[Note: Due to a problem at the server, a transcript of this session is not available. The following has been reconstructed.] Avagene Moore: Welcome to the EIIP Round Table discussion! ... Avagene Moore: Before introducing our topic and speaker today, would like to remind you that any URLs used today become live links that you can open in your browser window. For example, you can look at the IAEM web site and find out about their upcoming November conference as well as other work and activities ongoing within the organization. ... Avagene Moore: If your chat screen goes away, please look for it at the bottom of the page and bring it back up. http://www.iaem.com ... Avagene Moore: And now let's get into our dialogue today. ... Avagene Moore: This is the regular monthly Round Table led by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). Today, we are pleased to feature the IAEM Government Affairs Committee. ... Avagene Moore: Bob Andrews, Director, Clark County (NV) Office of Emergency Management, is the Chair of the Government Affairs Committee. Bob planned to be with us but his county is currently in the throes of a Presidential Disaster Declaration. ... Avagene Moore: Duty calls and Bob is very busy at the moment, as you can imagine. However, we are pleased to have the Vice Chair of the committee, Mike Penner, with us. It is a pleasure to introduce this gentleman. ... Avagene Moore: Mike Penner recently retired as the Emergency Manager of Olathe, Kansas. Mike is President of the consulting firm "Emergency Government," that assists local governments and school districts in all phases of disaster management. ... Avagene Moore: Presently, Mike is working with the government of Johnson County, Kansas to prepare them for the Y2K challenge. In addition, he is a member of the State of Kansas Emergency Management Training Cadre specializing in teaching contingency planning and recovery issues around the state. ... Avagene Moore: Finally, Mike is a member of the Disaster Action Team for the Kansas City chapter of the American Red Cross and, as previously mentioned, Vice Chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the International Association of Emergency Managers. ... Avagene Moore: As Mike goes through his presentation, we will follow his lead for Q&A. If you have a question, please input a question mark (?) as appropriate and we will take questions/comments in the order they are submitted. Compose your remarks but hold until you are recognized, please. With your cooperation and attention to this means of protocol, we can keep order and have a productive session. ... Avagene Moore: Mike, thanks for being here today -- I turn the floor to you. Mike Penner: WHERE THE POSITIONS ARE NOW: Mike Penner: First, I want to thank Karen Thompson of IAEM for gathering most of the information and getting it on very short notice. Thanks, Karen! Mike Penner: NFPA 1600: Final draft was received on 7/19/99 by Bill Appleby.The draft includes recommended standards and practices for emergency management and business continuity planning. Bill commented that he thinks most of us are meeting the proposed standards now. Mike Penner: The new NFPA standards will be officially voted on by the full NFPA membership on 11/17/99 in New Orleans. Mike Penner: Also, last week Bill met with NEMA on accreditation for local and state programs. He is on a joint committee that is trying to marry Capability Assessment for Readiness (CAR) with the NFPA 1600 standards. The committee is looking at using these to develop accreditation standards. Mike Penner: Proposed Disaster Declaration Criteria - Per FEMA, the comment period ended in late April. Comments are being reviewed now, and the final rule will be published in the near future. Currently being considered are the following: $1 per capita figure used to determine eligibility for public assistance, with a $1 million minimum total damages. Mike Penner: FEMA will look at the impact of local disasters on a county area. There may be instances where local disasters don't fit into the criteria, and they will consider this. They do consider the amount of insurance that should have been in force at the time of the disaster. They look at the history of the area, particularly multiple disasters in the area. Mike Penner: They also look at programs offered by other federal agencies, state agencies, and local programs that may help to meet needs. We've been promised a "heads up" from FEMA when the final rule is published. Mike Penner: FEMA Y2000 Budget:Per Fran McCarthy in Congressional Affairs at FEMA, both the House and Senate will vote on these proposals in the next couple of weeks, so we should have some news by the end of July on this issue. Mike Penner: Per Christina Ochsner in Government Affairs at FEMA, there will be a full committee vote in the House on Friday. Mike Penner: Proposed Amendments to the Stafford Act: Per Fran McCarthy in Congressional Affairs at FEMA, the Stafford Amendments have passed the House of Representatives, but the Senate has not yet gone to work on them. He expects that to happen shortly. No additional info was available through FEMA's Office of Government Affairs. Mike Penner: Terrorism and the Domestic Preparedness Program: Only word received is one notification from Kathleen Henning that grants are being held up by the Office of Management and Budget. Other than that, no information is available. Kathleen has sent out several requests for updates, and they will be made available upon receipt. Mike Penner: USFA Blue Ribbon Panel Report: Per Christina Ochsner in Government Affairs at FEMA, the recommendation to change the name of FEMA to Fire & Emergency Management Agency "is going nowhere." Mike Penner: National Weather Service:The following info was received from Randy Duncan just this morning. Mike Penner: The current big NWS issue is HR 1553, which was passed on May 19. Section 3 sub c will essentially change the nature of the public/private partnership between the NWS and everyone else. Mike Penner: In a nutshell, the Commerical Weather Service Association (CWSA) says the NWS is unfairly competing against them. As samples of the unfair competition, the CWSA cites the broadcasting of EMWIN by a NWS transmitter in Silver Springs, MD.They further cite interviews with local EMAs who don't subscribe to commerical weather firms because the can "simply call the NWS" as more examples of unfair competition. Mike Penner: Currently, IAEM is considering a position against this clause (which basically alters the Organic Act of 1890, the original piece of legislation