wisconsin wing - dec 2009

8/7/2019 Wisconsin Wing - Dec 2009

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Wisconsin Homeland Security Newsletter Fall / Winter 2009

In this

Issue:

Fall / Winter 2009

homefront

page threeExpanded statewidecommunicationsystem

page fourCudahy FireResponse

ReadyWisconsinpromotespreparedness month

page veState Lab respondsto H1N1 u

page sixMonroe County holdsacid spill exercise

page sevenNow is your chanceto BE SOMEBODY

Milwaukee F.D. joinsRed Shirt Fridays

Wisconsin responds to H1N1 fu

Gov. Doyle and WI Department of Health Services

Secretary Karen Timberlake announced a statewide

public health emergency following the outbreak o

the H1N1 virus.

By Seth Foldy, M.D. MPH, State Health Ofcer

Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower said The plan isuseless; its the planning thats important. Thesurprise emergence of H1N1 in North America thisspring voided plans that assumed pandemic inuenzawould originate in Asia. Nevertheless, Wisconsinused every bit of its pandemic planning to meet thechallenge.

As predicted, infections spread nationwidebefore quarantine could be considered and multipliedin schools. Some people retained some immunityfrom past u exposure. Despite alarming reports

from Mexico, aggressive public health surveillancedemonstrated mortality rates similar to seasonalu, and sensitivity to available anti-viral drugs.

This allowed moderation of responses such asschool closings to a risk-appropriate level beforethey threatened continuity of operations in otherworkplaces.

Governor Jim Doyles health emergencydeclaration facilitated exibility, federal assistance

and inter-departmental collaboration. Incidentcommand enabled a scalable, well-organizedresponse. Our pandemic website http://pandemic.wisconsin.gov distributed information and guidanceto the media, public and professionals. 2-1-1Wisconsin elded calls for information and assistancein many languages.

Infections have dwindled with summer, but an

autumn resurgence is expected. The rapidly-mutatingvirus is being watched closely for changes in severityor drug-resistance. The months ahead bring manyunknowns, but planning is focusing on:

H1N1 Vaccine. In addition to the annual

seasonal inuenza vaccine there will likely be a

new H1N1 vaccine available mid-fall. Adequacyof vaccine supply is unpredictable. Early shipmentsmay be targeted to school children (to reduce overallcommunity transmission), healthcare and emergencyworkers, and people at high risk from inuenza,

including young children, the elderly, pregnantwomen and those with certain chronic diseases.People should still receive seasonal u vaccine inearly fall more than ever!

Surveillance. We will enhance systems to

monitor infections, hospitalizations and deaths to

help adjust public health interventions, and minimizethe work associated with these tasks in the healthsystem.

Staying home while sick and frequent handwashing will remain important for everyone.

See H1N1, Page 5


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2 Fall / Winter 2009

Brig. Gen. Donald P. DunbarHomeland Security Advisor and Council Chair

The Adjutant General Dept. of Military Affairs

David CollinsSuperintendent Wisconsin State Patrol

Dr. Seth FoldyDept. of Health Services

Charles Tubbs

Chief Wisconsin Capitol Police

David Woodbury (Alternate)Dept. of Natural Resources

Ed WallWisconsin Emergency Management

David SteingraberExecutive Director Ofce of Justice Assistance

Mike MyszewskiAdministrator Dept. of Justice

Division of Criminal Investigation

Martin HenertExecutive Assistant Dept. of Agriculture, Trade

and Consumer Protection

Oskar AndersonAdministrator Division of Enterprise Technology

Department of Administration

Doug HoltonChief Milwaukee Fire Department

David MahoneySheriff Dane County

Edward FlynnChief Milwaukee Police Department

Homeland Security Council

Hom

eland Secu

rity

StateofWisconsi

n

homefront

Volume 5 Number 2

Ofcial Newsletter of

the Wisconsin

Homeland Security Council

Lori Getter Wisconsin Emergency Management, Editor

608.242.3239 [email protected]

Tami Jackson Ofce of Justice Assistance, Editor608.266.6476 [email protected]

Kelly Bradley Dept. of Military Affairs, Graphic Design608.242.3055 [email protected]

Tech Sgt Jon LaDue Dept. of Military Affairs,Administrative Assistant608.242.3048 [email protected]

Homefront Staff

Contents of the Wisconsin Homeland Security magazine are not nec-

essarily the ofcial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government.

Printed by the Dept. of Administration. Circulation: 3,000.

Printed on recycled paper.

http://homelandsecurity.wi.gov

Governor Doyle hasapproved the WisconsinState Homeland SecurityStrategy that is acollaborative interagencyeffort to guide Wisconsinsdirection through 2011.The vision is a culture ofpreparedness shared byall Wisconsin citizens andthe theme is resiliency.

WisconsinsHomeland SecurityAdvisory Brig. Gen.Don Dunbar presentedthe Governor with thereport. The Wisconsin

Homeland Security Councildeveloped the strategyover several months andthe process included publiccomment opportunities.

Our state has beenhit with record oodingand major chemical res inthe last year and our rstresponders have done anexcellent job in respondingto these disasters andemergencies, said Gov.

