Disaster Preparedness


this MSHA photo shows a mine rescue team

It's Almost Mine Rescue Season

The national contest starts Aug. 30 in Nashville, while the second annual surface mine rescue competition takes place Sept. 26 at a quarry in New Jersey.

the Contingency Planning & Management logo

Business Continuity Site Has the Goods

The new design of Contingency Planning & Management's Web site makes it easy for visitors to find the latest news about schools' and others' preparations for H1N1 flu, along with resources across the full business continuity spectrum.

Telemessaging Firm Launches Flu Vaccination Hotline Program

“[W]ith so many anticipated calls from people seeking information about their vaccinations, our company infrastructure allows us to handle those calls 24/7 under all circumstances, ensuring people are informed and ready to receive their vaccinations," said Aundrea Mitchell, corporate operations director for AnswerNet.

an EMS ambulance

New Pennsylvania Law Upgrades EMS, Governor Says

The bill signed by Gov. Edward Rendell on Aug. 18 requires all EMS agencies to have a medical director and ambulance drivers and attendants to be certified.

Coast Guard Stresses Use of 'Kill Cords'; 2 Go Overboard Without Them

"There is an endless possibility of things that could have gone wrong here," said Petty Officer 2nd Class John Brooks, a boat coxswain at Coast Guard Station Gloucester. "But most likely they could have been run over by their own boats or their vessels could have collided with other mariners."

CSB's Ghent Video Wins Educational Award

The safety video about the propane explosion at a convenience store that killed four people in Ghent, W.Va., was honored by MERLOT with the Fire Safety Editorial Board Classics Award.

15,000 from Fire & Emergency Field Set to Respond to Dallas Conference

Featured speakers at the IAFC event will include DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate; Ltc. Greg Gadson, a decorated Iraq war veteran and double amputee; and recently confirmed U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran.

Commissioner Dale E. Klein of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Why NRC Commemorated TMI's 30th Anniversary

Every safety regulatory official, especially those at OSHA and MSHA, should read the speech given to FAA officials this week by Commissioner Dale E. Klein of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They'll learn what Three Mile Island meant to NRC and the nuclear power industry and why a self-regulating organization set up by those utilities has worked so well.



this image credited to OSHA shows the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City

NIST Asks 9/11 Photographers Whether Images Should Be Withheld

The National Institute of Standards and Technology received thousands of photos and video images from hundreds of photographers as it investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings, and it must release copies to Freedom of Information Act requesters unless those images are exempt.

Sanofi Pasteur Files H1N1 Vaccine Application

The company began U.S. clinical trials Aug. 6 and plans to test the vaccine's immunogenicity and safety, with about 2,000 people getting it in the trials.

The July 7, 2009, photo by FEMAs George Armstrong shows Administrator W. Craig Fugate speaking to approximately 150 staffers of FEMA Region IV in Atlanta, Ga.

National Preparedness Month: Get Ready Now, FEMA Says

"We don't know when the next disaster will strike. But the better prepared we are, the better we'll all do," says W. Craig Fugate, FEMA's new administrator, in his video promoting September's NPM.

This CSB investigative photo shows the aftermath of the 2005 BP explosion, which killed 15 people

Steelworkers, API Part Ways on Refinery Fatigue Standard

The union and the oil and gas industry's trade association issued press releases Aug. 4 accusing each other of undermining their work on a national standard requested by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board after the BP refinery explosion in Texas City in 2005.

OSHA Inspection Program Targets Air Traffic Control Towers

Investigators will inspect randomly selected towers to determine whether FAA is meeting the requirements of the agency's alternate standard for egress and fire safety.

Managing Major Risk Factors

The construction industry expanded at an exponential rate in recent years, not only in countries such as the United States, but also in emerging mega-economies such as China. The UAE experienced a construction boom in the past few decades. But as the global economy faces recession, construction has become stunted in many areas around the world.

Bay Area City Fined for Not Updating Risk Management Plan

Facilities are required to update and resubmit their risk management plan at least once every five years; the plans are used by EPA to assess chemical risks to surrounding communities and to prepare for emergency responses.

Pandemic Survey Finds 1 in 6 Public Health Workers Unlikely to Respond

The findings are a significant improvement over a similar 2005 study in which more than 40 percent of public health employees said they were unlikely to report to work during a pandemic emergency.

FEMA Flooded with Recovery Assistance Requests in Minnesota

To date, more than 634 requests made by jurisdictions in the state have been combined into 1,409 sub grant applications worth more than $5 million, which are currently being processed.

NFPA 1600 is now available on iPhone.

NFPA 1600 Now Available as iPhone App

"Disasters and emergencies know no boundaries," said Kim Fontes, division manager, Product Development and Production. "With the help of the latest technology, we are able to use another communication channel to put tools and resources directly into the hands of people who count on them."

CDC Strongly Urging More to Accept Flu Vaccines

Dr. Anne Schuchat today said CDC recommends about 83 percent of the U.S. population get the seasonal flu vaccine, but only 40 percent did last year. Health care workers should get it and also the H1N1 vaccine when it's ready.

FDA Approves 2009-2010 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it has approved a vaccine for 2009-2010 seasonal influenza in the United States.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence