Avagene Moore: On behalf of the EIIP Virtual Forum, Amy Sebring, my partner/associate, and I welcome you to our session! Avagene Moore: Our topic today is "The International Dimension of Emergency Management: Information, Communication, and Coordination." Avagene Moore: For the benefit of any first-timers, we will go over the order of business. We will begin today's session with a presentation and then we will proceed to your questions. Avagene Moore: We will provide further instructions on the protocol for asking questions or commenting just before we begin the Q&A section. However, it is wise to jot down your questions or comments as we go along. Avagene Moore: Please do not send private messages to our speakers or the moderator, as we will be busy with the presentation. If you need assistance, you may send a private message to Amy. Avagene Moore: If you have not read through the background materials provided on the EIIP Web site, please do check them out after our session today. Avagene Moore: The transcript of today's session will be available late this afternoon -- just check back on our home page. Avagene Moore: Now, it is my pleasure to introduce our speakers. Avagene Moore: Eelco Dykstra, M.D., has twenty years of international emergency management experience in a wide variety of healthcare and non-healthcare settings. Avagene Moore: He currently serves as full professor (visiting) in International Emergency Management, attached to the Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Social Sciences, at the University of Kuopio in Finland. Avagene Moore: His world wide travel and project assignments in design, monitoring & evaluation (D,M&E) of emergency systems, programs and projects, has made him an acclaimed presenter and motivator, particularly for interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and inter-sector audiences. Avagene Moore: His other associations include International Adviser to the Home Islands Security Authority (HI-SA) in Tokyo, Japan, and inclusion on the emergency roster of the UNDP Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (BCPR), New York, USA. Avagene Moore: Dennis Kouba is the former Director of Outreach and Development for the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI). He is now managing PERI Virtual Symposium Programs and communications services through his own firm, DMK Communications, located in Portland, Maine. Avagene Moore: Dennis helped establish PERI operations and led the creation of its Web services and Symposium Programs. He also held positions with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Avagene Moore: Welcome to you both, we are very pleased to have you with us today. Dennis will start our formal discussion today. When he has finished his remarks, we will hear from Eelco. Avagene Moore: Dennis, I now turn the floor over to you to start us off, please. Dennis Kouba: Thank you. I wanted to give everyone some quick background information about the Public Entity Risk Institute's (PERI) Virtual Symposium programs, and then turn the Forum over to Eelco. Dennis Kouba: PERI's Symposium Programs are presented as a public service, and are open at no charge to anyone interested in the topic that is being addressed. The Symposium series was begun in 1999, and PERI now conducts three to four of these programs per year. Dennis Kouba: Toward an International System Model in Emergency Management is somewhat different than PERI's regular programs. We're first conducting a call for papers, which will be presented during the program. Usually, we commission papers rather than conduct an open call. Dennis Kouba: Also, we've had many enrollees from around the world in past programs. The September program, though, is PERI's first with an international perspective. Dennis Kouba: Enrollment in the Symposium program is free; we ask people to enroll ahead of time so that we may e-mail the daily Issues and Ideas Papers to them each morning. Participants can then read the papers at their convenience, and later sign on to the discussion to make a comment. Dennis Kouba: After the program, the papers are posted on PERI's Web site, and remain there for reading and downloading. In fact, the papers from all programs conducted since PERI began the Virtual Symposium are still on the Web site at www.riskinstitute.org/symposium_papers.asp. Dennis Kouba: When the organization was formed, PERI was tasked with providing leadership in the areas of risk management, disaster management, and environmental liability management. Subsequently, PERI has supported numerous projects in the area of disaster management, many through its grant funding. Dennis Kouba: The September Symposium is another step in PERI's support for improving the mitigation of and response to disasters. Dennis Kouba: For anyone interested in submitting a paper for the Symposium, complete information can be found on PERI's web site at ww.riskinstitute.org, or I'll be happy to send