Schools Activate ICS With 911 Call
Colorado schools can activate their Incident Command Systems by calling 911 thanks to new technology developed by SchoolSAFE Communications.
A 911 call will activate a campuswide radio communications network that links school staff with first responders arriving on the scene.
Schools traditionally respond to a crisis by calling 911 then waiting for first responders. With the new system, schools will be immediately connected to local first responders' two-way radios.
The system eliminates the need for first responders to install and carry a second set of radios compatible with the schools'. In addition, schools do not have to purchase the more expensive radios used by the first responders.
Document on Nuclear Detonation Released
The Homeland Security Council released a document on nuclear detonation in the United States. The purpose of the guide, Planning Guidance for Response to Nuclear Detonation, is to provide emergency planners with recommendations that are specific to nuclear detonation with the goal of preserving life. The target audience includes response planners, their leaders, elected officials, and a broad spectrum of emergency managers and planners.
Now Available: DHS Rail Car Incident Course
A new course, AWR 147 Rail Car Incident Response, is now available to all 50 states and five territories. The eight-hour, instructor-led course is an introduction to basic rail car design and construction features, as well as assessment strategies to help interpret damage to the rail cars in the event of a hazardous materials spill.
The course is designed to educate rural first responders, government administrators and emergency managers on freight rail car incidents involving hazardous materials. Last year, more than 7,000 rail car accidents and incidents occurred, of which 20 involved hazardous materials that required more than 5,000 people to evacuate. In the last five years, there have been more than 166 incidents involving hazardous materials, and most of them happened in rural America.
More information can be obtained by visiting the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium or calling Jo Brosius at at 859/622-6445.
Miraculous Tales of Survival Following Tornado
Eight people died in a rare winter tornado in Lone Grove, Okla., but there were some miraculous survival stories in this town of about 4,600, which lies approximately 100 miles south of Oklahoma City.
According to an Associated Press report, a family was taking refuge in a closet when the tornado blew off part of the residence's roof and lifted a young girl into the air, threatening to carry her away before family members snatched her in midair. Another woman was found injured but alive under an overturned mobile home.
In northwest Oklahoma City, the tornado damaged several shopping centers, restaurants and an apartment complex where some residents used a futon mattress to barricade themselves into a walk-in closet. While they were in the closet, a large part of the complex's roof was blown off.
