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Message From Acting Director William P. Robertson

July 2018Illinois Emergency Management Agency

One of the lessons we have learned from other states is to never say “it can’t happen here.” We are all vulnerableto acts of violence in our home, at work, at school and in our community. Our nation’s schools should be a safehaven for teaching and learning, free of crime and violence. It’s important to balance sufficient building securitywith a healthy, nurturing school environment. Safety will always be a top priority for schools, but parents canalso play an important role in keeping kids safe.

As students head back to the classroom this fall, be sure to include emergency preparedness in your back-to-school plans. Here are some planning tips for parents to consider:

• Find out where children will be taken in the event of an evacuation during school hours;• Ensure your current emergency contact information is on file at your child’s school; • Pre-authorize a friend or relative to pick up your children in an emergency and make sure the school knowswho that designated person is; and,

• Teach children with cell phones about ‘Text First, Talk Later.’ Short, simple text messages, such as “R UOK?” and “I’m OK,” are more likely to get through than a phone call if phone service is disrupted followingan emergency. As phone congestion eases, you can follow up with a phone call to relay more information.

For parents of college-aged students, a little research can provide peace of mind. Many college campusesoffer email and text messages to alert students of potential dangers, such as severe weather and other threats.Encourage your college student to sign-up forsuch alerts. Some colleges also provide alertmessages for parents so they also are awareof potential dangers on campus. In addition,make sure your student knows the emergencyplans for their dorm or apartment building.

As families prepare to send students back tothe classroom, take a moment to review theinformation available on the ready.illinois.govwebsite. Whether you are a parent, schooladministrator or school resource officer, thereis helpful information and training available –many times at little to no cost – to help youkeep our youngest citizens and future leaderssafe.

In this issueIEMA Attends CRCPD Conference .....................2

Earthquake Preparedness Presentation .............2

Save the Date: Great American Shakeout .........3

Back to School: Make Safety a Priority.............3

Business Loan Deadline Approaching.................4

National Homeland Security Conference ............5

Guest Speaker at SEOC.....................................5

Inside IEMA Info Corner.....................................6

Register Today: IEMA Training Summit...............7

IEMA Inspector Serves as U.S. Delegate at CRCPD ConferenceDuring the week of June 18-22, Gary Forsee, whoworks in IEMA’s Division of Nuclear Safety, attendeda technical meeting at the International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria representing theConference of Radiation Control Program Directors,Inc. (CRCPD) as the U.S. delegate.

The specific focus of this forum was the safemanagement of uranium process wastes and naturallyoccurring radioactive material (NORM). Attendanceconsisted of representatives from 24 nations, eachrequired to present on the regulations in their nationrelevant to NORM and uranium residue management.Specific focus was paid to challenges encountered inNORM management and associated regulatorydevelopment. Gary chaired working groupdiscussions and consolidated member state issuesinto a main forum presentation.

The week concluded by making a set of actionablerecommendations to the IAEA Scientific Secretary,which could then be implemented over the next threeyears. The goals of these action items are to build

capacity in member states, promote good regulations,increase information sharing, support the use of IAEAtools and to provide input for further work. This was atremendous honor for Gary, and he represented theCRCPD and the United States exceptionally well.

Earlier this year IEMA was asked to send arepresentative to attend the 70th Anniversary IllinoisMunicipal Utilities Association (IMUA) annualconference. The meeting presented a uniqueopportunity to speak to local level cooperatives aboutthis critical topic.

IEMA’s team put together a panel presentation for theconference that included a brief overview of Illinois’earthquake history. This included areas of the stateat risk for earthquakes, residual effects to areas thatare not in the earthquake hazard zone, and sharedplanning and preparedness efforts and experiencesfrom the state and local level.

“Overall, I think the audience learned a lot from thediscussion,” said Jason Williams, Earthquake ProgramManager. “There were some great questions from avery receptive audience, mostly about the localresponse and recovery planning efforts and how to bemore involved within their community and field ofexpertise. At the end of the session, the attendeeslearned more about how state, county and local

emergency teams are working together to plan andprepare for the next big earthquake and things thatthey can do on the personal and professional side tobe more prepared.”

Earthquake Preparedness Presentation

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The Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors was held inVienna, Austria. IEMA’s Gary Forsee served as the U.S. Delegate.

