Reporting Developments of Interest to Stakeholders in
Disaster Management Interoperability Services

CONTENTS:

  1. Update on DMIS
  2. Disaster Management Interoperability Services (DMIS) Outreach
  3. COG Manager's Corner
  4. DisasterHelp.gov Enhancements
  5. Upcoming Events
  6. Upcoming EIIP Virtual Forum
  7. About the Disaster Management E-gov Initiative
  8. About the Interoperations Newsletter

Standards Are Coming!

I am sure you know that DMIS was one of the first (and we think the best) interoperable incident management systems ever produced. One of the major concepts is the ability to share a common operating picture with anyone involved. But the DMIS toolset is not, and should not be, the only software system in town. The best of all worlds is to take advantage of the market community to innovate and customize while ensuring that everyone who needs incident management software has access to it and users of any system can share information with users of any other system.

To that end, we have a partnership with the Emergency Interoperability Consortium (EIC), a non profit organization composed of approximately 70 vendors in the related business community. ( http://www.eic.org/ ) We assist in getting information exchange requirements from the end users and with a mixed working group develop standards to facilitate the exchange of the information. The EIC helps ensure that the standards are feasible and submits them to an international standards body for review, improvement as necessary, and publication. In the meantime, we work with the EIC members who implement the standards in their software and demonstrate the ability to seamlessly exchange information. DMIS’ interoperability services are a major aspect of this ability, and our work helps make the process easy enough to continue.

The approach began with the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) that became an international standard under the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) umbrella. ( http://www.oasis-open.org/home/index.php ) We worked with vendors and DMIS to make the ability to exchange CAP messages a reality. Since then, CAP is becoming adopted all over the world. Active users of DMIS know that the Department of Interior’s United States Geological Survey now sends automated alerts from earthquake and volcano systems via CAP to all of our users, including those who use non-DMIS tools which are compliant with the CAP protocol and have DMIS accounts. You will also be hearing more about another capability that takes advantage of this DMIS-CAP link: HazCollect will allow authorized users to send non-weather alerts out over the NOAA weather radio alert system.
( http://www.weather.gov/os/hazcollect/ )

Just around the corner are seven standards relating to resources (requesting a resource, etc.) that are now under review at OASIS, and will be implemented in prototype versions of EIC vendors’ software. We are also about to forward a similar standard relating to hospital bed resources that we facilitated in support of the medical community.

What does this mean for you? Well, today you can, and probably do, receive CAP alerts sent to you from a variety of sources within DMIS. You can also create and send out alerts not only to DMIS users but any user of a compliant software system that has a DMIS account. Many of the premier incident management software systems now have this capability. If you want to be able to exchange this information with another organization using another software product, tell them to check with their vendor to see if they have the correct version of their software (CAP compliant). If they do, we can help them set up a DMIS access account for their software to use to connect and exchange CAP information. It is a start and one that is growing. The resource standards mentioned above will be implemented soon and we are in the process of starting on new standards. Although it will not happen overnight, it is clear that this partnership is working and the ability to seamlessly exchange incident information across all software packages is becoming a reality. Standards aren’t just coming, they are being implemented in software you can use today.

(Provided by: Chip Hines, PMP, Program Manager, Disaster Management eGov Initiative, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Emergency Preparedness and Response/FEMA, Department of Homeland Security)

Connecticut Exercises Hurricane Plans

Various departments in the State of Connecticut recently joined other jurisdictions and disciplines in a major hurricane exercise run by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS). According to Matt Bruns, Connecticut DMIS Project Manager, the exercise was successful and very interesting. Matt is a Business Systems Analyst on loan from Hartford Hospital to DEMHS, and a member of the Capital Region Emergency Planning Committee (CREPC) that initiated the Connecticut DMIS Pilot Project.

Even though DMIS was a last minute addition to this exercise, more than a dozen users participated including town EOCs, hospitals, DEMHS Field Offices in Regions 1 and 4, and the CREPC Regional Coordination Center (RCC). The stations in the Connecticut State EOC staffed by the American Red Cross (ARC), Army National Guard (ANG), United States Coast Guard (USCG), Department of Public Health (DPH), and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) also used DMIS.

