International Association of Emergency Managers

The 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness: The Power of Citizen Corps, is being hosted by FEMA’s Community Preparedness Division on August 9-12, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA. The conference is open to all who are interested in making their communities safer, stronger, and better prepared for all types of hazards. It will bring together approximately 600 state and local elected officials, emergency management, fire and police services, public health and emergency medical services, non-governmental organizations, private business and industry, advocacy groups, and members of public.

Attendees at the 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness will:

• Share best practices on collaborative emergency planning
• Discuss preparedness outreach and education for targeted populations
• Learn innovative approaches to funding
• Hear updates on DHS/FEMA initiatives
• Hear about successful training and exercises
• Share volunteer management practices
• Network with other participants

More information on the conference can be found on the conference website: http://www.iaem.com/NCCP2009.htm

http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/emresponse.pdf

To help mitigate the impact of disasters on libraries providing support to healthcare providers and their patients, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) has developed and sustains the emergency response plan to help Network members maintain their information services in the event of a disaster.

The effectiveness of the plan depends on collaboration from a broad range of participants including individual Network members, eight Regional Medical Library (RML) offices and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The plan’s structure is designed to provide a framework that begins with preparedness and continues through emergency response and recovery.

The emergency response plan supports a communication strategy for participating members and the RML offices that may be utilized prior to and during an emergency. The plan provides a strategy to support essential services for Network members based on a preparedness plan and assigns responsibility for follow-up and reporting after each incident or emergency event.

Roles/Definitions

Network Members: Maintain an up-to-date Emergency Preparedness Plan to include essential services and resources, strategies for continuity of service, and critical contacts. Use What if Disaster Strikes: Planning and Preparation, http://nnlm.gov/training/ resources/emplanning.pdf. During a disaster, the Network member implements their Emergency Preparedness Plan, contacts back-up library, their state coordinator and the RML Office. (1-800-DEV-ROKS)

Back-up Libraries: Are our first responders to an affected library for communication and service continuity. They maintain a current list of contacts and should proactively work out the level of support (preferably through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), or a Mutual Aid Agreement (MAA) see http://nnlm.gov/ep/mou-showcase/ ) to be implemented with Network Members in the event of a disaster.

Regional Coordinators: Are appointed by the regional RML Office and are a part of the team that helps ensure continuity of service to the affected Network member. They follow-up with and after-incident report to the NN/LM office.

Publishers and Vendors: May work together to temporarily provide resources in disaster-stricken areas through the Emergency Access Initiative (EAI) Collaborative that is still under discussion and testing.

National Library of Medicine (NLM): Maintains the NN/LM National
Emergency Preparedness & Response Plan and functions as a back-up resource when local and regional resources have been exhausted.

Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC): DIMRC is tasked with the collection, organization and dissemination of health information resources and informatics research related to disasters of natural, accidental, or deliberate origin. This Center helps with national emergency preparedness and response efforts. http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html

RML Offices: Are responsible for coordinating a response when requested by a Network member, re-routing DOCLINE, notifying the Regional Coordinator of the incident after being contacted by a Network member, and providing needed recovery resources as feasible. They are also responsible for promoting the plan, providing training on continuity of service planning, facilitating back-up library relationships, and assisting with MOU development.

Library Networks/Consortia: The RML will work with regional library networks and consortia to provide preparedness, planning and continuity of service disaster training.

The emergence of several new human Swine Flu cases reported in the media has generated a good deal of publicity. Here are some CDC and WHO information resources that are frequently updated with Swine Flu outbreak and mitigation developments:

CDC web page on Swine Flu. This site is kept updated with recent facts and status on Swine Flu. There is a link on the page to the facts and figures about the current investigation. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

Public health emergency declaration in response to recent human infections with a newly discovered swine influenza A (swine flu) virus. http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/phe_swh1n1.html.

Transcript of the April 26 CDC Briefing on Public Health Investigation of Human Cases of Swine Influenza: http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/download.asp?af=h&f=11270&s_cid=cs_000_sw

A transcript of the April 24 press briefing about the Swine Flu situation is located at: http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/2009/t090424.htm?s_cid=tw_epr_53

A new Swine Flu topic page on MedlinePlus is now live at:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/swineflu.html

You can also add the following RSS feed on Swine Flu to your feed reader to get regular updates: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/rss/?s_cid=tw_epr_54

Latest CDC Health Advisory
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/pdf/HAN_042509.pdf

Information updates from World Health Organization http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

From NYC Health Dept - Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine flu
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr015-09.shtml

Recent articles in the MMWR on swine flu in California: Update: Swine Influena A (H1N1) Infections - - California and Texas, April 2009 MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24; 58(Dispath);1-3.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0424a1.htm

Swine Influenza A (H1N1) infection in two children–Southern California, March-April 2009 MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24;58(15):400-2.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0421a1.htm

Swine Flu guidance documents for clinicians and public health professionals: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance/

HHS Swine Flu widget: http://www.hhs.gov/web/library/index.html

Three ways to stay current on Swine Flu and Avian Influenza News events:

1. RSS Feed: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/32957440.rss
2. Website: http://aidailydigest.blogspot.com/
3. Twitter: Go http://twitter.com and sign up. Once logged in, open
   another tab go to http://search.twitter.com/ search for “AIDigest” and
   click follow.”