information if you email me at dkouba@riskinstitute.org. Dennis Kouba: That's a quick overview of the PERI Symposium. I'll turn the program back over now to our moderator and Dr. Dykstra. Avagene Moore: Eelco, please. Avagene Moore: Eelco, are you ready? We are waiting to hear from you. Have we lost you? Avagene Moore: Just a moment folks. Eelco is having problems. ..... Avagene Moore: Amy will input Dr Dykstra's script. Amy. Amy Sebring: Hello to everyone! Thanks for being here today. Amy Sebring: As previously mentioned, we are here to talk about national and global concerns of integration, information sharing and interoperability. Amy Sebring: e are currently launching an exploratory survey of different approaches to information, communication and coordination in emergency management. Amy Sebring: Emergency managers everywhere are increasingly confronted with an international dimension to many of their local and national concerns. Amy Sebring: This is as true for "routine" emergencies as it is for disasters, weapons of mass destruction, cyber/bio-terrorism, food security or humanitarian assistance. Amy Sebring: Despite the fact that the aftermath of 9/11 clearly contributed to an increased awareness and acceptance of that international dimension, it is still often lamented that few effective platforms exist for an interdisciplinary exchange of information, experiences and contacts in emergency management. Amy Sebring: Why is that? Is it because these platforms do exist but may not be widely known or used? Amy Sebring: Is it perhaps because the people in the trenches, the policy makers and regulators, the planners and developers, and the suppliers, are not communicating as well as they could or should? Amy Sebring: Do we perhaps first have to overcome differences in semantics, system design, risk perception, cross-cultural sensitivity, lack of representation from all sectors, technical interoperability, and/or lack of funding? Amy Sebring: Could it be that we have not yet been successful in creating an all-encompassing and universally accepted model that can be used as a framework and common reference for the many different sectors, agencies and individuals involved in emergency management? Amy Sebring: Or, could it perhaps be all of the above? Out of these questions follows the purpose of the ISMP-1 project (International Strategic Master Plan - 1st phase): Amy Sebring: To conduct an assessment of barriers and opportunities for developing a common framework or system model in emergency management, and recommend qualitative and quantitative parameters for improved connectivity and information sharing. Amy Sebring: From May to November in 2003, a consortium of about 25 entities from the public and private sectors in Europe, America, Africa and Asia, will lead this effort out of their shared concern regarding integration, information sharing and interoperability in emergency management. Amy Sebring: The ISMP-1 project seeks to collect as much information and different views, opinions and contributions as possible by conducting surveys, structured interviews and web-based, interactive activities. The findings are to be condensed into a report, distributed as a white paper, to include recommendations for follow-on activities. Amy Sebring: Coordination of the project rests with the University of Kuopio in Finland (www.uku.fi), with support by the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI, www.riskinstitute.org), and the Emergency Infrastructure Information Partnership (EIIP, www.emforum.org) from the USA. Amy Sebring: Participants in the ISMP-1 Consortium / Core Group represent professional associations, government entities, non-governmental organizations, as well as private companies. Amy Sebring: A concept paper, 'Towards an International System Model in Emergency Management: Information, Communication and Coordination in Emergency Management' - public and private sector approaches in different countries and systems, has been commissioned by PERI and is posted on the PERI Web site. Amy Sebring: Today's EIIP Virtual Forum was promoted broadly to help build interest in the concept paper and the PERI Symposium while stimulating discussion and input in the process. Amy Sebring: The concept paper lists a number of challenges and frames the activities of different stakeholders and sectors, emphasizing the need for connectivity, seamless exchanges and widespread access to information. Eelco Dykstra: Let's examine a few of the challenges before us. Eelco Dykstra: We have the Department of Homeland Security in the US. Then there is the United Eelco Dykstra: Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs; the Home Island Security Eelco Dykstra: International Standards Organization (ISO), Switzerland; International Eelco Dykstra: Association of Emergency Managers, USA; World Bank ProVention Consortium Eelco Dykstra: Disaster Database Working Group, USA, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany; C4I