During the exercise, players were able to share information via Journal entries and import useful GIS hurricane windswath information from the HurrEvac system directly into DMIS. (See http://www.hurrevac.com to learn more about this application.) Please click on the following URL to see a DMIS map showing the HurrEvac info, as well as overlays of major rail lines in Connecticut and locations of some major hospitals and shelters. (add link for attached file) This illustrates that DMIS is an excellent way to share basic GIS data quickly among a diverse group of users who may not have GIS resources locally.

After the exercise, Matt stated, "I think the biggest challenge remains not the technology, but rather adapting EOC procedures and training operators so that using a common incident management system like DMIS becomes a routine process. That would apply equally to any large-scale deployment of any incident management software, and is really a matter of education and practice."

On-Site DMIS Training at Department of Justice

The DMIS Responder Liaison Team provided two on-site DMIS Operating training sessions at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC, on September 8 and 12. DOJ requested the training as part of their activities supporting the Office of Management and Budget directive regarding use of DMIS and the Common Alerting Protocol standard. The students represented organizations throughout DOJ. They were enthusiastic about using DMIS and identified several ways in which it could be used to coordinate crisis management and consequence management in the spirit of Homeland Security Presidential Directive – 5 (HSPD-5).

IOWA T3 Training

On September 27-30 the DMIS Responder Liaison Team conducted two separate 2-day training classes in Mason City, Iowa. During the first class, we provided training to responders from Butler, Mitchell, Wright, Howard, Winneshiek, Worth, Floyd, Allamakee, Chickasaw and Fayette Counties along with the emergency manager from Bremer City. During the second class, we provided training to responders from Cerro-Gordo, Franklin, Kossema, and Worth County EMA along with the Mason City Fire and Police Departments, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Mercy Medical and four Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers.

CERT volunteers are the key in the DMIS / CERT pilot project we are undertaking. We see great value in using CERT personnel as the operators who input data into DMIS for emergency managers. The four CERT members who participated in the Iowa training volunteer their time to the community and bring experience from the medical response, damage assessment, manufacturing, and automotive industries. Their knowledge of their communities is most helpful when populating the incident response in DMIS. Steve O’Neil, Cerro-Gordo Emergency Manager, has embraced the use of CERT members and provides them with the training they need to be effective in his EOC.

Our thanks go to Steve O’Neil who was instrumental in organizing the Iowa T3 classes. He successfully brought together many responders and representatives from numerous organizations. Steve’s assistant, Kathy Harper, assisted in coordinating much of this 4-day event. This was one of the best coordinated regional training sessions we have had for a rural region. We sincerely appreciate Iowa Region 2 for sponsoring this educational opportunity.

DMIS Supports Hurricane Katrina Response

DM staff coordinated and worked with the following DMIS requests in support of Hurricane Katrina response and recovery:

• Walt Kaplan, DMIS RL Team member, deployed with Disaster Medical Assistance Team–East as part of the DHS Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) on 28 August for two weeks in support of Hurricane Katrina response operations. Walt provided emergency medical services in the Bay Saint Louis and Biloxi areas in the midst of massive devastation to infrastructure, homes, and businesses. We salute Walt and all the responders who assisted with hurricane response in the Gulf region.
• U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery ramped up a DMIS operating group serving 20 coordination entities in support of afloat health service resources (hospital ship plus two Casualty Reception and Treatment Ships) deployed to the disaster area. Additionally, DMIS, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and Metropolitan Medical Response System collaboratively developed a DMIS Support to Katrina Recovery Concept of Operations document.
• U.S. Northern Command and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency sought to re-establish the interface between DoD’s Alert Framework interoperability infrastructure and the DMIS Interoperability Backbone as proven in this year’s Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstrations (CWID), thus enabling military / civil data sharing.
• Installation and training of DMIS Tools at locations supporting deployed Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) teams.
• DMIS provided Functional Test support as requested by Navy/Marine Corps Internet (NMCI) certification and authentication process.
• The DMIS Analysis Team trained four DMIS Trainers from the Comprehensive HAZMAT Emergency Response - Capability Assessment Program (CHER-CAP) for emergency augmentation of the DMIS Responder Liaison Team.

