FEMA Region X Monthly HAZMAT "Update" 

Release Date: June 8, 1999
Release Number: R10-99-29

» 1999 Region X News Releases

This monthly update is produced in an effort to keep hazardous materials program personnel up to date in the areas of exercises, training, and planning. If you have a contribution or wish other items posted in this "Update", please contact Mike Hammond at FEMA Region X headquarters at (425) 487 4775 or email at, mike.hammond@fema.gov.

This update is for the period of 6-1-99 to 9-1-99.

Quotes of the Month

"I've always thought that underpopulated countries in Africa are vastly underpolluted." (Lawrence Summers, chief economist of the World Bank, explaining why we should export toxic wastes to Third World countries.)

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (Mark Twain)

Web Page Highlight (Your Additions are Welcome)

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
www.ed.gov/free FREE provides teachers with quick access to rich educational resources on a wide range of topics. FREE is another example of the Federal Government's commitment to help teachers and students make the most of technology in their classrooms." Vice President Gore

The Right-To-Know Network
www.ombwatch.org/rtk.net. The Right-To-Know Network Provides free access to numerous databases, text files, and conferences on the environment, housing, and sustainable development. With the information available on RTK NET, you can identify specific factories and their environmental effects; analyze reinvestments by banks in their communities; and assess people and communities affected.

Anyone else have a good or interesting Web Site?

SERC (State Emergency Response Commission)& LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) MEETINGS

Washington 9-23-99, Spokane, in conjunction with WA State Emergency Managers, Assoc. Meeting.

Oregon July 30, 1999, Salem, Quarterly LEPC meeting

IdahoAs Needed, Contact Bill Bishop for more information. (208) 334 3263

Alaska7-20-99, Anchorage, LEPC workshop
7-21-99, Anchorage, SERC Meeting
10-19-99, Anchorage, LEPC workshop
10-20-99, Anchorage, SERC meeting

Training and Exercises
Contact the Provider or Mike Hammond for more information. Course dates and times may change, be sure to check before the class.

Miscellaneous Announcements

Free Publications

Energy and Transportation Network News.
This is a publication of the Urban Energy & Transportation Corporation, a non-profit organization. This newsletter is designed to aid communication and interaction among governmental agencies and other organizations responsible for hazardous materials transportation and emergency management. Network News also provides information about DOE and other federal programs available to local governments and shares information from local programs. TO SUBSCRIBE; write to, Circulation Manager, Urban Energy & Transportation Corp., 406 W. 34th St. STE 710, Kansas City, MO 64111-9708

Does anyone out there have a publication that they feel could be of value to the rest of us in the HazMat field? If so, let me know and I will be happy to include it in this section.

Thoughts. Notes and Ideas From Here & There

  1. I received no feedback on last month's article on the old CDV radiation instruments, so I am assuming you all must have agreed with what was written.

  2. EPA has an article titled "Making it Work: The Fire Service and SARA Title III." Document number is, EPA-550-K-93-004, series 9, No. 5.

  3. The week of May 17 to 21 I attended the National Association of SARA Title III Program Official's conference in Phoenix. If you would like a copy of some of the notes I made from that meeting, let me know by email and I will send them as a separate document (Word) These are not in-depth, but may give you an idea of some of the topics being discussed. A few of the thoughts from that conference have found their way into this document.

  4. To some of you I mailed out a list of Internet addresses related to topics in the field of terrorism. If you did not get that list and would like a copy, let me know and I will be glad to send you one by email or snail mail.

  5. EPA Region III has produced a three cassette tape series on LEPCs. Tape 1 is LEPC Dungeon, Tape 2 is Good Time Chair and tape 3 is Heaven Sent (Back). Tape 1 is for Elected Officials while 2 and 3 are for LEPC Chairpersons and members respectively. Should you be interested or want to get a copy of these tapes, call Al Brown at (215) 814-3302. I have not had the chance yet to review this.

  6. Would you like to highlight one of your local HazMat Teams? Tell us about the composition, areas served, makeup, types and frequencies of calls, equipment used and so forth? Send me a short description, and it will be included in future issues of the update. Might as well anyway, otherwise I will be calling and asking for it.

  7. Are you a frustrated writer or would just like to use a soapbox. Opinions gladly printed here, provided they are free of gratuitous violence, etc.
  8. ummer forecast. "Summer shows promise of being slightly warmer than average, particularly July or early August, maybe a degree or two above climatology. Rainfall near normal for the summer months. As was the case last year, we have had early growth of grasses and brush, thanks to all the rain and a few days of nice weather in April. That combination makes for a greater than normal fire threat: along with the repeated incidence of strong wind events last winter that left lots of deadfalls in the forested areas of the Cascades, the potential is there for another bad fire season (late July - end of September). And if travel is in your plans - unless you really like it hot and dusty, Southern California and the desert Southwest looks like a good place to avoid this summer - potential for significantly warmer and drier than normal, with water shortages the order of the day. This is not really related to the recent La Nina, but is typical of both post-El Nino and La Nina years." This article courtesy of Mike McCallister, Meteorologist and Coordinator for Snohomish County Emergency Management.
  9. The week of May 11 to 13 saw a successful annual drill for the Umatilla Army Depot in Oregon. Almost 7,500 people in the states of Washington and Oregon participated in this daylong exercise, which simulated a release from the depot. Many systems were drilled, including shelter-in-place, EOC activation, emergency and hospital decontamination, traffic and access control and so forth. The lessons learned will be taken to heart and another drill will be scheduled for next year. Congratulations to Larry Keen of the FEMA CSEPP team and all the others who helped lead this exercise.

  10. April 21st the Boeing Company in Everett, Washington conducted a four-hour HazMat drill. Boeing Fire/HazMat and Paine Field Fire answered this drill based on a transportation scenario all held on Boeing property. The critique showed this to be a valuable learning experience for all of the personnel involved. Congratulations to Bill Carberry of the Everett Boeing plant who put a lot of work and thought into this drill.

Terrorism

Check this Out

If you have not already done so, try, www.fema.gov/rris. The Rapid Response Information System. A reference guide, training library and planning guide, with resources, for WMD purposes.

Notes

The conference I informed you about last month has taken place. Evidently they agencies involved have heard the message loud and clear that there needs to be more coordination among the agencies for getting out information and resources. One of the purposes of the NDPO will be to do exactly that. To keep up with this sort of information, remember to periodically check the NDPO web Site at, www.fbi.gov. NOTE: this is a change from the old www.npdo.org site that I gave you some time back. Evidently, they are trying to get away from the org site to a gov site and in the meantime are living with the FBI.

This seems to be a holding time is the field of terrorism. A lot has been going on, but mostly in the formative stages. We are aware that there are a number of companies out there selling themselves as "Experts" in the filed of terrorism. The unfortunate reality is that some of them know very little about the subject matter, but they are very good at selling. If you have any warnings to others, I would be glad to print those.

The review of the GAO question on the RAID team concept is still under review. There may well be some news to report in this area by next month. Se last month's UPDATE for more on this.

Last Modified: Friday, 09-Jan-2004 14:02:05