FEMA acting director to speak at VEMA conference
R. David Paulison, acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be a guest speaker at the 2006 Virginia Emergency Management Association Conference. William H. Leighty, Office of the Governor chief of staff, will serve as keynote speaker and relate his experiences at the Louisiana Emergency Operations Center after Hurricane Katrina. John W. Marshall, Virginia secretary of Public Safety and Robert P. Crouch, assistant to the governor for Commonwealth Preparedness will also speak. Chris Landsea, science and operations officer at the National Hurricane Center in Miami will lead a seminar about the 2006 hurricane season forecast.

In addition, three speakers from the Gulf States will share their lessons learned from Katrina: General Benjamin Spraggins, a Mississippi emergency manager, Captain Darrin Peterson of the Biloxi Police Department in Mississippi and Chief Peter Paulding of the Gulf Breeze Police Department in Florida.

Registration for the conference, April 4-7 in Williamsburg, Va., is available online.

New emergency response laws
The 2006 Regular Session of the General Assembly adjourned on March 11, 2006, considering several bills that directly and indirectly affect Virginia's emergency response community. The governor convened a Special Session March 27 to consider budget and revenue legislation. Notable bills that have been submitted to the governor for his signature include:

House Bill 1170 requires each locality to maintain an agency of emergency management and to appoint a coordinator of emergency management. Currently, the authority to establish such an agency and appoint a coordinator is discretionary.

House Bill 1180 allows the governor to direct a disbursement of up to $2,500 to an employee of a state or local public safety agency who has responded to a man-made or natural disaster and who has suffered an extreme personal or family hardship in the affected area. The disbursement can last up to three months. 

House Bill 1004 makes permanent the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and provides for the appointment of an assistant to the governor to serve a four-year term. The bill sets out the duties of the Office and also creates the Secure Commonwealth Panel and sets out its membership and duties. Senate Bill 363 is the companion bill.

Senate Bill 77 extends the "time of disaster" used in anti-price gouging laws to include the 30 days that follow an extension or renewal of a state of emergency. In addition, House Bill 1094 authorizes the governor to issue 30-day emergency orders requiring suppliers to reduce the price to the prevailing price in the local market if a supplier is selling necessary goods or services at such an inflated price that it might create public panic.

Pandemic Flu Web site
The Virginia Pandemic Influenza Seminar on March 23 discussed several issues that might affect local emergency managers should a pandemic occur in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Department of Health has developed a Web site to assist localities in planning for such an event. The site includes planning checklists, the state pandemic flu plan and information for citizens and emergency managers about pandemics. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed several online resources available at www.pandemicflu.gov. The site offers planning tools, risk communications tips, situation reports from the World Health Organization and information about pandemics for citizens and emergency planners.

NIMS compliance
All local governments and state agencies must come into compliance with the National Incident Management System by Sept. 30, 2006 to be eligible for federal preparedness funding. NIMS is integral to national preparedness. It establishes standard incident management processes, protocols and procedures to ensure that all local, state, federal and private-sector emergency responders can more effectively coordinate response operations. In order to assist localities and agencies in fulfilling the 17 NIMS compliance elements, the NIMS Integration Center has developed t he NIMS Capability Assessment Support Tool online. NIMCAST is designed to assist localities in assessing their compliance against the NIMS requirements. Additional NIMS information and resources are available at VDEM's Web site.

Second coordinator in southwest Virginia gets PDS certification
Naomi Honaker, emergency management coordinator for Russell County, has achieved certification in the Emergency Management Institute's Professional Development Series. Honaker is only the second coordinator to be PDS certified in southwest Virginia. PDS certification is required for FY05 Local Emergency Management Performance Grant and progress toward PDS certification will be required for FY06 LEMPG. Information about PDS certification is available on the VDEM Web site.

Training...
2006 Virginia Public Safety Outreach Conference
Save the date.... The 2006 VPSOC will be Nov. 15-17 in Williamsburg, Va. The conference is scheduled to begin after the Coordinator's Briefing that ends Nov. 15.

Family Assistance/Reunification Center exercise
Arlington County is holding a tabletop exercise March 30 as part of the UASI-funded NCR Family Assistance/Reunification Center project. The goal of the project is to develop a template plan for centers that can be adapted to any locality. Emergency managers, law enforcement personnel and ESF 6 (mass care) staff in the NCR are encouraged to participate in the exercise. Observers from outside the NCR are welcome to attend. Participants will learn about these centers, including their purpose, management procedures and best practices. More information and registration is available online at www.ncrfacplan.us.

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