Other Outreach Activities

• DM supported Hurricane Rita response efforts.
• Conducted EIIP Virtual Forum live discussion on the future of NOAA HazCollect/DMIS non-weather emergency alerting capability (see http://www.emforum.org/vforum/lc050928.htm for the session transcript.)
• DM provided DMIS briefing and demonstration for Pennsylvania emergency personnel in Johnstown as they consider options for statewide automated support to incident response.
• Staff updated the InterAgency Board for Equipment Standardization, Interoperable Communications and Information Systems Sub-Committee in Orlando, Florida.
• DM continued support to Federal agencies per Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandate for DMIS use and CAP compliance.
• DM attended National Academy of Sciences committee meeting regarding program study and contract status.

3. COG Manager's Corner

The DMIS Team has been very active this past month supporting the efforts of the various military and civilian entities engaged in post-hurricane assistance activities. The hurricanes have also understandably spurred an increase in the general number of DMIS Collaborative Operations Group (COG) registrations received from areas outside those directly affected by the storms. Furthermore, the DMIS Team processed many registrations and provided technical/training assistance for numerous Federal Agencies working diligently to meet the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive regarding use of DMIS and the Common Alerting Protocol standard.

As a matter of interest, there are currently well over 1,500 DMIS COGs registered in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Canada, and new registrations continue to come in at a rate of 2-3 per day.

The DMIS Team is aggressively re-engaging its efforts to establish a DMIS Users’ Special Interest Group (SIG). We envision that this group, composed of interested DMIS users from all around the country, will serve as an excellent vehicle to hone DMIS user skills, share ideas about creative uses of DMIS, and relate experiences in daily use, emergencies, disasters and exercises. More details to follow!

If you have any questions related to DMIS COG development, DMIS Tools use, the status of a DMIS registration request, or information on other registered DMIS COGs in your area, please call or email Rick Hauschildt, DMIS COG Manager, at (540) 288-5671.

NOTE: Newly updated DMIS v2.2 training materials are now available in the Training Section of the DMI-Services Website http://www.dmi-services.org/training_v2.html .

4. DisasterHelp.gov Enhancements

DisasterHelp.gov and Katrina

The Katrina hurricane became a tragedy quickly, and left devastation in its wake. The response effort was extremely challenging and recovery will continue for some time. As the days following impact unfolded, it became clear that there needed to be more focus on web based access to information and services to support those affected. Many people wanted to help. At DisasterHelp.gov, we went through several redesigns of the site to make information more prominent and easier to find. We capitalized on the work of a group of federal web content managers who quickly began to work together to identify gaps in available information, pair them with available resources, and put up web based information in formats that became more consistent and easier to find across the federal government. DisasterHelp.gov provided one of the first links to online application for federal disaster assistance and is a primary link to the current Katrina operations site at http://www.disasterhelp.gov/katrinarecovery.

As usually happens, DisasterHelp.gov showed a major rise in use as the hurricanes approached, peaked just after the event, and has slowly declined since then. I think that all of the above is a testament to our success, and perhaps more importantly, our willingness to adapt to the needs of our users in time of emergency.

DisasterHelp.gov is intended to fulfill two major needs – first, we want it to be a place people can go to get information about anything in the broad scope of emergencies and disaster. We don’t need to host it on our site, but we want to be a place where the information can be found and accessed quickly and easily. Second, we want to provide collaboration and other services to the extended emergency/disaster community, particularly for those who can’t afford their own custom sites. We’ve stayed as lean as possible by developing easy to use tools so that any user experienced with Windows can manage their own areas. One way we know we’ve succeeded is that we now have over 5,000 of these “knowledge centers” owned, operated and access-controlled by the users.

