Thursday, September 3, 2015

Training Opportunity: FEMA. Course: V-0015A - Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) Series – Cyber –Based Focus

                      To apply see 'TO APPLY' listed below.


Exercise Date & Location:
        October, 6, 7 and 8, 2015 Virtual Exercise – Multiple Locations
Exercise Length:
        4 Hours. Start time is 12:00 P.M. EST and end time is 4:00 P.M. EST 
        (to accommodate multiple time zones).

Exercise Description:
This TTX is designed for jurisdictions interested in increasing cybersecurity awareness among their employees and senior leadership. The complexity of this scenario is based on a jurisdictions’ response to significant cyber events impacting multiple agencies. In addition to general awareness, the jurisdictions’ secondary priority is to examine the incident management structure used to manage multiple incidents.

Scenarios threat vectors:
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) • PII Breach/ data exfiltration
• Social Media Hack • Spearphishing
• User Error • Website Defacement
• Wiper Malware

The VTTX involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios in an informal setting, and can be used to assess plans, policies, training and procedures. Lead facilitation for the exercise will be coordinated by EMI, with local facilitation provided by the participating agency. This format will allow the common delivery of exercise materials, scenarios, modules and discussion questions among those participating in the exercise.

Benefit to the Whole Community:
The VTTX is a pre-packaged set of exercise materials requiring reduced effort by participating organizations. The new/novel delivery method will allow participating communities, Non-Government Organizations and industry to share real-time cyber-based related preparation, response and recovery concerns and solutions with all participants providing a unique environment for learning lessons and sharing information.

Exercise Goal:
This virtual exercise will enable the participants to exercise their knowledge, skills and abilities needed to effectively conduct all-hazards emergency 
preparedness, response and recovery. Overall goals include:

1.) Prepare participants for a cyber-based event affecting their community.
No. 1190  Wednesday, September 2, 2015  Course: V-0015A - Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) Series – Cyber –Based Focus  No. 1190  Wednesday, September 2, 2015

2.) Enable participants to better coordinate their response operations with counterparts from local governments, State governments, Federal agencies, Tribal, private sector organizations, and non-governmental agencies.
3.) Leverage VTC technology to reach remote sites.
4.) Provide a virtual, experiential education environment to exercise and enhance critical response and recovery tasks.

Target Audience:
This VTTX is designed for a “community based” organization with representation from multiple Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), comprised of whole community stakeholders and partners involved in a cyber-based response and recovery. It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that Cyber VTTX participating organizations include all of the following disciplines: emergency management, information technology, public safety, public information, communications and other government or private sector personnel involved in cyber incident response, as appropriate.

Exercise Design

This VTTX is designed to engage the participants in a no fault, hazard-specific exercise discussion. The lead facilitation will occur via VTC from the EMI campus, and will be complimented by a dedicated local agency facilitator at each VTC site.

The VTTX will be supported by an Exercise and Coordination Facilitation Guide, which will include all required logistical information (room layout, connection instructions, etc.), as well as, facilitation and hot wash instructions.

The VTTX will consist of:
• A hazard awareness briefing on the scenario hazard.
• Three discussion modules presented by the EMI facilitator.
• Local discussion with guided questions facilitated by an on-site facilitator.
• Brief-outs from each participating location after each module.

Participation Requirements:
Participants must have an appropriate site equipped with VTC capability that can access the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) VTC site (connection information will be provided by EMI). Participating locations will be responsible for local exercise logistics, and should designate an exercise coordinator to implement the logistical requirements for the exercise. In addition, the location must provide a person capable of facilitating the on-site portion of exercise. Electronic copies of the related exercise materials will be provided in advance by EMI.

To Apply:
Locations interested in participating in the VTTX series should submit an email request to participate in the exercise to Douglas Kahn at douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov , phone (301) 447-7645. 

                      Your email is your program application. 

When applying, please provide a central point of contact from your organization to work all issues and your preferred date to take part. Each location will receive a logistical information and exercise materials to set up and facilitate the exercise locally.

Free Courses vs FEE courses in Disaster education and training,.

BEMA will promote free education and training over fee based training for maximum community engagement in disaster and emergency management, and resiliency building.

CDS
CEO Black Emergency Managers Association

Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses for anyone to take, for free.


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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Capacity Building. African Pharmaceuticals. Time AU member nations to take control of pharmaceutical industry within the continent.

Taking control of even the generic pharma market will bring tremendous advantages to human capital, national security, and contributions to health care sector.

Time for a change not only in control of natural resources, but resources provided to well-being of all.  

BEMA

http://www.scidev.net/global/medicine/analysis-blog/private-sector-india-generic-drug-wars.html

"The African market, expected to be worth US$30 billion by 2016,"

Bringing science and development together through original news and analysis


PHARMACEUTICALS

Threats to the Pharmacy of the Developing World

Africans who depend on drugs produced on the cheap in India could pay the steepest price if proposed changes to Indian patent law are pushed through, warns Maha Rafi Atal, a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Indian companies ran afoul of Big Pharma in the 1970s when they began to only recognize patents for drug-making processes, rather than products. This opened the door for Indian companies to alter processes and “reverse engineer” medications cheaply, which they began exporting to poor countries. For example, they provide about 80% of the antiretrovirals used to treat HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Now, under US pressure, India could change its laws—and that arrangement could unravel. As Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa's health minister, said, “We regard India as the pharmacy of the developing world … They were our heroes, and if they change their laws now, we will be in big trouble in Sub-Saharan Africa.”


SciDevNet

Monday, August 31, 2015

Webinar Training Opportunity. Mutual Aid Agreement. September 17, 2015


1. Mutual Aid Agreement Webinar:On Thursday, September 17th at 1 p.m. 



  • Eastern, Missouri's State Mutual Aid Coordinator will host a presentation on Missouri's mutual aid system and its continuity efforts during the Joplin, Missouri tornado in 2011Every fire department will at some time require mutual aid assistance, even well-funded departments or departments in large cities. Having good communication, expectations, and crafting a good written mutual aid agreement with neighboring departments is essential to ensure everyone's needs are being met and no one is being taken advantage of.    This webinar is part of the Resilience Development Webinar Series sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) and is hosted by IP's Emergency Services Section. Interested people should register for this event.     http://dfs.dps.mo.gov/programs/resources/mutual-aid.php 

U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. Ebola. Funding for Hospitals. August 31, 2015

Caring for Ebola Patients.  U.S. HHS Funding for Hospitals.
  • HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has awarded approximately $20 million through its Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) to enhance the regional treatment centers' capabilities to care for patients with Ebola or other highly infectious diseases. ASPR will provide an additional $9 million to these recipients in the subsequent four years to sustain their readiness.
  • HHS selects nine regional Ebola and other special pathogen treatment centers:    The facilities announced today will be continuously ready and available to care for a patient with Ebola or another severe, highly infectious disease, whether the patient is medically evacuated from overseas or is diagnosed within the United States.
  • The nine awardees and their partner hospitals are:*Massachusetts Department of Public Health in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts *New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in partnership with New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation/HHC Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City *Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in partnership with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland *Georgia Department of Public Health in partnership with Emory University Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia *Minnesota Department of Health in partnership with the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota *Texas Department of State Health Services in partnership with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in Galveston, Texas *Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with Nebraska Medicine - Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska *Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in partnership with Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado *Washington State Department of Health in partnership with Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital in Spokane, Washington       

          For more information on the National Ebola Training and Education Center, contact hpp@hhs.gov

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