Attention All WMATA Metro Riders - Please Read

Be Metro Ready!

All of you have heard the news of the Metro incident in Washington DC. However, the last time you were on public transportation, did you take the time to review the emergency procedures?

Please take a few minutes to review the WMATA Emergency Preparedness tips.

http://www.wmata.com/getting_around/safety_security/emergency.cfm

Spending a few minutes now, RIGHT NOW. It might help save your life or the help you provide may save the lives of others around you.

Sad to say, it takes a tragedy, such as the one we just saw, to bring emergency preparedness back to the forefront.

Be Ready. Be Metro Ready!

Fairfax County CERT Takes on DC Metro - And Is Prepared

Members of Fairfax County CERT completed WMATA training and became members of the Metro Citizen Corps.

The program consisted of three modules:

Module I – Program Orientation / Terrorist Activity Recognition and Reaction Training

Module II – Passenger Train Familiarization at the Metro rail yard

Module III – MetroRail Familiarization / Tunnel Walk (Actually entering the MetroRail tunnel system during operating hours)

Thank you to the Metro Transit Police Department and Department of Emergency Management for conducting this training.

Additional photos can be found at (including a train running by us just a few feet away):http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80706&id=746279659&l=4835874bea

(Originally Posted By Andrew Levy on http://fairfaxcountycert.blogspot.com/)

The photo above also includes some of our instructors from WMATA Police/Emergency Management that also responded to the Metro incident on June 22. Our thoughts go out to the families and the response of all the rescuers.

This was an excellent program that really prepared us to react in the event of an emergency.

For additional information, please contact neighborshelpingneighbors@live.com

Local CERTs Work Together with Support from Red Cross

On Saturday July 11, local area Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) from Arlington, Alexandra, Fairfax and others participated as victims in the Pentagon Force Protection Decontamination drill/test.

The local American Red Cross also provided support for the drill.

"At the start of the test, a harmless, traceable powder, the same one used in the previous test, will be released. After the release, volunteers who have been stationed in and around the Pentagon, will be transported by bus to a decon area. Upon arrival at the decon station, they will place their clothing in a bag and will remain wearing their bathing suit as they proceed through decon. Volunteer's clothing will be returned to them on the other side of the decon line."

Additional information about the drill is available at: http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/acvo/volunteer/spotlight/pentagondrill

DHS Answering President Obama’s call to service

Release Date: June 19, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Answering President Obama’s call to service, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano will be joined by Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate on Monday volunteering their time and efforts to promote service across the country. The President’s 81-day summer service initiative, United We Serve, challenges all citizens to get involved in their communities and start building a better future for the nation.

“Volunteerism strengthens a community’s capacity to meet challenges,” said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. “President Obama’s call for service—today and everyday—plays a critical role in our efforts to prepare and protect the nation.”

Secretary Napolitano will help jumpstart community readiness in Orlando, Fla., where she will work with local members of the FEMA Citizens Corps to help prepare their neighborhoods and communities for successful emergency response and recovery.

Deputy Secretary Lute will lead a citizenship class at the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR) in New York, N.Y., where immigrants from around the world come to learn English, learn about America and prepare to become U.S. citizens.

Administrator Fugate will discuss the importance of service at a roundtable in Denver with Americans who have made President Obama’s challenge central to their daily lives, including firefighters as well as volunteers from FEMA’s Fire Corps and CERT programs—two entities that train people to assist and become first responders.

United We Serve will culminate with a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11, 2009. This milestone will provide an opportunity to recognize the summer’s accomplishments, honor those who died on September 11, 2001, and encourage Americans to make an ongoing commitment to service.

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Fact, Fiction, You?

This fall, through the collective reach of the entertainment industry in an unprecedented cooperative effort led by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), Americans will be asked to give their time and talents to a cause they care about. The entertainment industry will also shine a spotlight on the great service and volunteer heroes who are changing our world for the better, both at home and abroad. The effort will begin with TV programming and will expand to other media later on.

We expect that virtually every American will hear this rallying message multiple times. PSA’s will point the public to a powerful web-based tool where they can find opportunities to serve with nonprofit organizations or through neighborhood projects. They will find “Do It Yourself” projects they can do on their own or with a group, family, or friends. Everyone will be able to find a way to make a meaningful contribution that fits his or her unique preferences.

This campaign will highlight five areas identified by President and Mrs. Obama as priorities for the country where needs in our communities are great and where volunteers can play a vital part in solving problems and lifting up communities:

1. Education and youth
2. Environmental conservation and reduced energy consumption
3. Health and well-being of all generations
4. Economic development and financial security
5. Supporting our troops and keeping America safe

To make this campaign successful, the entertainment industry needs our help. They need organizations to offer service opportunities, as well as “DIY” projects that people can do on their own. But first, they need stories to highlight the impact of service.

As a first step, EIF is looking for real-life stories that can be fictionalized for use in television episodes. If you have any such stories, please submit them by June 18. Stories can be submitted through the ServiceNation website at www.servicenation.org/stories.

Thank you to Alan Khazei (akhazei@bethechangeinc.org) for sharing this opportunity.

Wikipedia Anyone?

Still confused with all the definitions of Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness out there?

May be you overlooked one of the most obvious websites to get a better understanding.

Wikipedia

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

Provides lots of content, links, resources, etc. from around the world.