Eelco Dykstra: Domain Task Force of the Object Management Group, USA; Crisis Management Eelco Dykstra: Initiative, Finland. Amy Sebring: Eelco, I will be happy to finish. Eelco Dykstra: The point here is that these and many other entities invest tremendous amount of good will, talent, and resources. Unfortunately, many of them are not as well known as they ought to be: not The point here is that these and many other entities invest tremendous amount of good will, talent, and resources. Unfortunately, many of them are not as well known as they ought to be: not within their own jurisdictions, but perhaps most importantly, also not to each other. within their own jurisdictions Amy Sebring: The point here is that these and many other entities invest tremendous amount of good will, talent, and resources. Unfortunately, many of them are not as well known as they ought to be: not within their own jurisdictions, but perhaps most importantly, also not to each other. Amy Sebring: The ISMP-1 project is therefore also about connectivity. Exploring obstacles and opportunities for information sharing means supporting the connections between different stakeholders and different "pockets" of activity. Amy Sebring: It also means helping to reduce the large functional distance between IT planners/developers, emergency management field operators, and the regulators and suppliers that deal with both. Amy Sebring: What do we envision as the outcome of this effort? Amy Sebring: In the short term, obtaining verifiable data to assess who is doing what and exploring why and how they do it. Based on the publication of the results in a white paper, create a slate of follow on activities and prioritized action points. Amy Sebring: In the middle and longer term, this process could produce a common frame of reference in the form of an emergency management system model, one that is based on concensus and joint ownership. Right now, we do not have this, even though almost all agree that this makes sense. Amy Sebring: Ultimately, the model can then be used as a template or tool for the design, monitoring and evaluation, benchmarking and even probability forecasting of emergencies irrespective of type, size and location. Amy Sebring: As a participant today, why should you in your role as a practitioner, a researcher, private sector representative, etc. care about this? Amy Sebring: First, because many crucial services like energy, food, health, transportation, communication, public safety, and finance, may be delivered locally, but have become so global, so interlinked, that single events may threaten continuity and therewith the personal well being of millions of people in many countries. Amy Sebring: Just imagine the quick spread of SARS around the world, leaving local emergency managers with little to no time to prepare. Or what do you think of the consequences of a breakdown in food security of an international fast food chain that has 43 million visitors each day. Amy Sebring: Second, the global disaster management community is small, most of the problems we have are shared, but we are not always learning from each other: when not all of us are prepared, none of us is prepared. Amy Sebring: Third, the scope of emergency management is widening: humanitarian assistance, overseas aid, development and technical assistance, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, information technology, etc. Amy Sebring: Fourth, the world is looking at and talking about standards. In the US, competency and cooperation are in the spotlight since the events of 9/11. Amy Sebring: Programs such as the NFPA 1600 Standard, the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) for States and Local programs, and IAEM's Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) program are more important than ever. Amy Sebring: The US is not alone in this need for accountability. Others around the world are also very interested and are investigating this - there is widespread interest within the ISO to adopt international competency standards in emergency management. Amy Sebring: Australia has been developing competency standards for emergency management and is offering them to the international emergency management community as a model for discussion. Amy Sebring: The above examples demonstrate only a few areas where we need to collaborate. There is much that needs to be discussed in the global arena. Amy Sebring: If we can come together and share our stories, successes and dreams for this business, we can all benefit from our collective experiences and expertise. Amy Sebring: We would very much welcome your involvement in the ISMP-1 project. This can be done in any number of ways, such as: participating in the survey and/or interviews, ... Amy Sebring: submitting a paper on any of the challenges you feel needs to be addressed, ... Amy Sebring: reacting to the PERI Concept Paper, ... Amy Sebring: describing your experiences in the form