Pictured: Stanley Krushas, IEMA Region 8 Regional Coordinator,Jason Williams, IEMA Earthquake Program Manager, and KevinScheibe, Monroe County Emergency Management Agency.

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The Illinois EmergencyManagement Agency isencouraging families, schools,businesses, organizations, andhealthcare providers to registertoday to participate in the GreatAmerican Shakeout earthquake drillOct. 18, 2018.

On this date, at 10:18 a.m., peoplefrom all around the nation willpractice how to Drop, Cover, andHold On – the key steps to survivingan earthquake. An earthquake canstrike anywhere at any time.Whether you are at home, at work,or on vacation, being prepared isthe best way to survive and recoverquickly from a quake.

The main goal of Shakeout is to geteveryone prepared for a majorearthquake, so use this earthquakedrill as an opportunity to learn whatto do before, during and after anearthquake. Also, take this time toreview your personal andprofessional emergency plans. Formore tips on how to prepare,protect and recover, visitready.illinois.gov.

Registration and participation in theGreat American Shakeoutearthquake drill is completely free.Sign up today to be counted in thisyear’s earthquake drill.

Save the Date: Great AmericanShakeout – October 18, 2018

Did you Know:• Illinois is at risk fromtwo major seismiczones: Wabash ValleySeismic Zone andNew Madrid SeismicZone.

• Most powerful quaketo occur in continentalU.S. took place alongthe New MadridSeismic Zone in thewinter of 1811-1812.

• Experts estimate asimilar earthquaketoday would devastatethe region withprojected damages ofnearly $80 billion.

• The largest CentralU.S. quake in recentyears: April 2008 –Mt. Carmel, IL (5.4magnitude).

Safety in our schools and on our college campuses isa right every student and family should expect. Asstudents from pre-kindergarten to college prepare tohead back to school, the Illinois EmergencyManagement Agency (IEMA) and local emergencymanagement agencies across the state are remindingeducators about the recent recommendations of theIllinois Terrorism Task Force School Safety WorkingGroup.

The group’s 13 recommendations are designed tohelp make Illinois schools safer. Theserecommendations were presented to Governor BruceRauner in May 2018, and are available online for thepublic to review.

“There is no single answer to achieving school safety,”said Mike Chamness, Chairman of the Illinois TerrorismTaskforce. “No individual has all of the answers, butthe experience and expertise found within themembers of the School Safety Working Group illustratethe state’s commitment to offer practicalrecommendations for our schools to implement intotheir policies and procedures.”

The state of Illinois has taken measures to increase thelevel of preparedness of our schools and campuses.The Illinois School and Campus Safety ResourceCenter provides a variety of training programs to helppublic and private K-12 schools and higher education

Back to School: Make Safety a Top Priority

Register Now: https://www.shakeout.org/centralus/register/

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Back to School: Make Safety a Top Priority (cont. from page 3)

institutions plan for, respond to, and recover from anemergency or disaster. Training opportunities, whichare provided free of charge, include traditionalclassroom courses, workshops, webinars and onlinetraining.

The Statewide Terrorism & Intelligence Center’s (STIC)School Safety Information Sharing Program isdesigned to identify the information needs of schooland campus safety officials and ensure timely andwide dissemination of actionable intelligence that istailored to the protection of these communities. Thegoal of the program is to aid in school safety effortsthrough sharing information from local, state andfederal agencies with at least one person in everyschool and campus in the state of Illinois.

To learn more about school and campus safety, visitour website ready.illinois.gov.

SBA: Business Loan Deadline ApproachingThe U.S. Small Business Administration is remindingbusinesses in Illinois that working capital loans are stillavailable to small businesses, small agriculturalcooperatives, small businesses engaged inaquaculture and private non-profit organizationsaffected by severe storms and flooding that occurredon July 11-27, 2017. Low-interest disaster loans areavailable in Lake County and the contiguous countiesof Cook and McHenry in Illinois.

“Businesses that suffered economic losses as a resultof the disaster and want to apply for low-interest loansfrom the SBA are urged to do so before the Aug. 13deadline,” said Kem Fleming, director of SBA FieldOperations Center East.

Working capital disaster loans up to $2 million areavailable at 3.215 percent for small businesses, and2.5 percent for private nonprofit organizations withterms up to 30 years. The loans are intended to payfixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and otherexpenses that could have been paid had the disasternot occurred. To be considered for this assistance,eligible entities need to apply by the deadline.

Survivors may apply online using the Electronic LoanApplication (ELA) via SBA’s secure website atDisasterloan.sba.gov.

Businesses may also obtain information and loanapplications by calling the SBA’s Customer ServiceCenter at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for thedeaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailingdisastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applicationscan also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster.Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S.Small Business Administration, Processing andDisbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, FortWorth, TX 76155.

The deadline to return economic injury applications isAug. 13, 2018.

The National Homeland SecurityConference was held this year July 9-13 in New York, New York. Thisconference is the annual meeting ofhomeland security and emergencymanagement professionals from thenation’s largest metropolitan areas.Staff from both IEMA and the city ofChicago were in attendance foroutstanding sessions and informationsharing on homeland security andemergency management, with aspecific focus on urban areas.

This year was extra special, as one ofIllinois’ own was recognized for aspecial award. Tom Sivak, DeputyDirector of Emergency Managementfor the City of Chicago Office of

Emergency Management andCommunications (OEMC), wasawarded the Colonel Robert E.Williams Leadership Award. Thisaward is given to a person who hasshown exemplary leadership skills inthe day-to-day management ofhomeland security operations andwho consistently goes above andbeyond in their duties and dedication.

During his tenure with OEMC, Tomhas led EOC activations for suchlarge-scale events as the ChicagoMarathon, Pride Parade, as well asthe 2016 World Series and victoryparade. Most recently, Tom served asa lead coordinator for hurricaneevacuees to Chicago.

IEMA Team Attends National Homeland Security Conference

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Tom Sivak, Deputy Director of ChicagoEmergency Management andCommunications

Guest Speaker Visits State Emergency Operation Center

In July, state agency directors joined agencyliaisons at the July SEOC briefing to hear froma very special guest. Major General RichardHayes stopped by to present an overviewregarding “Complex Catastrophes andCritical Infrastructure Failure.” GeneralHayes spoke about the role criticalinfrastructure plays in our economy, and whatthe state should be doing to prepare forpotentially catastrophic failure of our criticalinfrastructure systems.

You can hear more from Major GeneralRichard Hayes by attending the 2018 IEMATraining Summit. Register today athttps://iemasummit2018.pathable.com/.

Major General Richard Hayes provides insight on the threatsto our nation’s critical infrastructure during the July briefingto SEOC liaisons.

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Radiological Dispersal Devices andDirty BombsThe terms radiological dispersal device (RDD) anddirty bomb are used frequently and ofteninterchangeably, but there is a difference. An RDDis a combination of radioactive material and themeans to disperse the material with malicious intent.A dirty bomb is a radiological dispersal device(RDD) that uses a conventional explosive, such asdynamite, to disperse radioactive material into thesurrounding area.

Dirty bombs are not nuclear bombs, do not involvenuclear detonations, and cannot create atomicblasts. The explosion created from a conventionalexplosive would be thousands to millions of timesless powerful than an explosion created from anuclear weapon.

The conventional explosion, not the radiation, is themain danger of a dirty bomb. There aren’t plausiblescenarios where radioactive material dispersed bya conventional explosion would lead to immediatehealth effects or fatalities in a large number ofpeople. Only victims in close proximity to the blastsite of a dirty bomb could possibly be exposed tosufficient radiation to cause immediate severeillness. However, the dispersed radioactive materialcould cause health issues if radioactive dust isinhaled or if contaminated food and water areconsumed.

An RDD would cause major challenges for acommunity – contaminating the area and potentiallypreventing reentry for months, creating fear andpanic, necessitating decontamination of people,pets, and the affected area. An RDD would alsolikely lead to the disruption of basic services,transportation, and communication systems.What can you do to prepare for an RDD?Preparing for an RDD is similar to preparing fornatural hazards. It is important to build anemergency supply kit with the addition of duct tapeand scissors. It is also important to develop andpractice a family emergency plan.

What can you do to protect yourself in the immediateaftermath of a dirty bomb?Get inside – seek shelter immediately. If shelterisn’t immediately available, walk away from thedetonation scene and cover mouth and nose with atissue or damp cloth. Stay inside – consider temporarily turning off HVACsystems if the outside temperatures aren’tprohibitive, and seal windows or doors that don’t fitsnugly with duct tape. Stay tuned – listen for official instructions and followdirections.

