Former VDEM deputy state coordinator earns presidential nomination
President Bush announced that he would nominate George Foresman to be undersecretary for preparedness at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Foresman is currently assistant to the governor for commonwealth preparedness and a nationally recognized expert on state emergency preparedness issues. He spent 17 years with VDEM, which included serving as Virginia's deputy state coordinator of emergency management. If confirmed by Congress, he will be responsible for infrastructure protection, cyber and communications security, funding for state and local efforts, medical readiness, and National Capital Region preparedness. His preparedness directorate will also support the Federal Emergency Management Agency with training resources.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
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 1,100 local and state personnel to the Gulf States through Emergency Management Assistance Compact requests, coordinated by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Seven localities in Virginia have sent more than 120 personnel to the affected area, to assist with law enforcement, firefighting and emergency operation centers.

In addition, several Virginia state agencies have participated in the Katrina relief effort. Virginia's National Guard, State Police, and departments of Emergency Management, Forestry, Health, Fire Programs, and Game and Inland Fisheries currently have personnel in the region.

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 as well as faith-based organizations to help evacuees and the surrounding communities access resources for assistance.

Town Pickett, a temporary shelter and resource center established at Ft. Pickett, near Blackstone, Va. is closing at the end of October.

Big Stone Gap
Gov. Mark R. Warner declared a state of emergency on Oct. 7 for Wise County and the town of Big Stone Gap. The draining of the area’s reservoir as part of the construction of a new dam and insufficient rainfall have resulted in a critical water shortage. An open burn ban has been declared for both localities.

Virginia National Guard units have been deployed to deliver and set up water storage units, and to distribute bottles of water. Big Stone Gap is drawing water from the Powell River through a temporary pipeline, and from the city of Norton and the town of Appalachia.

Several state agencies are assisting with the relief effort. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for assistance with available resources. The Virginia Department of Health is preparing kits for personal care workers, supplying home-delivered meals for disabled populations, and verifying water testing. The Virginia Department of Corrections continues to move one million gallons of water per week to the area.

City of Virginia Beach designated as "StormReady"
The National Weather Service recognized the city of Virginia Beach in its "StormReady" program, adding the city to its list of more than 900 qualified localities in the United States. In Commonwealth, Virginia Beach joins the "StormReady" cities of Chesapeake, Danville, Hampton and Newport News and the counties of Fairfax, Gloucester, Loudoun and Prince William. The voluntary program encourages emergency planners to develop severe weather and flood response plans using a grassroots approach in order to meet standards set forth by the NWS with state and local emergency managers. The standards include establishing a 24-hour warning point or emergency operations center, conducting community outreach seminars, developing response plans that include exercises and training weather spotters.

Program to assess equipment interoperability
The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Homeland Security's Safecom program have partnered to produce a database of P25-compliant communications equipment and systems. The P25 Conformity Assessment Program will help first responders determine what equipment will fulfill DHS grants requirements. P25 stands for Project 25, the standard for interoperable, digital, two-way, wireless communications. Equipment that is P25-compliant meets a set of minimum requirements that fit the needs of public safety, including interoperability with other equipment. The first step of the program will be to identify third-parties that will conduct testing to evaluate compliance with the P25 standards.

2006 NIMS compliance requirements
The Department of Homeland Security released the 2006 National Incident Management System requirements, which includes 17 requirements. VDEM will develop an interpretation of each element and identify the available resources to assist local governments in achieving full NIMS compliance by Sept. 30, 2006. Until then, VDEM offers classes that fulfill some of the requirements:

• IS-700 NIMS Introduction. All personnel with a direct role in emergency preparedness, incident management or response must complete this course. IS-700 is available online at FEMA's Web site, or select locations in Virginia.
  
• IS-800 NRP Introduction. All local and state emergency managers whose primary responsibility is emergency management or planning must complete this course. IS-800 is available online.
  
• IS 100- and 200-level courses. All personnel at the first-line supervisor level, middle management level and command or general staff level of emergency management operations must complete IS 100-level and 200-level training. Entry-level personnel are required to complete IS 100-level only. Those persons who complete IS 195 in our classroom (V200) or online have met both level 100 and 200 requirements. IS 100 and IS 200 are only available online.
  

Conferences...
Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference

Registration continues for the Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference and Training at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel. "Training for All Abilities in Emergencies and Disasters," the pre-conference training and the conference, "Keeping Everyone Safe: Outreach for a Diverse Community," take place Nov. 14-17. Registration ends Nov. 5 for both training modules and the conference.

Produced by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management
10501 Trade Court, Richmond, Virginia 23236