CDC also has a Twitter feed that contains updates on the Swine Flu: http://twitter.com/cdcemergency

“Managing Emergency Preparedness: Academic Health Centers Organize and Innovate” provides academic health center leaders and policymakers at the local, state, and national levels with a short-hand guide on managing emergency response activities within academic health centers.   Academic health centers are leaders in emergency preparedness and disaster response from vigilance in internal security to protection of the research enterprise to collaboration with the surrounding community.

This brief guide by the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) highlights ways in which academic health centers are developing and managing operations and systems to help ensure that institutions and communities can respond to an array of emergencies and natural disasters. http://www.aahcdc.org/policy/reports/AAHC_Emergency_Prep_08.pdf

LiveProcess and AHA Solutions Present:

How Do You Know if Your Hospital is Ready for a Disaster?
Tools for Assessing Hospital Preparedness for All Hazards

Date:
Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Time:
1:00 - 2:00 pm (EST)
12:00 - 1:00 pm (CST)
10:00 - 11:00 am (PST)

Webinar Speakers:

• Pete Brewster, Director, Education and Training for the Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group, Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
• Mitch Saruwatari, VP Quality & Compliance, LiveProcess
• Brad Hunter, Director, AHA Solutions, Inc.

Click Here To Register Now!
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?LiveProcess/e76c227223/4342f966cb/c72a113e42/sm=CeZ4_2foTwAJqd3JbLOksrSA_3d_3d

What you will learn about:

• Research and practice in emergency management (EM) program evaluation.
• A comprehensive approach being implemented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.
• Findings and recommendations from this “Capability Assessment Program;” and,
• Applications of this approach to your hospital/health systems.

Event Summary:

What are the most important emergency preparedness activities for your hospital, and what methods should you use to assess these activities?

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, in collaboration with other Federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, has developed and is implementing a nationwide assessment of its comprehensive emergency management program. Attendees will learn their findings from this effort and discover how to apply some of these invaluable tools within their
own organizations.

Intended Audience:

All staff with a designated role in hospital emergency management planning, response, safety, risk or compliance.

Level:

Relevant for both leadership and staff.

http://nnlm.gov/ep/
by Susan Yowell, NN/LM Emergency Preparedness & Response, Project Assistant & Recorder

Three new features have recently been added to the NN/LM Emergency Preparedness and Response Toolkit.

Dan Wilson, NN/LM Emergency Preparedness & Response Coordinator, has created an online tutorial for the Toolkit. The tutorial, available from the new page called “Tutorials,” is an overview of the site. It will be updated as new features and functionality are introduced. Dan also plans to add tutorials on other aspects of the NN/LM emergency preparedness initiative in the future.

A new section in the column on the right side of the Toolkit is titled “Risk Assessment Maps and Charts.” Under the heading are links to maps that you can use when developing your emergency plan.

Also added is a “Mutual Aid Agreement” (MAA) to the page that formerly contained only the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement. The MAA may be more appealing to libraries that want to enter into a written agreement for continuity of service but don’t want to worry about legal ramifications of an MOU.

On December 22, 2008, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant’s retention pond failed, creating a tidal wave of water and fly ash which destroyed several homes and ruptured a major gas line in a neighborhood located adjacent to the plant in Harriman, Tennessee. It is estimated that approximately 3.1 million cubic feet of fly ash and water were released on to land adjacent to the plant and into the nearby Clinch and Emory River. There’s concern about the potential effects of this spill on the quality of water, air and soil in the region.

From its extensive environmental health and toxicology resources, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has compiled a Web page of links to chemical information on fly ash and medical journal articles on the ash’s possible human health effects, http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/coalashspill.html. These resources provide background information on fly ash, also known as coal ash, which is a by-product of burning coal in power plants to generate electricity.

Links to public health information from local and federal authorities responding to this incident are also included. Contact information for local community assistance is listed on the TVA Internet site, http://www.tva.gov/.

For more information on TOXNET and other NLM environmental health and toxicology resources, please visit http://tox.nlm.nih.gov.

A model to help federal, state, and local emergency planners estimate the vehicles, drivers, road capacity and other resources they will need to evacuate patients and others from health care facilities in disaster areas was released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The Web-based Mass Evacuation Transportation Planning Model is designed to be used prior to an emergency to help answer such questions as:

• How long will it take to move patients from one facility to another?
• How many transport vehicles, such as ambulances, wheelchair vans and buses, are required to complete the evacuation within a certain time period?
• How might the location and other attributes of the evacuating and receiving facilities affect evacuation plans?

Emergency planners can enter into the model any number of evacuating and receiving facilities and specific conditions that could affect transportation plans.

