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Inside this issue:

OHIO HAZ-MAT

Conference

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EBOLA Preparedness

3

Continuity of Operation

Information

4

Regional Response

Team

5

Emergency Management & Response

7

National Volunteer

Fire Council

9

Links of

Interest

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Cleveland State University / Center for Emergency Preparedness Leaders in Ohio’s Emergency Preparedness for over 30 years!

Volume 1, Issue 15

FALL 2014

Public Safety Management Degree; Fire & Emergency Services

Our PUCO Grant

Funded Training classes are FREE

to all public safety organizations!

Find out more at http://urban.csuohio.edu/cep

Cleveland State University, College of Urban Affairs, Public Safety Management Bachelor’s Program has been awarded recognition as a

National Fire Academy, Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (NFA - FESHE) Institution.

The NFA - FESHE Recognition certificate is an acknowledgement that

particular collegiate division of emergency services degree programs meet the minimum standards of excellence established by National Fire

Academy Professional Development.

The Public Safety Management program in Fire and Emergency Service Administration is an ONLINE program (for the core classes) and is

offered each semester!

Fire & Emergency Services Online Continuing Education

Online Continuing Education for ONLY

$20.00 Per Person for

Unlimited CEU’s Per Year!

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Cleveland State University / Center for Emergency Preparedness Leaders in Ohio’s Emergency Preparedness for over 30 years!

Cleveland State University / Center for Emergency Preparedness Leaders in Ohio’s Emergency Preparedness for over 30 years!

FREE

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Ebola Preparedness Resources for EMS

With the announcement of the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the US, the following preparedness resources for EMS providers and agencies from the CDC have been compiled. These can and should be distributed widely through the public safety community:

Detailed EMS Checklist for Ebola Preparedness

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ems-checklist-ebola-preparedness.pdf

Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for Management of Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in the

United States http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/interim-guidance-emergency-medical-services-systems-911-public-

safety-answering-points-management-patients-known-suspected-united-states.html

Case Definition for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/case-definition.html

Signs and symptoms of EVD

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/symptoms/index.html

Sequence for putting on and taking off PPE

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ppe-poster.pdf

EVD screening criteria for hospitals

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/evd-screening-criteria.pdf

Guidance on Air Medical Transport for Patients with Ebola Virus

Disease http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/guidance-air-medical-transport-patients.html

(please note: the guidance was initially prepared with long-distance medical transport in mind, additional guidance specific to EMS

oriented air medical transport such as between medical facilities may be provided to supplement this guidance in the future.)

Communications during a crisis http://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/resources/pdf/leaders_cerc_zcard.pdf

In EMERGENCIES, people do what they are TRAINED TO DO!

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In EMERGENCIES, people do what they are TRAINED TO DO!

Preparedness Planning

for Your

“Emergency Services”

Business Businesses can do much to prepare for the impact of the many hazards they face in today’s world including natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and widespread serious illness such as the H1N1 flu virus pandemic. Human-caused hazards include accidents, acts of violence by people and acts of terrorism. Examples of technology-related hazards are the failure or malfunction of systems, equipment or software. Ready Business will assist businesses in developing a preparedness program by providing tools to create a plan that addresses the impact of many hazards. This is an “all hazards approach” and follows the program elements within National Fire Protection Association 1600, Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs. NFPA 1600 is an American National Standard and has been adopted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The five steps in developing a preparedness program are: •Program Management

◦Organize, develop and administer your preparedness program ◦Identify regulations that establish minimum requirements for your program

•Planning ◦Gather information about hazards and assess risks ◦Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) ◦Examine ways to prevent hazards and reduce risks

•Implementation Write a preparedness plan addressing:

◦Resource management ◦Emergency response ◦Crisis communications ◦Business continuity ◦Information technology ◦Employee assistance ◦Incident management ◦Training

•Testing and Exercises ◦Test and evaluate your plan ◦Define different types of exercises ◦Learn how to conduct exercises ◦Use exercise results to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan

•Program Improvement ◦Identify when the preparedness program needs to be reviewed

◦Discover methods to evaluate the preparedness program ◦Utilize the review to make necessary changes and plan improvements

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The Region 5 Regional Response Team (RRT) is comprised of members from state and federal agencies committed to working efficiently to minimize the adverse effects of oil and chemical incidents that affect safety, human health and the environment. The RRT is co-chaired by the US Coast Guard Ninth District and US Environmental Protection Agency Region V. The RRT acts as a regional planning and coordination body for preparedness and response actions. In the case of discharged oil and/or hazardous materials, the chair for the RRT is the member of the agency providing the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC). Preparedness activities are carried out in conjunction with appropriate State Emergency Response Committees, Area Committees, Local Emergency Planning Committees and Tribal Councils.

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Cleveland State University / Center for Emergency Preparedness Leaders in Ohio’s Emergency Preparedness for over 30 years!

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In EMERGENCIES, people do what they are TRAINED TO DO!

New First Responder Crude Oil Reference Guide

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are working with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to develop incident management “best practices” reference materials. This material is designed for emergency responders to prepare them to safely and effectively respond to crude oil transportation incidents. Subject matter experts from public safety, railroads, government, and industry met in June 2014 to develop a reference document for first responders.

