Virginia continues to send personnel, equipment and supplies on a rotating basis to the areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So far, Virginia has sent more than 600 local and state personnel to the Gulf States through Emergency Management Assistance Compact requests, coordinated by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Chesterfield County has deployed more than 20 people to the affected area, to support the New Orleans Fire Emergency Operations Center, as well as Louisiana and Mississippi law enforcement. Five Incident Management Teams were deployed from northern Virginia, comprising nearly 130 personnel, and Henrico County sent five personnel to assist law enforcement in Mississippi.
Several Virginia state agencies have participated in the Katrina relief effort. Virginia's National Guard, State Police, and departments of Forestry, Health, Social Services, Fire Programs, and Game and Inland Fisheries have sent or are ready to send personnel to the Gulf Coast. The governor declared a state of emergency on Aug. 31, and the president approved his request for a federal emergency declaration on Sept. 12 to further facilitate state relief efforts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross are assisting more than 15,000 evacuees now in Virginia. The Commonwealth is working with federal and local officials to help evacuees and the surrounding communities access resources for assistance.
Gov. Warner appointed Jane Woods, secretary of Health and Human Services, to lead the state's efforts in assisting evacuees. Through the efforts of many state agencies, a temporary shelter and resource center was established at Ft. Pickett, near Blackstone, Va. The Commonwealth stands ready to take groups of evacuees, although FEMA has not yet transferred any to Virginia.
Interoperability grants awarded
Lynchburg and Roanoke metropolitan areas succeeded in obtaining nearly $2.3 million in competitive grants for their interoperable communications networks. The grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services program, or COPS, will offset the cost of purchasing voice and data communications equipment, enhancing communications infrastructures, and project management. Nearly $93 million has been awarded through the COPS programs to law enforcement, fire service and emergency medical service agencies across the nation, and each area is required to match 25 percent of the award.
Smart cards in the NCR
Virginia's National Capitol Region is the first to develop a "smart" identification card that will provide machine-read verification for NCR emergency responders at incident sites. Incident site managers will use a handheld card reader to confirm a responder’s identification, skills and qualifications on scene. The First Responder Partnership Initiative aims to improve efficiency and security at sites that involve state, local and federal personnel. NCR responders will receive the First Responder Authentication Card from their affiliated organization beginning in January 2006. Although the cards are designed for use at a disaster scene, they have the potential to be used for routine access control points such as buildings or networks. The cards are also scalable to support the National Incident Management System and National Response Plan. Contact Craig Wilson, First Responder Partnership Initiative coordinator, at (202) 254-2305 for more information.
Fire prevention, safety and research grants
More than $9 million has been awarded for 73 applications from Virginia firefighters to the 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grants program. The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Domestic Preparedness has announced five rounds of awards for the competitive grants. In all, Virginia fire departments submitted 373 applications, requesting more than $65 million. ODP continues to assess the applications, which were due in April, and might award more of the available $650 million to the Commonwealth.
ODP opened a new grant opportunity for the 2005 Fire Prevention and Safety Grants. Two activities can be funded using this grant. Fire departments are eligible to receive assistance in the Fire Prevention and Safety activity, while private and public nonprofit organizations are eligible in both the Fire Prevention and Safety activity and Firefighter Safety Research and Development activity. Applications are due Oct. 7.
Training...
Mass Fatalities Incident
Although the title remains the same, this is a brand new and completely revised course that will be offered for the first time in the nation Dec. 13-15, 2005 in Charlottesville, Va. The course prepares students to effectively manage any incident that results in more fatalities than local resources can handle. This course is designed for a wide audience, including heads of first response agencies, emergency managers, planners, medical examiners and funeral directors.
Conferences...
Greater DC, Maryland and Virginia Region Emergency Response Conference
The conference, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19, will explore preparation and planning efforts on the regional, state and local levels that will assist providers responding to a mass casualty incident and identify implementation and strategy needs for responders. A late fee will be added to registrations received after Nov. 5.
Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference
The Virginia Public Safety Conference and Training will be Nov. 14-17 at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel. The first training module, "Training for Activity Limitations in Emergencies and Disasters," will develop hands-on skills to keep those with special needs safe before, during and after emergencies. This free training lasts 12 hours, Nov. 14-15.
The free pre-conference training will last four hours on Nov. 15, addressing topics such as National Incident Management System, volunteer management and media training.
The conference, "Keeping Everyone Safe: Outreach for a Diverse Public," will bring nationally recognized experts in emergency preparedness, public relations and homeland security to share their knowledge in maximizing disaster preparedness outreach.
Registration for both training modules and the conference is available on VDEM's Web site.
Produced
by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236