May 9, 2007

VA-TERT has first deployment
Virginia Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team, or VA-TERT, had its first deployment during response efforts for the shootings at Virginia Tech. VA-TERT volunteers use rapid-deployment to provide a network of skilled public safety telecommunicators and associated personnel to support emergency communications centers before, during and after man-made or natural disasters.

Terry Hall, president of the Virginia Chapter of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, recognized the need during his deployment to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. The program recruits and trains 911 specialists to handle huge volumes of emergency calls that may overwhelm local agencies, and serves as a valuable resource that complements the Commonwealth's statewide mutual aid agreements and interstate agreements.

When VT requested communications support through the Virginia Emergency Operations Center, five VA-TERT volunteers responded to the campus and manned a hotline set up to reroute media calls, deliver phone numbers for student counseling and provide lodging information for parents coming into the area.

More details concerning the VA-TERT program will be presented at the Virginia APCO Fall Conference in Charlottesville, Oct. 17-19.

CDP improves Web site
The Center for Domestic Preparedness, the Department of Homeland Security's weapons of mass destruction training center, has made some updates to its Web site.

• Recommended Training by Discipline: http://cdp.dhs.gov/recommend/index.html. Courses are not required to be taken in a specific order, and these may not be the only courses for which responders are qualified.
• Registration Contact: http://cdp.dhs.gov/regional_coordinators.html. Link to regional coordinators information.
• Printable Calendar: http://cdp.dhs.gov/pdfs/calendars/April-June_07_Calendar.pdf. A full-page schedule printable from the Web site.

VEM conference presentations online
PowerPoint™ presentations shown at the 2007 Virginia Emergency Management Conference are now available online in PDF format. Presentations include:

• "FEMA Region III," by Jonathan Sarubbi, regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
• "Have You Ever Been to Fort Pickett: A New Town in 48 Hours," by Jane Woods, Driftwoods Consulting
• "Community Disaster Planning for Animals," from the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• "Special Needs Populations," by Brenda D. Phillips, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University

Speaker biographies are also available: http://www.vaemergency.com/newsroom/events/vema2007pres.cfm.

Training...
School Safety Training
Understanding & Planning for School Bomb Incidents
The Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center and New Mexico Tech have developed an online school safety course called Understanding & Planning for School Bomb Incidents. The free training, certified and sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, is designed for first responders and school personnel who may respond to school-based incidents. The four-hour course covers understanding and responding to the threat, recognizing improvised explosive devices and developing preventive measures.

Register and take the course at http://respond.emrtc.nmt.edu/campus. Those who successfully complete UPSBI and one of the operations level courses – either Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings or Prevention and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents – are qualified to teach UPSBI to their local community.

Campus Public Safety Response to WMD Incidents
This course prepares campus public safety personnel to become more proficient in the management of emergencies caused by weapons of mass destruction. The class covers emergency preparedness and security measures that will help higher education administrators to better prepare for terrorism or WMD events.

Access the class through the VMC/Homeland Security Program Learning Management System: http://lms.vmc.wvu.edu/plateau/user/portal.do?siteID=vmc. Users will have to create a username and password to use the system.

Homeland Security Planning for Campus Executives workshop
This workshop is for individuals who do not have experience in security planning and are responsible for their campus's homeland security plan. The workshop provides a basic overview for those institutions attempting to develop an approach to solving homeland security planning problems, and it provides useful resources and tools. The workshop was developed for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Videoconferencing or instructor visits are available: http://vmc.wvu.edu/training/campusexecs.htm.

Health Care Organization Emergency Preparedness
Three free class classes for health care organization administrators who are responsible for facility emergency plans will take place June 4-5 at the Omni Newport News Hotel. Topics include continuity of operations planning, work force support, a legislative overview, emergency medical service limitations and resident evacuation and tracking.

• Health Care Organization Emergency Preparedness Seminar for Nursing Homes and Rehabilitation Centers is June 4, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Health Care Organization Emergency Preparedness Seminar for Home Health Care Agencies, Adult Daycare Agencies and Dialysis Centers is June 5, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Health Care Organization Emergency Preparedness Seminar for Assisted Living and Group Homes is June 5, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For information and to register, visit the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Response System Web site: http://tidewaterems.org/hrmmrs/default.htm.

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