RACES Notes 09/27/2006

News and Announcements

1) Upcoming Events
	All of September - Emergency Preparedness Month
9/29 Benson Hospital Disaster Preparedness Display
10/7 Parade in Willcox
10/14 Cars in the Park
10/14 Parade in Benson
10/14 Cochise Perimeter Cycling Classic
10/22 Parade in Tombstone
12/2 XMAS Parade in Sierra Vista

2) We are looking for a couple volunteers to assist at the Benson 
Hospital on 29 September from 9-3.  They are putting on an 
emergency preparedness fair and have asked for RACES to be 
represented.  Al Haines (WA7PIQ) has volunteered to assist 
but we really could use a couple more folks to help with this 
effort.  A portable station would be a good addition to this 
effort. If you can assist for a shift from 9-12 or 12-3 or the 
whole day, let Al know if you can help out. Al can be reached 
at: hainesink@theriver.com. The hospital address is 450 S. Ocotillo St.  
When you come off I-10, Ocotillo St. is exit 304. 

3) Also a reminder that the Cochise Perimeter Cycling Classic 
is only a couple weeks away so please contact RB Rice to sign 
up for an assignment. The URL for the race is:
http://PBAA.COM/HOME.HTML#4CS


Training - Critical Infrastructure: The Human Element
Emergency Services Sector (ESS) leaders who are relatively 
new to the discipline of critical infrastructure protection 
readily recognize physical assets, communication systems, 
and cyber networks as valid components of their organization's 
internal critical infrastructures. However, a few individuals 
occasionally express concern about the appropriateness of 
including personnel, whether they are department, agency, 
or First Responder Volunteers as another component of 
in-house critical infrastructure.
The matter of personnel as the most essential part of an 
organization's critical infrastructures has been the 
subject of numerous INFOGRAM articles by the Emergency 
Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis 
Center (EMR-ISAC). Stated differently than before, the 
EMR-ISAC submits that physical and communication/cyber 
infrastructures need the human element to be effective. 
Without the intelligent and innovative attributes of ESS 
personnel, other internal infrastructures would be 
unsustainable, faulty, and undependable. In other words, 
an organization's infrastructures are completely dependent 
upon the people within the organization.
It is also correct to write that the human component of an 
ESS department or agency depends on the physical assets 
and communication/cyber systems of internal critical infrastructures. 
Therefore, there must be a close linkage between responders 
and their equipment and apparatus. When all the components 
of an organization's critical infrastructures are intact 
and operational, there is a synergistic effect that greatly 
enhances response-ability and mission accomplishment. But 
this is not possible without the human element. Properly 
trained and equipped first responders are always at the 
core of every successful emergency entity. As RACES and 
ARES members in Cochise County we are considered an integral 
part of the First Responder Communications Team.
Family Well-Being - Additional Resource
There is another resource regarding the personal critical 
infrastructure (i.e., families) of Emergency Services Sector 
(ESS) personnel before, during, and after disasters.
The new resource offers a simple, dependable means for 
responders and their families to check each other's status. 
Launched in July, the American Red Cross (ARC) Safe and Well 
List Web site (https://disastersafe.redcross.org/) accommodates 
the exchange of welfare status information with family members 
and friends in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

When using the website, disaster victims and responders, 
inside or outside the disaster area, select and post standard 
messages for family and friends that indicate their status. 
Those worried about the safety of a victim or responder can 
access the site, enter victim's or responder's name and 
telephone number, or name and complete address, and view the 
victim's or responder's "safe and well" messages. For privacy 
reasons, no actual victim or responder disaster locations are 
shared.  The website also offers resources to connect family 
members during emergencies. These services include free 
personalized telephone numbers with voicemail capability, and 
free voice messaging service, accessible from any telephone. 
Check it out.

That's it for this evening, we will now go down the roster for comments.

 

Bob
Robert L Hollister