The result of the meeting is the Commodity Preparedness and Incident Management Reference Sheet (PDF, 175 Kb). The document contains incident management best practices for crude oil rail transportation emergency response operations, including a risk-based hazardous materials emergency response operational framework.

The framework gives first responders key planning, preparedness, and response principles to successfully manage a crude oil rail incident. It also assists fire and emergency services personnel in decision-making and developing an appropriate response strategy to an incident (i.e., defensive, offensive, non-intervention).

Responding to Carbon Monoxide Calls

As the season turns colder, homeowners turn on their furnaces and gas fireplaces for the first time. Some will haul their generator out of the back of their garage with hopes they won’t have to use it this winter. Some will even move their outdoor grills inside the garage so they can extend the cook-out season.

Every year, too many homeowners don’t have their heaters or generators serviced to maintain safety and efficiency, or don’t use the items properly, and sometimes this leads to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning or death. In addition, cases spike after disasters causing power outages – such as heavy snow or ice storms.

9-1-1 dispatchers and EMS personnel should know the common signs and symptoms of CO poisoning: headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, confusion, blurred vision, shortness of breath, and loss of consciousness.

Every year, first responders walk into a deadly CO environment without warning. As symptoms listed above are not exclusive to CO exposure, it is important for first responders to carry CO monitors. Only about half of states have laws requiring CO detectors in buildings, so it is important not to rely on a CO detector in a home or school. This gives first responders not only the chance to treat potential victims quickly, but to detect high CO levels before they become victims themselves.

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In EMERGENCIES, people do what they are TRAINED TO DO!

Preventing Suicide in the Emergency Services

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States in 2011. Though the numbers aren’t tallied, many believe the suicide rate among fire and emergency services personnel is higher than the national average. There are several reasons for this. One is the age bracket: people ages 45 to 64 have the highest rate of suicide, and the rate is climbing. Another cause is that white males are an at-risk group. Job stress is probably the biggest cause: the physical strain, upsetting events on-scene, and organizational culture all contribute. The issue is often avoided due to stigma or shame; however, the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department and Chicago Fire Department recently enacted programs to work on the problem. Both identified the need nationally and within the department and decided to act for the benefit of their personnel.

Resources available if you believe someone in your department is at risk:

Fire/EMS Helpline: 1-888-731-FIRE (3473);

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255);

Share the Load program, National Volunteer Fire Council;

Behavioral Health Resources, NFFF;

Topic: Suicide in the Fire Service, Learning Resource Center;

Suicide: What You Need to Know – a guide for chiefs (CLICK ON BOOK)

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Cleveland State University / Center for Emergency Preparedness Leaders in Ohio’s Emergency Preparedness for over 30 years!

Stress Management in the Emergency Services

Being overstressed seems to be the norm in the United States today; we have come to believe it is our “normal.” Stress is linked to health issues that – over time – can be very damaging. First responders especially need to take care to minimize and mitigate the different types of stress in their lives since their job duties often involve very stressful situations on a regular basis.

When being chased by a bear, the surge of adrenaline from “fight or flight” acute stress is normal and can help save your life. When working an accident scene along a busy highway, getting shot at, or fighting a fire, it is also normal and healthy.

Acute stress is short-lived and generally the symptoms are limited to things like muscle tension, gastrointestinal problems, and rapid heartbeat. Chronic stress is also common; it can cause serious health damage mentally and physically when experienced over long periods of time.

Caused by every day stressors over long periods of time, chronic stress can lead to heart disease, diabetes, depression, anger management problems, and can damage relationships.

A third type of stress, episodic stress, is less often discussed but is likely as dangerous as chronic stress. Episodic stress is when acute stress seems to happen repetitively with minimal or no breaks.

This almost-constant “fight or flight” state is incredibly taxing to the body and specifically the nervous system which can lead to anxiety disorders and lasting symptoms of acute stress.

Experts and the media push stress management to the point that many people tune it out, but the bottom line is almost all stress can be managed by the individual with persistence and time.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) recently posted an excellent brief on stress management complete with realistic ways to manage stressors.

View this brief to obtain additional valuable information!

http://www.nvfc.org/news-and-events/current-news/3589-getting-a-handle-on-stress

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Contact Information

Bernard W. Becker III, MS, Director Cleveland State University

Center for Emergency Preparedness

1717 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115

b.becker64@csuohio.edu

(Office) 216-875-9860 (Fax) 216-687-2225

http://urban.csuohio.edu/cep

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Cleveland State University / Center for Emergency Preparedness Leaders in Ohio’s Emergency Preparedness for over 30 years!

http://www.training.fema.gov/EMPP

Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP)

Professional Continuity Practitioner

http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/COOP/level1.asp

Integrated Emergency Management

http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IEMC/

Professional Development Series

http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/PDS/

National Incident Management System

http://www.training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.aspx

http://cdp.dhs.gov/

Center for Domestic Preparedness

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING

Workshops: November 17, 2014 Conference & Expo: November 18-19, 2014

Gaylord Texan Resort

Dallas, Texas