Swine Flu Music Video

Webcast to the American People - H1N1

For Immediate Release:

HHS Secretary Sebelius and DHS Secretary Napolitano will host a Webcast to answer questions from the American people regarding the H1N1 flu on Thursday at 1:00 PM EDT. They will be joined by Acting Director of CDC, Dr. Besser.

The Webcast can be viewed at www.hhs.gov and www.cdc.gov.

Questions Requested For Daily H1V1 Briefing

This morning a request went out for public questions for the daily H1V1 briefing. The following question and comment was sent to: hhsstudio@hhs.gov

"There are programs, such as the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) across the United States where volunteers can help if mass distribution is needed. Residents should be reassured that volunteers have been training with professionals for quite a few years. This is not to say that more trained volunteers are not needed.

What plans are in place for areas of the country that do not have a robust MRC or volunteer network, and areas where more volunteers are needed, including potentially leveraging volunteers from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Red Cross, religious organizations, and other affiliated Citizen Corps programs?

As we learned from September 11, it is times like this when people see the need to act. However, with time, that need fades.

Thank you for keeping the public regularly updated.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors
http://citizencorps.blogspot.com"

Day In The Life - Emergency Manager

Often when we think of the role of Emergency Manager, we think of an emergency management office that might reside in an office of emergency management.

With all the recent news about peanut recalls, what might a day in the life of a state Department of Agriculture Emergency Manager look like.

While the following was written in 2003, it helps define a model for this role.

http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-50772_2404_4863-74271--,00.html

Take Your Mind Off The News - Eat Ice Cream For A Good Cause

"Bring your friends and your camera to 31 Cent Scoop Night™ tonight at Baskin-Robbins®. Join us as we honor America's firefighters with a $100,000 donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council National Junior Firefighter Program."

Information Overload

As mentioned yesterday, with all the Web 2.0 tools, like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and others, information travels faster than it ever has. With some of that content creating concern.

"Some observers say Twitter -- a micro-blogging site where users post 140-character messages -- has become a hotbed of unnecessary hype and misinformation about the outbreak"

The complete story can be found at:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/27/swine.flu.twitter/index.html?iref=werecommend

If you cant trust the internet for information where can we go?

In the last blog entry, we questioned the accuracy of some of the information on the internet. So where can we go to get validated up to date information.

The following US Government website:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

"One-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information."

Wikipedia

As we know online technology is a great fast resource for information.

The following wikipedia swine flu page provides more detailed information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_Flu

However, remember the people entering this information might not be trained professionals and cannot be totally verified, as with a lot of the information on the internet. This is being provided for reference only.

Can technology help with the race against pandemic flu?

To see what is being done to use technology to get ahead of a potentially deadly migration, take a look at some of the innovative discussions taking place globally.

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/healthcare/aug14/index.shtml

The website also includes some videos highlighting major outbreaks in the past. While many of us were not around at the time, these videos really highlight some events that happened not that long ago. And steps that are being taken to help try to prevent something so widespread from happening again.

Where can I get more information about the swine flu?

The following article in yesterday's USA Today provides for some excellent Q&A about Swine Flu.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-04-26-swine-flu-questions-answers_N.htm

According to article from MSNBC, U.S. declares state of emergency - Swine Flu

"The world’s governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases surfaced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a public health emergency. “It’s not a time to panic,” the White House said. " (Source: MSNBC)

A complete press briefing can be found at:

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1240773850207.shtm

Does your community have a Medical Reserve Corps? Maybe it should

According to recent news reports, "The World Health Organization warned countries around the world Saturday to be on alert for any unusual flu outbreaks after a unique new swine flu virus was implicated in possibly dozens of human deaths in North America."

The local news headlines say "New U.S. Swine Flu Cases Spread "Pandemic" Fear Virus confirmed in Kansas and probable in New York City".

The complete article can be found at:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/us_world/NATL-Deadly-Flu-Outbreak-Linked-to-US-.html

Now while this article should not cause major panic, it is always good to take basic health precautions and consider volunteering for a local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program, in the event a local response was needed for a pandemic flu.

It's Official!

Today, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law.

http://www.servicenation.org/newpatriotism

Thank you to everyone that provided their support.

Online Systems Getting Hit By Budget Cuts

According to http://az211online.blogspot.com/, "As part of the (Arizona) State’s effort to balance the 2009 budget, the Arizona 2-1-1 Program has been defunded."

This does not mean that emergency alerts are going away for this state, they will be maintained through a blog.

"Emergency Bulletins
The Arizona Division of Emergency Management is preserving the Emergency Bulletin System at http://arizonaEIN.blogspot.com/"


Things are a little different for health services where you will be referred to a non-profit agency.

"Health and Human Service Resources
The health and human service database is no longer accessible via az211.gov. There are a number of non-profit organizations in Arizona that provide Information and Referral services and may be able to assist you."

Looking for additional information at www.az211.gov, took us to the blogspot link listed above.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Provide Support To Local CERT Program

The following was submitted to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Fairfax County CERT and the professional instructors are the best of the best and provide a world class program. There is no other program in the nation that provides such hands-on expertise with instructors with extensive background. Where else can you find a CERT instructor who responded to Katrina, Pentagon, or World Trade Center? Where else can you find a CERT instructor who is on the Urban Search and Rescue Team and deploys to worldwide disasters? Our citizens deserve the knowledge of these experts who live in our community. Many of us do not have the time to be volunteer fireman, but do have the time to take the CERT training and give back as volunteer instructors and outreach. What other CERT program has been on a National Food Show? Ourprogram has the CERT instructor who was featured to thank for that. Not only should you keep the MA2 position, in times when you need to cut other areas, Fairfax County should be considering expanding the program. Fairfax County CERT expanded the program this past year under the leadership of these three instructors who came up with CERT Basic, 2, 3. This gives more access to CERT program to people in other parts of the county and does not cost the county a dime. Please think again about cutting the CERT program. Losing our MA2 would be a deep loss to Fairfax County. Not only do you need to think about the position, but also the people behind it. The people who have made a difference in our lives.

AED Recall

The following information was provided today in an email from the U.S. Fire Administration.

"Medical Device Recall: ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reporting the following medical device recall:

Product: ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator. This product was manufactured from May 2004 through February 2009 and distributed from May 2004 through February 9, 2009.

Use: This device is used by emergency or medical personnel, by others who have completed CPR AED training courses, or the public at large. It is intended to treat patients in cardiac arrest. The device analyzes an unconscious patient’s heart rhythm and instructs the user to press a button that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm.

Reason for Recall: The AED failed to deliver the defibrillation energy. "

Additional information can be found at:

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/recalls/recall-021209b.html

Untapped Potential? Emergency Management Websites?

A report, "Untapped Potential: Evaluating State Emergency Management Agency Web Sites 2008" is available from the University of Kansas Transporation Research Institute

http://people.ku.edu/~dguth/WebVersionEMA.pdf

While we might not agree with all of the information, there is some pretty good information and statistics.

Calling 911?

The following website provides tips on how to call 911

http://www.wikihow.com/Call-911

Recently an area 911 system was unavailable. That raised the question, if you cannot reach 911 because their system is down, who do you call?

We recommend that you keep a sticker on all your phones with your local police emergency and non-emergency number. The emergency number is often the 911 dispatch center.

In the past, you would have called the operator to connect your call. With all of the services on the internet, it has probably been some time since you called the operator on your telephone.

Now that this service is automated, you rarely speak with a person right away when calling the operator.

Having the police non-emergency number posted by all of your telephones can be a lifesaver, in the event the 911 system goes out in your area. You might also want to have listed the phone number for your local fire station and hospital.