which establishes the duties of the NWS). The reason this is important now, is that the Senate Commerce Committee will be working the funding side of the legislation for the NWS probably before July is over. Mike Penner: The chairman of that committee is John McCain and the ranking minority member is Ernest Hollings. It is important to let the Senate Commerce Committee know that we disagree with the way the public/private partnership is being re-written by HR 1553. I Mike Penner: A sample letter can be obtained from Mike Selves by sending an email to mselves@jocoems.org Mike Penner: Insurance Coverage for Public Facilities: Per Curtis Carleton of FEMA: "The proposal is still undergoing reviews. We're hoping to get it out by the end of the month. We're also wrapping up an impact analysis, which will suggest that the premium increases will be minimal for most applicants throughout the country, with the exception of those applicants without earthquake insurance in California. There will be some very high increases for those applicants. Martha Braddock will be sending out the proposed rule, once published." Mike Penner: Y2K:Following is a portion of Kathleen Henning’s report from the most recent meeting of the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion. The full article will appear in the August 1999 IAEM Bulletin. Mike Penner: IAEM participated with other national associations in a Public Safety Roundtable in Washington, DC, chaired by Presidential appointee John A. Koskinen. Several federal agencies attended, such as Justice and the FBI. Koskinen asked the Council to look ahead for the next six months based on risk assessments and make recommendations. Mike Penner: Most federal agencies are at 90% compliance or greater. Per Koskinen, the worst case scenario is that we may have a series of localized events that cause cascading events. Local jurisdictions should assume that they are at risk and focus on local communications. "The Council needs to work together to exchange information and to engage in a dialogue with the public about the remaining risks," said Koskinen. Mike Penner: He advocates promoting community conversations on the local level. The Council shared its Community Conversation "toolkit." that is available with video and handout material. Mike Penner: Clay Hollister, Information Technology Services for FEMA, said that the focus in emergency services has been on fire services, transportation, and weather services. Surveying of locals is ongoing, but initial reports indicate that 92% of 911 Centers, and 65% of state EMS offices are Y2K ready, and 90% of the 33,000 fire departments will be ready by December. The NOAA weather systems have been tested and are fine. Mike Penner: Law enforcement and correctional facilities generally are less prepared for Y2K than their emergency management counterparts. Many sheriff’s offices have no current Y2K plan and need to be brought into the planning process. There was discussion of traffic signals with embedded chips that need to be replaced, and the need to check inventories of medical devices at hospitals. Mike Penner: Recommendations for Further Action: Mike Penner: Evaluate what interrelationships need to be fostered within the community. Mike Penner: Expand community outreach without instilling fear or panic. Mike Penner: Identify questions the public should be asking of their community leaders about the state of preparedness. Mike Penner: Assess whether communities are ready to continue to provide basic community service. Mike Penner: Identify the public’s role in either preventing or dealing with an emergency situation. Mike Penner: Evaluate what relationships among public safety officials need to be developed or strengthened. Mike Penner: Identify what other key actions should be taken now. Mike Penner: Develop and enhance a national public information campaign. Mike Penner: Build local support mechanisms through community leaders and community actions groups, such as "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" programs. Mike Penner: Share information gathered during public safety and other roundtables. Mike Penner: Additional Recommendations: Mike Penner: Preplan medical service delivery at First Night Celebrations to reduce impact on emergency medical services and hospitals. Mike Penner: Develop staffing plans with expectations that all emergency personnel may not be available to respond. Mike Penner: Survey first responders to identify the "two-hatters," such as EMS or police who are also members of the National Guard or volunteers at hospitals. Mike Penner: Plan for needs of first responders and families through alternate "New Year" celebration dates, preparedness programs for families, and dedicated facilities for responder families. Mike Penner: Address problems of lack of interoperability of radios and establish communication strategies. Many battery chargers for radios rely on electric power, and there may be a shortage of batteries. Mike Penner: The Public Safety Roundtable group agreed that further action was needed and that it would be beneficial to have additional meetings of the stakeholders. [The Q&A portion of the program continued with further discussion of Y2K, NWS, and the proposed rule on insurance requirements for public buildings, etc.] Avagene Moore: Our time is up for today. To our audience, thanks for your participation and support. .... Avagene Moore: Mike, thank you so much being here today. Excellent job! Avagene Moore: Before closing the Round Table for today, would like to invite you to join us tomorrow for the EIIP Tech Arena. Rick Murphy, U.S. Treasury Department, Co-Chair of the Federal Law Enforcement Wireless Users Group (FLEWUG) will be here to discuss the Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN). You will find this discussion very interesting -- be here at 12 Noon EDT tomorrow, Wednesday, July 28. ... Avagene Moore: This weekend, the August edition of Emergency Partners Postings will be available on the EIIP Virtual Forum and through the EIIP mail list. ... Avagene Moore: As a reminder, since we lost our subscribers due to lightning, you are urged to resubscribe to our mail lists as soon as possible so you won't miss out on any of our activities. Go to our homepage and click on "Site Status" -- you will find updates on our progress there as well as links to subscribe to our mail lists. ... Avagene Moore: If you wish to stay around for a few minutes to chat and thank Mike for the fine job he did, please feel free to do so. The EIIP Round Table is officially closed. Thanks to all!