6 billion in federal fiscal 2007 funding this week for counterterrorism, emergency preparedness and interoperable communications. http://www.fcw.com/article103267-07-19-07-Web Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST EM Funding FCW.com ERS0064 The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today final Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) awards totaling $1.7 billion, including a total of almost $411 million to the nation’s six urban areas at highest risk of a terrorist attack: New York City/Northern New Jersey; the National Capital Region; Los Angeles/Long Beach; the California Bay Area; Houston; and Chicago. http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1184781799950.shtm Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:26:30 EST EM Funding Homeland Security ERS0063 The Homeland Security Council has just released it's one year update of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3551 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:28:00 EST Emergency Readiness On the Homefront ERS0062 The Guardian Tracer was showcased in JEPRS (Joint Emergency Planning and Response System) which is an emergency management tool as a result of the collaboration between Catalyst Capabilities International, Infusion Development and Microsoft. http://www.guardianmobility.com/gmblog/?p=79 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:28:00 EST Technology in EM Guardian Mobility Blog ERS0061 The most recent meeting of the Battle Road Regional Emergency Planning Committee left the members with a few things to think about over their summer break. http://www.townonline.com/burlington/homepage/x61734713 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:28:00 EST Emergency Readiness Burlington Union ERS0060 HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced that the department has provided another $896.7 million to the states, territories, and four metropolitan areas to improve and sustain their ability to respond to public health emergencies. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/07/pr20070717c.html Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:28:00 EST EM Funding HHS ERS0059 Annual report of U.S. flu plan identifies preparedness progress, gaps http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=July&x=20070718125554lcnirellep0.3902094 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:28:00 EST Emergency Readiness USINFO.STATE.GOV ERS0058 In the wake of a series of scares involving E.coli-laden spinach, poisoned pet food and salmonella-tainted peanut butter and snack puffs, it seemed safe to assume that the nation's food supply wasnn't particularly well-safeguarded. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1644705,00.html?xid=rss-health Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:00:00 EST Emergency Readiness Time ERS0057 The incidence of serious strep infections has risen dramatically in the last three decades, and this increase is largely attributed to the spread around the globe of a single strain of strep known as the invasive M1T1 clone. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070716133210.htm Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:07:00 EST General Health Care Science Daily ERS0056 More than a decade after the Internet went mainstream, the world's richest information source hasn't necessarily made its users any more informed. A new study from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that Americans, on average, are less able to correctly answer questions about current events than they were in 1989. http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/15-07/st_infoporn Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST Technology in EM Wired ERS0055 By KELLI HILYER/THE DEMOPOLIS TIMES http://www.demopolistimes.com/articles/2007/07/17/news/news9814.txt Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST Emergency Readiness demopolistimes.com ERS0054 Overlooked and difficult to find, there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. government web sites that can help you accomplish a variety of tasks. http://lifehacker.com/software/technophilia/us-government-web-sites-you-didnt-know-you-could-use-277405.php Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:53:00 EST Technology in EM Lifehacker ERS0053 An interesting trend has begun popping up in the blogs lately regarding staffing in public health preparedness especially, but also in other seemingly "mission critical" fields in government. This trend is toward understaffing and the resulting increase in the use of consultants to fill those roles. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/07/16/homeland-insecurity/ Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:53:00 EST Emergency Readiness In Case of Emergency ERS0052 On this week's podcast, Jon spoke with Rod Piukkala, Director, Telus Business Solutions. Within this group his focus is on the Ontario Public Sector, and he joined Jon to speak about the current state of emergency communications in Canada. http://podcasts.pulvermedia.com/blog/archives/2007/07/jon_arnold_rod.php Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:53:00 EST Technology in EM pulvermedia ERS0051 Ambitions ran high when Wired joined forces in January with new media incubator NewAssignment.net to try a novel experiment in pro-am journalism. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2007/07/assignment_zero_final Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST Technology in EM Wired ERS0050 Recent events remind us that a new pandemic could be only a plane ride away. http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/235792 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST Emergency Readiness Toronto Star ERS0049 During Saturday's exercise, an explosion will be simulated on scene. A call will be made to the police department in which officers will be sent to the designated location. http://nbs.gmnews.com/news/2007/0712/Front_Page/012.html Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:57:00 EST EM Exercises and Training Sentinel ERS0048 Richard Ebright, a Rutgers University microbiologist and biodefense critic said today the power loss last month at the CDC's new high-security research lab in Atlanta could have exposed researchers to dangerous diseases. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/07/cdc-lab-breakdo.html Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:04:47 EST General Health Care ERS0047 The company has rolled together two of its user-generated mapping products -- MyMaps and Mapplets -- to give Google Maps users the ability to create custom maps using dynamic data. http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/mash-your-own-g.html Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST Technology in EM Wired ERS0046 If you aren't worried about bird flu you probably aren't in the poultry business. The pandemic that has yet to materialize for humans is already here for birds, where it is called a panzootic. http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/07/the_birds_eye_view_of_bird_flu.php Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST General Health Care Effect Measure ERS0043 Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional panel Tuesday that top Bush administration officials repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/washington/11surgeon.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1184159825-YaQqzWHsJTQQ/DPBgsHGkg Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST General Health Care New York Times ERS0044 Award-winning UNT professor will work with emergency managers http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-floodprepare_10met.ART.State.Edition1.434d015.html Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST Emergency Readiness dallasnews.com ERS0042 VoiceNation announces its partnership with the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create a bullet proof hotline service that FEMA team members can call in to receive updates about disasters. http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/7/emw538118.htm Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST Technology in EM eMediaWire ERS0041 Something disasterous has happened, and hospital personnel have to react quickly. Fast, organized, appropriate action is now possible thanks to the universal system hospitals in North Dakota are training to put in place. http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=8585 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST Emergency Readiness KFYR News ERS0045 Welcome to another edition of Voices. I'm Joaquim Menezes, editor of ITWorldCanada.com - and with me today is Julian Fantino, Ontario's Commissioner of Emergency Management, and former police commissioner of Toronto. http://www.intergovworld.com/article/idgml-329850b2-b554-4c06-b5af-6498bfa811d8/pg0.htm Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST Emergency Readiness InterGovWorld.com ERS0040 Google has created a health care advisory group of prominent medical and health care experts -- many with an interest in speeding up the use of technology in health care delivery, including online medical searches and sharing of health information. http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070703/tc_cmp/200001967 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:20:00 EST General Health Care Yahoo News ERS0039 Karim Lakhani is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School's Technology and Operations Management Unit. He is a serious scholar of crowdsourcing, trying to build theories of if, how and why it works. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2007/07/academics_crowdsourcing Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM Wired ERS0010 Hospital and nursing home administrators face challenges related to evacuations caused by hurricanes, including deciding whether to evacuate and obtaining transportation. http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/26535.html Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Emergency Readiness Conservative Voice ERS0009 Nothing seems to spark more fear throughout the world than the threat of an infectious pandemic outbreak. Health officials agree that preparedness, to include early detection and rapid response, are two key components for controlling infectious diseases. http://www.svherald.com/articles/2007/07/09/news/doc4691cde9205a7915825961.txt Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST EM Exercises and Training SV Herald ERS0008 State and local emergency managers are the clear winners in the approps process http://www.fcw.com/article103170-07-09-07-Print Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST EM Funding FCW.com ERS0007 CATAAlliance rewards expertise, innovation and leadership in technology http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2007/09/c4732.html Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM CNW group ERS0006 Late last month, the AMA began publishing a new journal entitled, Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/quickly-noted-disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/ Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST General Health Care In Case of Emergency ERS0005 EMAP is pleased to release the inaugural edition