Stephen
March is supposed to be in like a lion and out like a lamb. I
guess we should tell the folks in North Dakota. End of March and
they're preparing for the worst flood in history. They were told
that the 200 year flood was a few years back. It's a good
reminder that you can't count on Mother Nature to comply; you're on
your own for at least a little while. This month our
newsletter has some news about free online Cyber Security Training from
the National Infragard Alliance, updates to CAMEO and MARPLOT, and an
update to the Chemical Reactivity Worksheet.
There are a number of upcoming events you may wish to check out in this
month's "Recent and upcoming Events" Section. While most of them
are California events, we are always looking for safety/security events
throughout the country. If there is something happening near you,
we'd like to include it in this newsletter. On that note, for
those interested in a Strategy position, the Army's Strategic Studies
Institute is looking for a new member, and a colleague has been laid
off in these hard times and is looking to join a capable team.
Read on for the details! As always, I hope you have a wonderful
month! Keep safe!
-Stephen
Stephen is taking care of the editing until
we can find a new editor. If any of you are interested, please
contact him at: stephen.melvin@oursafetowns.com.
The InfraGard National
Members Alliance and the Center for Information Security Awareness
Launch FREE Information Security Awareness Course
New Awareness Program Will Provide Free Online Awareness Training For
Individuals And Small Businesses Nationwide.
March 27, 2009, Fairfax, VA - The InfraGard National Members Alliance
(INMA) and the Center for Information Security Awareness are pleased to
announce the launch of a FREE online information security awareness
training program that focuses on the workplace as the foundation for
better security education and training.
A growing number of studies have identified employees and other
insiders as the cause of the majority of data and security breaches and
better security awareness and training is central to reducing these
incidents.
The web-based course, created by The Center for Information Security
Awareness, is professionally narrated throughout and consists of 14
separate lessons covering key information security issues that can
impact the workplace. These include cyber threats to the
workplace and the nation, understanding how employee behavior is
exploited, the importance of regulatory compliance, better workplace
security, effective password practices, understanding social
engineering, improved email practices, safer web surfing practices,
protection of sensitive data, as well as laptop, PDA, and mobile
security.
Participants can also elect to obtain their personalized Certificate in
Information Security Awareness in the Workplace. The examination
consists of a 100 randomly-generated questions based upon the material
covered in the course materials and an individual may take the exam as
many times as necessary to achieve a passing score.
The free course and additional information may be found at www.InfraGardAwareness.com.
This interactive and engaging training targets issues central to
Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) and dovetails seamlessly with
InfraGard National Members Alliances priorities. Were pleased
to make this important training available to anyone for free and also
encourage people to earn this certification. Each opportunity to
gain additional professional development contributes to enhancing the
capabilities and contributions of our extensive membership to homeland
and national security, said Dr. Kathleen Kiernan, InfraGard National
Members Alliances Chairman of the Board.
We at the Center for Information Security Awareness are excited to
partner with InfraGard in this important initiative. By working
together in offering this free awareness training, well make
meaningful progress in improving awareness of computer and information
security best practices. Our goal is to reduce the frequency of
data security breaches in America, said Jon McDowall, director of
education and co-founder of the Center for Information Security
Awareness.
New versions of MARPLOT and ALOHA are here!
Dear CAMEO Community Members,
A dramatically updated version of MARPLOT is now available for
downloading, along with a maintenance upgrade to ALOHA.
MARPLOT 4.0, available as of today, is compatible with Windows XP and
Windows Vista. Working in its easy-to-use GIS interface, you can switch
quickly between three basemaps: standard map files, high-resolution
aerial photos, and topographical maps. You can draw overlay objects on
the basemaps, customize your map view by specifying which objects and
map layers are shown, and get LandView-like population estimates inside
selected areas. You can click on a location of interest to get its
elevation and an instant weather forecast, and you can easily display
ALOHA threat zones on the map. Included web mapping services enable the
latest U.S. Census county maps, and state and national map layers to
automatically download as you work in MARPLOT. Download MARPLOT 4.0
from the CAMEO website : http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/marplot.htm.
If you're a Macintosh user, note that MARPLOT version 4.0 is currently
available only for Windows. A Macintosh version is planned for the
future. In the meantime, if you have an Intel-based Mac, you can run
MARPLOT 4.0 in Windows using Boot Camp or virtualization software that
allows you to run Windows on your Macintosh. Otherwise, you can
download the previous version of MARPLOT for the Mac: http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/marplot_mac.htm
(version 3.3.3).
Also available as of today is ALOHA 5.4.1.1, which includes an updated
chemical library, now with updated DIPPR data and updated toxic levels
of concern (AEGLs, ERPGs, and TEELs), and a fix to a bug that prevented
users from entering heat of vaporization when adding a new chemical to
the library. ALOHA 5.4.1.1 is compatible with Microsoft Windows and
with Macintosh OS X. We recommend that all ALOHA users download ALOHA
5.4.1.1 from the CAMEO Website: http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/aloha.htm.
Regards,
The CAMEO Team at EPA and NOAA.
