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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
U.S. DHHS. Office of Minority Health. Resources..Money & More
2013 AmeriCorps NOFO Upcoming Tribal Calls
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AmeriCorps is hosting two final calls for tribes on Thursday, December 13 and Thursday, January 10.
The steps for registration are below:
- Click the “register” button link. This will take you to an external website called EventBrite.
- When that website opens, click the orange REGISTER tab.
- Complete the registration information, changing the email address to your own if it is prepopulated. The page will also include the call-in information you need.
- An order confirmation screen will appear in eventbrite.com. Also, an email will be automatically sent to you confirming your ticket order. Tickets will include the call number and access code you need to participate in the call. Tickets are free and you do NOT have to print the ticket for any reason, as the event is via telephone.
- Under “WHEN” on the right-hand side of the page, click “add to my calendar,” then “Outlook calendar," “open,” and when the Outlook window opens, click “save and close” in the top-left corner. You will receive an email confirmation.
For a full list of technical assistance conference calls, the notice of funding opportunity, or other grant application resources, refer to our website.
New FAQs Available for Criminal History Checks
National Service Criminal History Checks
New FAQs Available for Criminal History Checks
The Corporation for National and Community Service has posted two new updates regarding National Service Criminal History Checks on the Knowledge Network.
The first is an updated Frequently Asked Questions document published on November 30, 2012.
The second is the latest presentation to grantees on the National Service Criminal History Check requirements published December 4, 2012.
Please review and contact your program officer should you have any questions or need further clarification.
Workshop: Mobile, AL. SBA 89(a) Business Opportunity
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Lesley on Africa added to BEMA home\web\blog page
Blog and URL added to the BEMA home\web\blog page as insightful reference to Africa.
Webinar Recording: ""Water Sector Mutual Aid: How the WARN Program Facilitates Rapid Response and Recovery of Water Systems,"
The Webinar recording of the November 28th EMForum.org program,
""Water Sector Mutual Aid: How the WARN Program Facilitates Rapid Response and Recovery of Water Systems," with Kevin Morley (AWWA) and John Whitler (EPA), is now available.
This is a large file and requires Windows Media Player or Windows Media Components for QuickTime or a similar product to view.
The recording is now also available in MP4 format for mobile users.
The Transcript, Audio Podcast, presentation Slides, as well as Ratings and Comments are available from the Background Page.
The Audio Podcast and MP4 recordings are also available from the iTunes Store.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Emergency Planning: Ask: Do You Know What Is Transported Through Your Back Yard?
IEM Blog: NJ Train Derailment Begs Us to Ask: Do You Know What Is Transported Through Your Back Yard?
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Posted: 03 Dec 2012 12:24 PM PST
Last Friday’s freight train derailment in New Jersey in which several rail tank cars of vinyl chloride ended up in a creek off the Delaware River serves as a sobering reminder to emergency managers throughout the United States: do you know what is transported through your back yard? If so, do you have a plan for responding?
Fortunately, only one rail car of vinyl chloride was ruptured, a tribute to the strength of rail tank cars. At 353,000 lbs fully loaded, a rail tank car is difficult to move, even with the right equipment. However, an incident involving vinyl chloride (VCM), a highly flammable toxic inhalation hazard, contains multiple hazards that are worth reviewing. This incident should serve as a learning experience for emergency managers and first responders.
First, in an incident involving a chemical like VCM, it is important to step back and assess the situation before immediately putting water on the problem. While VCM is highly flammable, the water spray reportedly used in the initial response may have actually exacerbated the release because adding water in this case would have increased the formation of gas. The recommended media is alcohol resistant firefighting foam (AR-AFFF). The foam knocks down the flammable and toxic gas and slows down the vaporization.
Second, aging infrastructure is clearly a factor in this incident. There are 18 railroad systems in New Jersey operating over 983 miles of track. While freight rail operators are constantly improving their systems, they cannot always keep up with the maintenance of tracks, trestles and bridges. This bridge was constructed in 1874. Like many railroad bridges in this country, they need attention.
Finally, environmental concerns in this event are not significant as VCM is not a persistent material in the environment and it does not bio-accumulate. VCM has an environmental half-life of 23 hours in soil and water. In air it rapidly degrades with sunlight and disperses into the atmosphere.
This incident underscores the importance of knowing what’s going through your back yard, preplanning so you know how to deal with such incidents, the ability to make good assessments and developing mitigation and response plans. Hazmat incidents must be supported by well trained and prepared responders.
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Posted: 03 Dec 2012 08:44 AM PST
Author: IEM
On Friday, November 30th a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed while crossing a bridge in Paulsboro, NJ, a town south of Philadelphia. Four tanker trucks overturned into the creak creating a hole in rail car containing vinyl chloride.
Here is raw footage of the wreckage.
NJ Train Derailment Tips Tankers (Associated Press, Nov 30)
Train Derailment in New Jersey Spills Hazardous Waste (ABC news, Nov 30)
National
Transportation Safety Board Official Information:
NTSB Launches Go-Team to Investigate a Freight Train Derailment and Hazardous Materials Release in New Jersey (Article contains links to NTSB press briefings)
IEM’s hazmat and transportation experts are conducting an independent analysis of the spill that will be available later today.
See more information on IEM’s transportation expertise and hazmat modeling and simulation capabilities. |