The model will estimate the resources and hours needed to move patients from evacuating facilities to receiving facilities, based on assumptions that the planner specifies. The model was pilot tested in New York City and Los Angeles and is available for use at: http://massevacmodel.ahrq.gov

Two documents accompany the model:

• The user manual at http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/massevac/manual/massevum1.htm
• A description of the model’s design and assumptions at http://www.ahrq.gov/prep/massevac/manual/massevum1.htm

http://nnlm.gov/ep/10-stepsservice-continuity/

The NN/LM SE/A Emergency Preparedness Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) has been hard at work throughout the recent hurricane season. Now, the committee is about to gear up for the snow and ice emergencies of winter. Committee Chair Dan Wilson of the University of Virginia is leading the way, stressing the importance of service continuity planning. Below you will find the 10 steps for preparation and Dan’s presentation on the issue delivered early in the fall of 2008. Start your planning in the quiet moments when students are vacationing and the hospital census is low by following the checklist, step by step.

For answers to preparedness and continuity questions, consult the regional emergency preparedness page at http://nnlm.gov/sea/services/emergency/disasterrelief.html, the national toolkit at http://nnlm.gov/ep/, or your state representative to the Emergency Preparedness RAC at http://nnlm.gov/sea/about/emergencyrac.html. As the Regional staffer assigned to the committee, Beth Wescott will field your question at bwescott@hshsl.umaryland.edu or by phone at 800-338-7657.

10 Step Service Continuity Preparation

Click here to view slide show presentation of “A 10-Step Approach to Service Continuity Planning” that Dan Wilson used for a virtual class he presented to Network members of the Pacific Southwest and Mid-Continental regions of the NN/LM.

Step 1: Assess risks

Make a list of events for which your library could be at risk.

• talk with long-term staff members at your library and gather anecdotal information about emergencies or disasters that have happened in the past. Add to the list such emergencies as fire and bio-terrorism that may not have happened but which can happen anytime and anywhere.
• check federal, state and local emergency preparedness web sites for more information about potential emergency events.

Map of Presidential Disaster Declarations 1964-2007

Step 2: Protect yourself, your staff, and your patrons

Develop written procedures, specific to your building and environment, to provide for safety of people in the building in the event of an emergency, i,e,shelter-in-place procedures for tornadoes, dealing with a violent incident, preventing mold growth on wet materials, medical emergency, evacuating the building, standing water/flooded areas, chemical spill, and epidemics. Provide training to everyone who works in the building so they become familiar with the procedures. Hold periodic drills.

Step 3: Determine your core services

Identify services that would be most needed immediately following some kind of major service disruption (i.e. Interlibrary Loan, bibliographic searches, reference help).

Step 4: Create procedures for remote access to core services

Based on your list of core services, develop strategies for maintaining access to these services from an off-site location (i.e. someone’s home or a temporary location away from your building).

Step 5: Determine your core electronic resources

Identify electronic resources that would be needed most immediately following a disaster (i.e. Medline, CINAHL, UpToDate, DynaMed, MDConsult, Stat!Ref).

Step 6: Develop a continuity of access plan for your essential electronic resources

Determine whether back-up power will be available, and whether access to internet-based resources and your home page will be possible. If back-up power will be available, find out how long this would be the case.

Step 7: Identify your core print collection

List and prioritize print materials that would likely be needed by your patrons if your core online materials were not available (i.e. textbooks, reference materials, core journals). Create a salvage “map” using a floor plan of your library, showing where core print materials are stored or shelved.

Step 8: Identify your unique resources

List unique resources, such as institutional records, historical materials and artifacts, and works of art. Note in your disaster plan where these resources are located in the building and how they can be accessed by library staff or first-responders.

Step 9: Proactively plan for the recovery of your unique resources

Based on your list of unique resources,

• determine which resources you would be willing to spend a significant amount of money on, in order to save them in the event that they are damaged in a disaster
• contact a commercial salvage company (i.e. BMS, Munters, Belfor) to get an idea about costs involved in saving these materials, should freeze-drying, mold abatement, or other services be required
• remember that mold will normally grow on wet materials in about 48 hours,
  and sometimes less, depending on the environment–the best way to save valuable
  materials that are wet is to freeze them, thus stopping the growth of mold
  until they can be professionally treated.

Step 10: Know how to obtain outside assistance

• develop a relationship with a back-up library
• call a 24/7 emergency assistance service for damaged paper collections (NEDCC, WESTPAS, SOLINET, AMIGOS, etc.)
• NN/LM Emergency Preparedness & Response Toolkit: http://nnlm.gov/ep
• NN/LM Regional Offices: 1-800-DEV-ROKS

HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will host a free Webcast entitled, “Lessons Learned From the Field of Emergency Preparedness” on Nov. 6, 2008, from 12-1:30 PM EST.

Presenters will offer diverse perspectives on emergency planning and the use of AHRQ tools in order to enhance surge capacity, medical supply allocation planning and resource inventories reporting systems. Participants will receive key insight on customizing AHRQ tools in order to address the distinct needs of their communities. Emergency preparedness planners as well as federal, state and local community health planners, providers and first-responders are invited to attend. Before registering, check to sure that you have the appropriate players to view UCF (Universal Communications Format) rich media files in the Webcast.

The following are valid players for rich media files using UCF:
FlashPlayer 6.0 or later
Windows Media Player 9.0 or later
Quicktime 6.0 or later

Register online at http://tinyurl.com/3gxl8p