From ERNIE (Emergency Response Group of the Inland
Empire)
Good afternoon all:
Well, the votes are in and the ERNIE group is moving forward. For the
first time, ERNIE has a Vice-Chair and Secretary, voted in by the
member agencies. I look forward to working with both of the individuals
that have been elected to help move the Emergency Response Network of
the Inland Empire forward into the coming years. Congratulations
to both
Frank and Bob.
Vice-Chair: Frank Salazar; City of San Bernardino Water
Secretary: Bob Frusher; Jurupa Community Services District
Update to the Chemical Reactivity Worksheet
A new release of the Chemical
Reactivity Worksheet (CRW 2.0.1) is now available. The new version
corrects CRW 2.0, which was released on February 19, 2009. The CRW is
not part of the CAMEO software suite, but is developed by the CAMEO
Team and offered in conjunction with the suite. CAMEO Chemicals
provides the same reactivity prediction functionality available in the
CRW.
The reason for the update: 191 records in the chemical database contain
significant amounts of water, as either aqueous solutions or mixtures
such as explosives wetted with water to desensitize these
materials. When assessing the chemical reactivity of these 191
substances, we neglected to consider the water portion. As a result, a
reactivity prediction for any of these substances mixed with a
water-reactive chemical would omit or underestimate potential water
reactivity.
We have now rectified this problem so that water is treated as a
component of the 191 substances for purposes of predicting reactivity.
*IMPORTANT:* If you have created a database of custom chemicals,
installing CRW 2.0.1 will erase your database. Before installing CRW
2.0.1, please contact the CRW Specialist (ORR.Reactivity@noaa.gov),
who can help you preserve your data.
Recent
Events
Creating a
Nationwide Wireless Broadband Network for Public Safety
The Public Safety
Spectrum Trust - Creating a Nationwide Wireless Broadband Network for
Public Safety - EMForum.org
EMForum.org hosted a one hour presentation and interactive discussion
March 11, 2009. The topic was the Public Safety Spectrum Trust
Corporation (PSST), a non-profit corporation selected by the FCC as the
Public Safety Broadband Licensee for the 10 MHz of 700 MHz public
safety nationwide broadband spectrum. The PSST's mission is to provide
an organizational structure through which decisions of national public
safety leadership can guide the construction and operation of an
interoperable nationwide public safety-grade broadband network.
The guest was Kevin McGinnis, MPS, EMT-P, Vice Chairman of the PSST and
Program Advisor for the National Association of State EMS Officials,
specializing in communications systems technology, data systems and
rural EMS.
The presentation and discussion is online at EMForum.org.
Upcoming
Events
Riverside
County Operational Area Planning Committee
This is your friendly
reminder that the Operational Area Planning Committee (OAPC) will be
holding its quarterly meeting on Thursday, April 9, 2009, at the Cherry
Valley Grange Hall, 10478 Beaumont Ave., Cherry Valley – beginning at
9:00 a.m.
HAM Radio
Training Class
A HAM Radio Training
Class will be held on April 2, 2009 from 8-5pm at East Valley Water
District. For a registration form, please contact me by email no
later than Apr 1. The $75.00 fee must be paid by the day of the
class. Checks will be payable to East Valley Water
District. Location is:
East Valley Water District
3654 E. Highland Avenue, Suite 12
Highland, California 92346-2607
Apr 20-24:
NASTTPO's 21st Annual Conference & HMEP Grants Assistance Workshop
Please visit the NASTTPO web site at http://www.nasttpo.org
for information regarding NASTTPO's 21st Annual Conference and HMEP
Grants Assistance Workshop to be held April 20-24, 2009 in Boise,
Idaho.
May 13-15:
May 13-15, 2009: 2009 CFEDWest Conference & Expo
The 2009 CFEDWest Conference & Expo is California's largest
domicile response event. Developed by California's response base -- for
California's response community—the 2009 event features five great
educational tracks with the following areas of focus: FIREFIGHTING,
EMS, DISASTER RESPONSE & PUBLIC HEALTH, EMERGENCY NURSING, and
HOMELAND SECURITY via the co-location of the California Homeland
Security Response Conference. We also offer POST, EMS and BRN
educational credit
The California Homeland Security Response Conference and the CFEDWest
Conference & Expo will be held May 13-15, 2009, in Palm Springs,
CA. Come join 2,000 of your peers in this can't miss event!
The 2009 CFEDWest Conference & Expo qualifies for reimbursement
from State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP), Urban Area Security
Initiative (UASI), Metropolitan Medical Response Systems (MMRS), and
Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP).
More info is available here: http://www.cfedwest.com/
As mentioned in the introduction, we
are interested in possibly starting a blog so that we can make this a
multi-way conversation with you. Please let us know what you
think!
If you are
interested in working with us directly to make your community,
business, or agency safer, please contact us at: info@oursafetowns.com.
See you next month!
