Pandemic Influenza Fact Sheet for the Water Sector
EPA has published a “Pandemic Influenza Fact Sheet for the Water Sector.” Pandemic flu could affect the capability of water system operators to operate and maintain their systems adequately due to increased absenteeism at their systems and at other interdependent sectors that provide essential materials and supplies. The flu fact sheet provides information to assist the water sector in integrating pandemic planning into existing business continuity and emergency response plans and reducing the risk to public health that would be caused by disruption in operation of water systems. In addition to background information on pandemic flu, its potential impacts, and possible interventions, the fact sheet provides references to tools and guidance materials offered by EPA and other organizations. The fact sheet is available at:
ABC Sample Exam Questions
Sample exam questions give you an online resource to prepare for your exam. In preparation for taking a certification exam, review the
THESE QUESTIONS as a sample of the type of questions covered. While these questions aren’t duplicated on any exam, sample questions allow you to familiarize yourself with the exam format.
EPA Webinar Presentations:
In the summer of 2009, EPA conducted a series of four webcasts on simultaneous compliance. These covered general simultaneous compliance issues and specific concerns related to ground water, surface water, and distribution systems. If you weren’t able to participate when they originally “aired”, now is your chance to go back and review the material. These may also be useful for future reference as you deal with water quality problems in the attempt to meet requirements from multiple rules. EPA considers simultaneous compliance a major issue that will be compounded as new rules are issued and the complexity of the regulatory environment increases. They will continue to work on tools to help states and water systems address these issues. If you have suggestions that will help you meet these challenges, please pass them on to Francine St. Denis at EPA (St-Denis.Francine@epa.gov, 202-564-3829).
Webinar 1 Source/Treatment Changes: What Primacy Agencies Should Consider
Webinar 2 Simultaneous Compliance Issues for Groundwater Systems
Webinar 3 Simultaneous Compliance Issues for Surface Water Systems
Webinar 4 Water Quality Management in Distribution Systems: Simultaneous Compliance and
Unintended Consequences
Toolkit to Help with Emergency Planning for Latino or Other Minority Populations
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has prepared a quick (2-page) information piece on the efforts of the Latino Health Initiative of Montgomery County (MD) to “develop, implement, and assess a cultural and linguistic intervention to increase the awareness, knowledge, and practices of emergency preparedness among the low-income Latino community. This intervention included the development of a training curriculum, the training of health promotion specialists, and conducting community-based education sessions.” This was a collaborative effort with the County’s Advanced Practice Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response and with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
While this effort focused specifically on the Latino community, the process should be adaptable to non-English speaking or otherwise special cultural populations. You may want to share these materials with your local government organizations, training providers, and health groups to enhance the overall emergency preparedness of any community. This document includes links to download the complete toolkit (in both English and Spanish) from both NACCHO and Montgomery County, Maryland.
FEMA has published the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: Developing and Maintaining State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local Government Emergency Plans.
The Guide integrates planning and implementation elements from the National Response Framework and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The document’s Preface states that, “This Guide provides emergency and homeland security managers and other emergency services personnel with FEMA’s recommendations on how to address the entire planning process…” It goes on to suggest that the Guide should help with operations plans that, “…serve as the basis for effective response to any hazard…; integrate prevention, protection, and mitigation activities with traditional response and recover planning; and facilitate coordination with the Federal government during incidents that require implementation of the NRF [National Response Framework]…”
The document is 172 pages and nearly 5MB but can be downloaded from the FEMA website
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