of a case study, and/or expressing an interest to join the ISMP Consortium/Core Group. Amy Sebring: That concludes my formal remarks. I turn the floor back to you, Avagene. Avagene Moore: Thank you very much, Eelco and Dennis. I trust our audience has questions related to the concept paper/your remarks and the upcoming symposium. ... Avagene Moore: Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment.... Avagene Moore: Then go ahead and compose your question or comment to have it ready, but do NOT hit your Enter key or click on the Send button until you are recognized by name. Please WAIT your turn. ... Avagene Moore: We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. One question at at time please. If you have a follow up, please get back on line with a ? Avagene Moore: Please try to direct your question to either Eelco or Dennis. We are ready to begin now. Avagene Moore: Input your ? at any point of the Q&A segment of the session. Avagene Moore: Questions, anyone? Peter Jespersen: ? Avagene Moore: Peter, thank you. Please compose your question .... Amy Sebring: ? Avagene Moore: It takes a few moments for the first question. whenever you are ready, Peter. Peter Jespersen: Eelco, with all the organizations involved, how do you expect to avoid duplication of effort and arrive at a consensus? Charles Thomas: ? Eelco Dykstra: Good point... Avagene Moore: To our speakers, please remember to break up your reply if it is lengthy, and use the ... to indicate you are not through. Eelco Dykstra: ISMp-1 and the PERI symposium act as navigators and facilitators. Many entities are already working in this field but are not necessarily in contact with each other. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: Eelco, are you aware of the work that Dr. Blanchard with FEMA (and here today) has been doing in the area of higher education in emergency management? I would suggest this a key area to address in the international framework ... Amy Sebring: for example, Canada has recently published its own survey and recommendations. ( See http://www.ocipep.gc.ca/research/scie_tech/emerMan/DisManCanUniv/2002_D013_e.asp ) Lloyd Bokman: ? Eelco Dykstra: Yes, we have been in contact on and off over the last year and are trying to bridge the different perspectives in higher education. Please do not forget that the discipline Emergency Management is largely restricted to the Anglo American world.. Avagene Moore: Charles, next. Charles Thomas: Pass. Question got too long and I realized I have some research to do...thanks. CT Avagene Moore: OK. Lloyd, you are next, Avagene Moore: Please. Lloyd Bokman: Eelco, I am involved with NFPA 1600 and recently we began working with the American National Standards Istitute (ANSI) to coordinate our efforts with ISO's Technical Committee 223 on Civil Defence and Emergency Management. My question is, Could you elaborate on the interest in ISO on stnadards in our field and How the ISO standards, that may be developed, would affect emergency management across the globe? Peter Jespersen: ? Avagene Moore: ? Eelco Dykstra: The ISO Technical Committee 215 has a work item called Framework for Emergency Data Sets. They are now looking within the ISO network on other TC's such as the one you mentioned.. Hadi Husani: ? Manfred Koethe: ? Eelco Dykstra: The purpose would be to establish a FRAMEWORK to encompass technical specifications as minimum standards or recommendations. I would be very interested to learn more about the work you are doing, so perhaps you could contact me off line? Avagene Moore: Peter, your question now, please. Lloyd Bokman: Thank you , I will. Peter Jespersen: Eelco, You mentioned several areas of interest to the project. How do you intend to prioritize the project areas, e.g. will conflicting terminology be a starting point? Roy Smith: Eelco Dykstra: Four main areas we have identified are stakeholder fragmentation, compatibility-interoperability problems, functional-technical disconnect, and lack of connectivity... Eelco Dykstra: Semantics and Terminology are a major part of alomst every challenge, and will definitely be included. Avagene Moore: Dennis, if anyone is interested in submitting a paper for the Symposium, is there a requirement re: length of paper and format for submission? And deadline? Dennis Kouba: Thanks Avagene . . Dennis Kouba: These questions are answered in teh concept paper found on PERI's Web site, but briefly . . Burt Wallrich: ? Dennis Kouba: Length can be from 3,000 to 6,000 words . . . Dennis Kouba: Preferred format is in Microsoft Word or text . . . Dennis Kouba: Deadline is August 31 (although we're flexible if we know something is being sent). Avagene Moore: Hadi, your turn, please. Hadi Husani: Eelco, you mentioned that EM is largely limited to the Anglo/American world, I've been working with robust but underfunded Emergency Management Organizations in Central Asia, my question is will this initiative be an appropriate venue for their lessons