National Retail
Federation Releases Active Shooter Guidance
The National Retail Federation has released a guidance document for dealing with an active shooter in a retail setting. The document
can be found at:
http://www.lpinformation.com/Portals/0/NRF_ActiveShooter_Guidelines.pdf
AED Alliance
Nov 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cardiac Science and the Boy Scouts of
America (BSA) have entered an alliance to make automated external
defibrillators (AEDs) available to the BSA's camping and recreation
facilities and council offices nationwide. Cardiac Science
(NASDAQ:CSCX) is a global leader in advanced cardiac diagnosis,
resuscitation, rehabilitation, and informatics products. The BSA is the
nation's foremost youth program of character development and
values-based leadership training, and serves nearly 4.7 million young
people with more than 300 councils throughout the United States and its
territories.
"This alliance helps us achieve our goal of having 100 percent of our
local councils' camps and offices equipped with AEDs," said Richard
Bourlon, Health and Safety team leader for the Boy Scouts of America.
"The availability of AEDs and active promotion of CPR and AED education
can help every Scout, Scouter, and family member be prepared to assist
a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. As our AED program supporter,
Cardiac Science will help us meet this goal." "But this program
is not just for camps and offices," added George Allen, M.D., BG (USAR)
Ret., chairman of the BSA Health and Safety Support Committee.
"Individual Scouting units can take advantage of it as well, and we are
encouraging units to coordinate service projects to place AEDs at their
chartered organizations and schools and throughout their
communities." John Hinson, Cardiac Science president and chief
executive officer, said, "Few youth organizations have the size and
reach of the Boy Scouts of America, and are as closely aligned with the
practical ideals of safety and emergency preparedness. This is a unique
opportunity to promote awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and the
importance of community-based AEDs."
Aug 5, 2008 American Electric Power joins a growing roster of companies
that protect employees with accessible defibrillation. Other companies
in the energy sector using Cardiac Science defibrillators include
ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, El Paso Corporation, Georgia Power, General
Electric, and Pennsylvania Power & Light. LifeServers Inc., a
national Cardiac Science Preferred Gold Partner located in Columbus,
Ohio with associates across the country, originated the sale.
John Hinson, Cardiac Science president and chief executive officer,
said, "AED deployments of this magnitude are becoming more common as
companies are becoming aware that their emergency preparedness programs
are incomplete without accessible defibrillation."
Opportunities at SSI
The U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) seeks an
expert on Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational
(JIIM) security studies to join one of the most dynamic think tanks in
the national security field and help shape U.S. national security
policy. Check our website for more details.
Want a change of scenery? SSI is seeking a Visiting Research Professor
for the 2009-2010 academic year with a possible one year renewal. Full
details are online at http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/.
Environmental
Professional Available
One of our colleagues
has recently been laid off due to the tight economic times and is
looking for a position. Her primary function the last 25 years
has been in 3rd party logistics (chemical warehouses, etc.) Her
duties ranged from:
- SSS (Safety, Security
and Sanitation) inspections in all facilities. Inspected 20 buildings
once every 3 months.
- Performed DOT General
Awareness and Security training for all HAZMAT employees
- Handled regulatory
issues in all facilities
- Supported all
facilities on any chemical related issues
- Reviewed all MSDS
sheets and setup DOT shipping descriptions for bills of lading
- Certified Unified
Program Agency Reporting
- Managed all disposals
RCRA and Non-RCRA
- Active in Community
Outreach such as Community Awareness and Emergency Response and
Community Emergency Response Teams
100'
Defensible Space
Make Your Home Fire Safe
Following these simple steps can dramatically increase the chance of
your home surviving a wildfire! A Defensible Space of 100 feet
around your home is required by law (a). The goal is to protect
your home while providing a safe area for firefighters.
1. "Lean, Clean, and Green Zone."
-Clearing an area of 30 feet immediately surrounding your home is
critical. This area requires the greatest reduction in flammable
vegetation.
2. "Reduced Fuel Zone."
-The fuel reduction zone in the remaining 70 feet (or to the property
line) will depend on the steepness of your property and the vegetation.
Spacing between plants improves the chance of stopping a wildfire
before it destroys your home. You have two options in this area:
a. Create horizontal and vertical spacing between
plants. The amount of space will depend on how steep the slope is
and the size of the plants.
b. Large trees do have have to be cut and removed as long
as all of the plants beneath them are removed. This eliminates a
vertical "fire ladder."
When clearing vegetation, use care when operating equipment such as
lawnmowers. One small spark may start a fire; a string trimmer is
much safer.
Remove all build-up of needles and leaves from your roof-top and
gutters. Keep tree limbs trimmed at least 10 feet from any
chimneys and remove dead limbs that hang over your home or
garage. The law also requires a screen over your chimney outlet
of not more than 1/2 inch mesh.
(1) These regulations affect
most of the grass, brush and timber-covered private lands in the
State. Some fire department jurisdictions may have additional
requirements. Some activities may require permits for tree
removal. Also, some activities may require special procedures
for, 1) threatened and endangered species, 2) avoiding erosion, and 3)
protection of water quality. Check with local officials if in
doubt. Current regulations allow an insurance company to require
additional clearance. The area to be treated does not extend
beyond your property. The State Board of Forestry and Fire
Protection has approved Guidelines to assist you in complying with the
new law. Contact your local CAL FIRE office for more details.
For more information, go to: www.fire.ca.gov
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