NEMA REMEMBERS THE VICTIMS, SURVIVORS AND HEROES OF 9/11

Lexington, KY - On Sunday America will pause to commemorate a tragic day in our history. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, deeply impacted our lives and forever changed our nation.  The members and staff of the National Emergency Management Association honor the victims, survivors and heroes of that day as well as those who came from all over the country to assist in the recovery efforts in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon in the weeks and months that followed. 

"Living with the threat of terrorism may be the new normal for our society, but the terrorists will never win," says Trina Sheets, executive director of NEMA.  "Our love of country and our fellow man, and the principles upon which this country was founded, is stronger than any outside forces that may seek to destroy us." 

On this anniversary of 9/11,NEMA would like to thank all those who have dedicated themselves to keeping the nation safe from all threats at home and abroad.  We also pay tribute to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines - active and reserve - in harm's way around the world. Thank you for your sacrifice: our thoughts and prayers are with you.

For more information on NEMA, contact Karen Cobuluis, Meeting and Marketing Coordinator, at (859) 244-8143 or e-mail kcobuluis@csg.org.

NEMA is the association of professionals dedicated to enhancing public safety by improving the nation's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from all emergencies, disasters, and threats to our security. NEMA is an affiliate organization of The Council of State Governments, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.

World's Foremost Chemical Emergency Response Service Marks Milestone Anniversary

September Marks 40th Year of CHEMTREC^® Operations

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 9, 2011) – This month marks the 40th year of operations for CHEMTREC, the world's foremost emergency call center that provides immediate critical response information during emergency incidents involving chemicals, hazardous materials and dangerous goods.

A service of the American Chemistry Council, CHEMTREC is a round-the-clock public service hotline available to fire fighters, law enforcement officials and other personnel who are the first responders in emergency situations. With links to the largest on-call network of chemical and hazardous material experts in the world, including chemical and response specialists, public emergency services, and private contractors, and more than four million accessible Materials Safety Data Sheets, CHEMTREC provides crucial assistance during incidents ranging from minor to critical.

"When faced with an incident involving hazardous materials or dangerous goods, emergency responders need access to reliable information and assistance immediately," said Randy Speight, managing director of CHEMTREC. "Every day of the year for the past 40 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, CHEMTREC has been providing immediate assistance to emergency responders to ensure they can properly address any hazardous situation that they are facing."

Over the past 40 years, CHEMTREC has grown and enhanced the services it provides beyond emergency incident response. Today, CHEMTREC also has the capability to assist companies in their disaster recovery efforts and serve as a company's crisis communications service, providing crucial information to company personnel and mass emergency broadcast services during a crisis. CHEMTREC Operations Center staff also can provide technical services to participating companies regarding company product use information.

CHEMTREC's reach also has expanded internationally in the past decade. In response to demand from the numerous chemical manufacturers that operate around the globe, today, CHEMTREC takes calls from anywhere in the world and provides translation in 180 languages to assist callers during an emergency. By building relationships with international manufacturers, shippers and emergency response organizations, as well as offering expanded services for customers who ship globally, CHEMTREC is able to meet the needs of an expanding global economy.

"CHEMTREC has been a key partner for Dow, working behind the scenes and evolving over time to provide the right tools to deliver the first-rate response capabilities that we need," said Rollie Shook, Global Emergency Services Leader with The Dow Chemical Company. "CHEMTREC operators have the knowledge, expertise and ability to ask the right questions and direct callers to the right source for information they need."

CHEMTREC also is a sponsor of TRANSCAER® (TRANSportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response), a voluntary outreach effort in the United States that helps communities prepare for and respond to possible hazardous material transportation incidents.

Learn more about CHEMTREC.

Donna L. Lepik

Director, Outreach & Special Programs/Staff Executive

American Chemistry Council

CHEMTREC^® & TRANSCAER^®

700 2nd Street NE, Suite 913 - Washington DC 20002

 dlepik@chemtrec.com or dlepik@transcaer.com

O: 202.249.6723 / M: 571.225.8877

www.chemtrec.com or www.transcaer.com

Fwd: Command and Control of Wildland Urban Interace Ops.

Good morning Oklahoma Jurisdictional POCs,

Now that things have quieted down a bit in Oklahoma, I wanted to take
the opportunity to thank each of the responders accross the state,
(Troopers, Police, Volunteer and Professional Fire, EMS, EMs, and any
other) that participated in the Eastern Oklahoma City/County Fire last
week. Watching it first hand, I have to say that each of you did an
incredible and amazing job in each of your roles...whether it was
traffic control, evacuation, emergency medical service, resource
management, or fire suppression. I am extremely proud of the quality
of the service you provided. Personally, I thought it was ashame that
the so much of the news focused on the losses and very little on the
hundreds of homes and lives saved by your aggressive and heroic
efforts. I guess that doesn't make for as good a story. Anyway...
Thanks for your tremendous help...I am proud to serve along side such
great Oklahomans

The National Fire Academy course Command and
Control of Wildland Urban Interface Fire Operations for the Structural
Chief Officer is two day course will be held at the Norman Fire
Department on November 3 and 4. There is no cost to the course.
This is a valuable course for any FD officers who may be in a command
role during a wildland fire where structures are at risk. Space is
limited and registration is taken in order received.

Yours Truly
Pat King
OKOHS NIMS Compliance