We believe the site should reflect the nature of your work – flexible, easy, available at any time, and able to provide support throughout the full range of disaster: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Keep this in mind – it may be just the tool you’ve been looking for, especially since you can quickly and easily allow access or change accesses to any DisasterHelp.gov user. This makes it great for you to collaborate with people outside your own organization.

DisasterHelp.gov is a work in progress and we would love to hear your suggestions. We also want to include access to your related information. If you are interested, send an email to the contact points on DisasterHelp.gov.

The DisasterHelp.Gov portal continues to grow and mature with approximately 3,000 new accounts created in the past month. To register and learn more about this online resource tool, go to https://disasterhelp.gov/portal/jhtml/index.jhtml .

(Provided by: Chip Hines, PMP, Program Manager, DMI, Office of the Chief Information Officer, EP&R/ FEMA, DHS)

What’s New at DisasterHelp.gov?

In addition to the special focus page for Katrina, the Disaster Management e-Gov Initiative (DM) provided the following updates, support and / or outreach related to the growth and use of DisasterHelp.Gov:

• Hurricane Rita: Trained focus group in preparation for Hurricane Rita coverage; updated content regularly and changed links channel interface design.
• Social Security Administration (SSA): Assisted group with the setup of their document management areas and in renaming their communities.
• USFA: Performed bulk registration for new FOUO notification recipients; sent out notice concerning new infograms; assisted users in accessing notifications.
• FEMA COOP: Created new document collaboration area and moved legacy files to the area; provided assistance publishing notices about Hurricane Katrina.
• Updated Welcome Messages.
• Addressed user feedback.
• Created new accounts and verified new users.

November 9-13, 2005: FireRescue Conference and Expo 2005. Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in two full days of hands-on training sessions and/or pre-conference workshops on November 9 and 10. For more information, see http://www.firerescueexpo.com .

November 11-16, 2005: International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2005 Annual Conference & EMEX Exhibit. Phoeniz, Arizona. Theme is “Emergency Management: Local, Regional and Global Successes.” See http://www.iaem.com .

6. Upcoming EIIP Virtual Forum

Welcome to the EIIP!

The EIIP Virtual Forum provides 'live chat' presentations and interactive Q&A with subject matter experts on timely topics on two Wednesdays each month, 12:00 Noon Eastern.

October 26, 12:00 Noon EDT: The EIIP Virtual Forum will feature Dr. David McEntire who will present his paper, "Why Vulnerability Matters: Illustrating the Need for a Modified Disaster Reduction Concept." Dr. McEntire is the Director of the Emergency Administration and Planning Program at the University of North Texas.

About the EIIP: The EIIP is an educational non-profit association of individuals and organizations seeking to enhance their effectiveness in coping with disasters and emergency situations by exploring the opportunity for sharing information and ideas made possible by electronic technology. The EIIP also shares its vision and educational opportunities through the EIIP Community on the DisasterHelp.gov Web site http://www.disasterhelp.gov .

7. About the Disaster Mangement E-gov Initiative (DisasterHelp.gov and DMIS)

The Disaster Management E-Gov Initiative is part of the President's Management Agenda for making government more focused on people and results. Its goal is to provide an easy-to-use, unified point of access to disaster management knowledge, services and toolsets to achieve an accelerated and improved quality of disaster mitigation and response. There are two major parts of the initiative: Disaster Management Interoperability Services (DMIS) and the DisasterHelp.Gov portal. DMIS is focused on the responder/emergency management profession, while the portal provides information and services to citizens, business, federal, state, and local government and non-profit organizations relating to disaster and emergency response.

8. About the Interoperations Newsletter

The Interoperations Newsletter reports on the developments of interest for the disaster management community. Reader comments, questions, and notifications to cancel this newsletter can be forwarded directly to the Editor, Avagene Moore at (931) 762-4768, or the Responder Liaison, Scott Eyestone, at (540) 288-5622; or provided via the DMI-Services Web site at http://www.cmi-services.org/. Your feedback is welcome and appreciated.