learned? Eelco Dykstra: Thanks Hadi.. Eelco Dykstra: Yes, we would love to have your experience be part of the research project and symposium... Eelco Dykstra: May be I should clarify my remark about the Anglo-American world... Eelco Dykstra: What I meant was the academic-educational discipline of emergency management, certainly not the practice of it. Avagene Moore: Manfred, your question, please. Manfred Koethe: Eelco, is there any activity/attempt to include the international CERT organizations? While concentrating on computer emergencies, they can probably contribute with their logistc and operational experience. Eelco Dykstra: Manfred, could you specify CERT? Amy Sebring: [Community Emergency Response Teams -- grass roots training for individuals] Manfred Koethe: CERT stands for computer emergency responce (?)team. It is a collection of organizations world-wide ... Amy Sebring: (oops, my mistake, sorry) Avagene Moore: (If you have a question or comment, please input a question mark (?) - we have time for a few more questions.) Ahhh. Here we run into the terminology and acronym problems. Avagene Moore: Please finish your definition, Manfred. Manfred Koethe: no problem... I have some connections to some national organizations. I think we can learn a lot from their organizations... Hans Zimmermann: ? Manfred Koethe: since thy are in operation (successfully) for many years now. Avagene Moore: Eelco, any comment to Manfred Eelco Dykstra: Within the ISMP-1 consortium, we have through ISO and the OMG group, access to considerable IT experise, including yourself. The whole point is that we want to bring the field operators closer together with the IT planners and developers. Avagene Moore: Burt, you are next, sir. Burt Wallrich: Eelco: AIRS, the international Alliance of Information & Referral Systems, is working to develop protocols for storing and exchanging databases of health & human services that are relevant in emergency situations. See www.airs.org Avagene Moore: No question, Burt? Amy Sebring: ? Burt Wallrich: No question - a little information that might be useful Avagene Moore: Hans, you are next, sir. Hans Zimmermann: Eelco, let's not forget the newly created Disaster Response Network of the World Economic Forum, an interesting concept re. private sector partnerships. Eelco Dykstra: Wonderful, thank you so much for the referral, we will definitely contact them. Avagene Moore: Amy, you have a question? (If anyone else has a question or comment, please input ?) Eelco Dykstra: Roger Hans, not forgotten, also not in view of the increasing trend away from relief to include development issues such as specified in the UN Millenium Ccampaign Amy Sebring: Regarding my previous blunder with CERT, it did in fact remind me that grassroots type training may be a key component of programs, and not only in U.S. Eelco, can you comment on your experience in other countries with providing individual citizens with basic disaster/emergency response training? Eelco Dykstra: Thank you, Amy. Very important... Eelco Dykstra: to onclude community based interventions.. Eelco Dykstra: Following the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Nairobi... Eelco Dykstra: USAID initiated a 36 million dollar 2-year program... Eelco Dykstra: which included CERT training (your definition) in local schools and other groups. Very successful. Avagene Moore: Ladies and gentlemen ... Avagene Moore: That's all we have time for today. We greatly appreciate your efforts and time on our behalf today, Eelco and Dennis. Avagene Moore: Thank you! We urge everyone to particpate in the upcoming PERI Symposium - read Eelco's concept paper and get into the discussion. Avagene Moore: Please stand by a moment while we make some quick announcements .... Avagene Moore: If you are not currently on our mailing list, and would like to get program announcements and notices of transcript availability, please see the Subscribe link on our home page. Avagene Moore: Again, the transcript will be posted later this afternoon and you will be able to access it from our home page. Avagene Moore: We are pleased to announce three new EIIP Partners since our last session; they are: Avagene Moore: National Notification Network http://www.3Nonline.com with Patrick Stuver, Vice President of Technology, serving as the POC to the EIIP; Avagene Moore: Free World Training Company http://www.fwtc.biz ; Domenic Tesoriero is our POC; and Avagene Moore: Emergency Network Builders, LLC http://www.emnetwork.us with our old friend, Burt Wallrich, President, as the EIIP POC. We are proud to announce our new Partners online. Avagene Moore: If your organization is interested in becoming an EIIP Partner, please see the Partnership link on our home page. Avagene Moore: Thanks to everyone for participating today. Our session is adjourned but before you go, please help me show our appreciation to our speakers for a fine job. Avagene Moore: The EIIP Virtual Forum is adjourned!