of the EMAP standards entitled "Emergency Management Standards by EMAP" for public comment. http://www.emaponline.org/?341 Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Emergency Readiness Emergency Management Accreditation Program ERS0004 Though the bombings of July 7, 2005 certainly weren't the first time that ordinary bystanders took it upon themselves to document the events unfolding around them, the event marked a turning point in the evolution of the "citizen journalist." http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2007/07/stockwaves Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Emergency Readiness Wired ERS0003 The dry run for a dirty-bomb attack on Prince Edward Island pushed emergency personnel and their equipment to the limit in late March last year. http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=61830 Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Emergency Readiness brandonsun.com ERS0002 The Council of General Practitioners says the Western Australian Health Department should have issued its flu warning to parents earlier than yesterday afternoon to give hospitals and doctors a chance to cope with demand. http://groups.google.com/group/big-medicine/browse_thread/thread/c79e8976080c01d7?hl=en Sat, 07 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST General Health Care Big Medicine ERS0001 Medworxx, the makers of a strategic software platform that hospitals use to communicate, aggregate, and analyze knowledge, is pleased to announce that William Osler Health Centre (WOHC) has joined the ever growing list of Medworxx customers. http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=A15A012F-7319-4161-84DA-EF3355A69CB3 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Medworxx News Computer Business ERS0011 Experts say U.S. companies need to take the increasing use of cyberwarfare tactics and tools very seriously. http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=200900812&subSection=All+Stories Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM InformationWeek ERS0012 The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and eSchool News Network have joined forces to develop a comprehensive and interactive disaster readiness online resource for educators. http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070627005939&newsLang=en Wed, 27 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM National Educational Computing Conference 2007 ERS0013 New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D. announced today the formal opening of the Health Command Center (HCC), a $1.8 million facility from which the Department can respond in real time to a full spectrum of health emergencies, including infectious diseases, natural and manmade disasters. http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/dhss/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=3070 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM NJDHHS ERS0014 I cannot paste the whole abstract due to LinkedIN restrictions, so I select some parts; I can e-mail if you want http://www.linkedin.com/answers/government-non-profit/government-services/GOV_GSR/60259-9080869 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM LinkedIN Answers ERS0015 A national emergency alert announced on local television and radio stations throughout Illinois this morning appears to be the result of a human error in Washington, D.C. http://www.whig.com/326765874765770.php Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM whig.com ERS0016 At ESRI's Senior Executive Seminar (SES), held the day before the User's Conference convened in San Diego, senior managers gathered to hear their peers discuss the ways in which they moved GIS out of the backroom and into the boardroom. http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=2489 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM Directions Magazine ERS0017 Recently, I found out about a few software programs that might be of interest to my readers. http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/tools-of-the-trade/ Wed, 20 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM In Case of Emergency ERS0018 Medusa Medical Technologies Inc. (Medusa) announced today that its flagship electronic patient care reporting software, the Siren ePCR(TM) Suite, is currently being implemented in a pilot program for ground ambulances operated by Emergency Health Services Nova Scotia (EHS). http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,123138.shtml Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM earthtimes.org ERS0019 AtHoc has released an extension to the company’s alert notification system to enable federal, state and local emergency management officials to send Emergency Alert System messages to the public more rapidly and efficiently. http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/44451-1.html Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Technology in EM Government Computer News ERS0020 The globe-trotting American lawyer who caused an international health scare by traveling while infected with tuberculosis has a less severe form of the disease than previously diagnosed, a federal health official said Tuesday. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/03/ap3882223.html Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST General Health Care Associated Press ERS0021 The World Health Organization has issued new rules to limit the international spread of epidemics and other public health emergencies. http://www.news-medical.net/?id=26537 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST General Health Care news-medical.net ERS0022 Sun-Sentinel.com Emergency Readiness Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EST Palm Beach County is looking for 6,000 men and women to become part of its trained volunteer force to assist in a public health emergency. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-702recruit,0,6258433.story?coll=sfla-news-palm ERS0023 http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706290308 Bucyrus Telegraph EM Exercises and Training Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST An annual disaster drill made the first day of summer a memorable one for Galion Community Hospital employees. ERS0024 http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/06/pr20070628a.html Health Data Management EM Funding Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced a total of $430 million in awards to states, territories and four major metropolitan areas to strengthen the ability of hospitals and other health care facilities to respond to bioterror attacks, infectious diseases, and natural disasters that may cause mass casualties. ERS0025 http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1220272.html McCook Daily Gazette EM Funding Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Since, 2003, Mahon said, county emergency co-manager Diane Wilkinson has written grants that have brought in some $539,346.96 in federal grants toward expenses such as exercise and training, repeaters, radios, generators, lights and rescue equipment. ERS0026 http://www.couleenews.com/articles/2007/06/27/news/05hazard.txt West Salem Coulee News EM Funding Wed, 27 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST According to Doug Mormann, director of the La Crosse County Public Health Department, President Bush’s budget request for the next fiscal year reflects a growing belief that states need to bear some of the costs for disaster preparedness. ERS0027 https://www.hsdl.org/hslog/?q=node/3521 On the homefront Emergency Readiness Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST For many communities, volunteers in the emergency services sector is crucial for emergency preparedness. Currently there is a decline in the volunteer emergency services. From the report: "Can the trend in declining volunteerism be reversed?" ERS0028 http://www.fcw.com/article103092-06-25-07-Web FCM.com Emergency Readiness Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Almost two years after the Federal Emergency Management Agency drew widespread criticism for its coordination of rescue and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina struck, the agency has reached its goal of being 95 percent fully staffed, according to the agency’s director of management. ERS0029 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/06/17/INGMLQEST51.DTL SFGate.com Emergency Readiness Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST In view of the increased risk we now face, it is time to add a second question to Nunn's: What will we actually do on the day after? That is, what actions should our government take? ERS0030 http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=58cda60c9f9decef thefacts.com Emergency Readiness Sat, 16 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST In case disaster strikes the city, Clute has adopted the National Incident Management System as its standard in emergency response. ERS0031 http://www.clantonadvertiser.com/articles/2007/06/16/news/a-news.txt Clanton Advertiser Emergency Readiness Sat, 16 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST The Alabama Emergency Management Agency was granted conditional accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. ERS0032 http://public.cq.com/docs/hs/hsnews110-000002533245.html CQ.com Emergency Readiness Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST The Federal Emergency Management Agency is close to announcing selections for its National Advisory Council — a congressionally mandated group of emergency management experts who will serve the FEMA administrator. ERS0033 http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070615/NEWS/70615020/-1/NEWS05 Burlington Free Press Emergency Readiness Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST The Vermont Department of Health has received high marks from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention for its Strategic National Stockpile emergency preparedness program. ERS0034 http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/Hazardous-Materials/HazMat-Team-Spotlight--Burlington-County--NJ--HAMMER-15/18$51705 Firehouse.com Emergency Readiness Thu, 14 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST The hazmat team is primarily a volunteer organization comprised of firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel, OEM, sheriff's office, public works, and industry personnel. ERS0035 http://www.leesvilledailyleader.com/articles/2007/06/13/news/news2.txt Leesville Daily Leader Emergency Readiness Wed, 13 Jun 2007 09:00:00 EST Wells said the training allows the organizations to learn teamwork, resource sharing, cost reduction and troubleshooting during an incident. ERS0036 http://breakglass.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/the-hospitals-will-be-full-but-with-whom/ In Case of Emergency Emergency Readiness Thu, 31 May 2007 09:00:00 EST Even that [we will still be able to accomplish a thing or two and implement our plans], though, is dependent on an assumption - that we’ll show up to work. And that’s a mighty big assumption. ERS0037 http://www.metacafe.com/watch/588780/airbus_380_evacuation/ metacafe.com Emergency Readiness Thu, 31 May 2007 09:00:00 EST How to evacuate an Airbus 380 (873 people) in just 77 seconds. ERS0038