The May 2018 edition of Inside IEMA includes tipsfor removing external radioactive contamination thatwill be helpful if you think you were contaminated byradioactive material from a dirty bomb.

What is IEMA’s role?IEMA’s programs aim to prevent an RDD fromhappening. Through licensing, inspection,enforcement, and community outreach, IEMAfocuses on preventing the unauthorized acquisition,importation, movement, and use of radioactivematerial.

IEMA maintains a robust Radiological Task Forcethat is trained and equipped to respond to apossible radiological incident. IEMA is prepared tocollect and analyze samples, screen and monitorindividuals, provide guidance and resources forself-decontamination, characterize and assess theradiological impacts on an affected area, developdose projections, and provide protective actionrecommendations and guidance to municipalitiesand counties.

IEMA also oversees the State EmergencyOperations Center that acts as lead incrisis/consequence management response andoperations to notify, activate, deploy and employstate resources in response to natural hazards,threats, or acts of terrorism, such as an RDD.

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Just a few more weeks remain until the Aug. 17 registration deadlinefor the 2018 IEMA Training Summit. This year, the annualconference will be held Sept. 4-6 at the BOS Center in historicdowntown Springfield. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity toexpand your knowledge, hear from public safety leaders and networkwith your colleagues from throughout Illinois and across the U.S.

This year’s summit features dynamic, thought-provoking keynotespeakers, including the following:

#VegasStrong: Lessons Learned from the Largest Mass Shooting inU.S. History

Caleb Cage is the chief of Nevada’s Division of Emergency Management andHomeland Security Advisor. He will explain how emergency officials respondedto the October 2017 deadly mass shooting at an outdoor music festival in LasVegas. Attendees will get an inside look at the lessons learned from this eventand the steps taken to improve their strategic response.

Tackling School Violence

Safety in our schools and on our college campusesis a priority for parents, first responders and schooladministrators. But as we have seen first-hand, actsof violence can occur anywhere, from an urbanschool in Chicago to a rural school in Perry County.At this year’s Training Summit, we are bringingtogether school administrators, teachers andresource officers from throughout our state who havefaced this challenge head-on. Plus, we’ll discuss therecent recommendations from the Illinois TerrorismTask Force, which are designed to help keep Illinoisschools safe in the event of an active shooter threat.

Cyber Warfare and Critical Infrastructure

Critical infrastructure is vital to our national public health, safety and security, aswell as our national economy. At this year’s Summit, attendees will hear from MajorGeneral Richard Hayes as he outlines the federal strategic goals to coordinate withcritical infrastructure owners and operators to improve cybersecurity informationsharing and collaboratively develop and implement risk-based approaches tocybersecurity.

TRAININGSUMMITSEPT. 4-6

2018

Training Summit Registration Deadline is Aug. 17

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State of IllinoisIllinois Emergency Management Agency

For more information on this newsletter, contact:Rebecca Clark (Rebecca.B.Clark@Illinois.gov)

IOCI 19-0049 7-18 Web

Previous issues of Inside IEMA are available at:http://www.illinois.gov/iema/Info/Pages/Newsletters.aspx.

Labrador Lessons from a Canine Hero

Michael Hingson is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and international lecturer.Hingson, who has been blind since birth,survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of hisguide dog, Roselle. Hingson will share hisinspiring story and attendees will walk awaywith a new outlook on leadership, teamwork,trust, survival and the impact of change.

Sponsorship and VendorOpportunities Still Available This year’s summit schedule providesmaximum exposure for sponsors andexhibitors. The Vendor Networking Receptionon Sept. 4 will immediately follow a generalsession in the Main Hall, so attendees exitingthe session will walk directly through the exhibitbooth area, where they can enjoy horsd’oeuvres and browse the exhibits. If youwould like to take part in this maximumexposure opportunity, please contact SarahPlinski (sarah.plinski@illinois.gov) byAugust 17.

Mark your calendars now for the annual IEMA Training Summit – September 4-6 -- indowntown Springfield. Visit our website, https://iemasummit2018.pathable.com/, toreview this year’s Summit schedule and sign up for these invaluable sessions. We lookforward to seeing you this fall in Springfield!

TRAININGSUMMITSEPT. 4-6

2018

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