Doyle. However, wemust always look aheadto the next disaster oremergency. This strategywill guide us in updatingplans, ensuring mutual aidand regional response,and continue to promotecitizen and privatebusiness involvementin preparedness andplanning efforts.

The comprehensive

strategy was developedspecically for hazardsin Wisconsin andincorporates establishedfederal guidelines includingthe National IncidentManagement System(NIMS) and the NationalResponse Framework(NRF). It has ninepriorities with a lead stateagency identied. Thestrategy also outlines

an aggressive exerciseand training program thatincludes not only localand regional exercises butalso provides a capstone(culminating) exercisewith senior governmentalleadership.

This is anevolutionary strategy. Ourmission is to continually

improve our capability andcoordinate, collaborate,and cooperate withfederal, state, local, tribal,non-prot and private-sector stakeholders, saidBrig. Gen. Dunbar. Thestrategy and its executionmust be transparent soeveryone can understandwhat are our capabilitiesand gaps due to limitedresources and funding.

The strategy will beupdated in 2011 followingthe next gubernatorialelection and will thereafterbe reviewed and updatedevery four years. TheWisconsin HomelandSecurity Council will stillproduce an annual reporteach September as partof Preparedness Monthto review past events andreport on our progress. n

HS Council News

Brig. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar

Homeland Security Advisor


3/8

Homefront

Despite cut, Wisconsin receives more

Homeland Security funding than expected

Despite receiving a 4.3% cutto its annual allotment of homelandsecurity funding, Wisconsin wasawarded more funding in 2009 thanprojected. This year, the state willreceive $15.35 million $685,000less than last year but $72,000 morethan its federally-determined target

allocation. The targets are set bythe U.S. Department of HomelandSecurity to tell each state what it canexpect to receive in a given year.Wisconsin was one of just sevenstates and territories to receive morefunding than expected.

The state will receive$10,286,500 through the HomelandSecurity Grant Program, $178,500more than expected, for communi-cations improvements, training and

State signs agreement with Department ofInterior, expands communications capacity

With the stroke of a pen,the Wisconsin Interoperability

Council recently expandedthe state's emergency commu-

nications capacity. In April,Tim Quinn from the USDepartment of Interior (DOI)

and OJA Executive DirectorDavid Steingraber signed amemorandum of understand-ing that paves the way for thestate to access DOI frequencyspectrum that greatly booststhe capacity of WISCOM,the new statewide emergencycommunications systemslated to be operational in fall

2010. In exchange, DOI wasgranted access to the WIS-COM system.

"This agreement is veryimportant for emergencyresponders throughout thestate," said David Steingraber,chairman of the Interoperabil-ity Council. "The WISCOMsystem will become a criticalcommunications resource dur-ing disasters, and this agree-ment with the Department

of Interior gives the state thecapacity necessary to handlehigh usage expected during a

large-scale emergency."While the Interoper-

ability Council has worked tosecure important capacity forWISCOM, a group of stateand local stakeholders on theStatewide System Manage-

ment Group are developingthe system's technical aspectsand governance structures.The SSMG will monitor con-struction of the system whichis slated to be operational inSeptember, 2010.

A new website has beenlaunched for WISCOM andthe state's other interoper-

ability initiatives. On www.interop.wi.gov, visitors cannd important and timely up-dates on the WISCOM systemconstruction, announcementsof homeland security fundingopportunities and news of fu-ture Interoperability Councilagreements.n

New WEM Director

eight other investment justications.The Milwaukee Urban Area SecurityInitiative will receive $4,159,850 slightly less than expected for se-curity measures unique to the metroregion. The state will also receive$911,794 for medical training andsupply programs in Milwaukee and

Dane Counties and for the CitizenCorps program.

The increased award above thetarget allocation is likely due to thestrength of the states application,which consistently ranks among thebest in the nation. Ninety percent ofhomeland security funding is award-ed based on an undisclosed riskformula. The remaining ten percentis awarded based on the strength ofeach states application.

Governor Jim Doylehas named Ed Wall,Administrator ofWisconsin EmergencyManagement. Wall,previously workedat the WisconsinDepartment of Justiceas Special Agent inCharge of the In-vestigative ServicesBureau and SeniorSpecial Agent of theTechnical ServicesUnit. He started in September and replaced John-nie Smith who retired in July.

Susan Crawford of the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources and memberof the Homeland Security Council has acceptedanother state position.

Ed Wall


4/8

4 Fall / Winter 200

A re in July at the Patrick Cu-

dahy, Inc. meat processing facility

put the Mutual Aid Box Alarm

System (MABAS) to the test. The

seven day response brought 110re units from 64 re agencies

and more than 450 re personnel,

responding from eight counties

and nine MABAS divisions. All

re units and personnel were

operating under a single incident

command, operating procedures

and communication plan, and

there were no reghter injuries.

MABAS was approved by the

Wisconsin State Legislature and

signed by Governor Jim Doyle in

April 2006. It is a mutual aid mea-

sure that may be used for deploy-

ing re, rescue and emergency

medical services personnel in a

multi-jurisdictional and/or multi-

agency response.

Photo Copyright Tim Stein

MABAS used at Cudahy Fire

Are you Ready Wisconsin?

Last year, emergency responders handed out preparedness infor-

mation for kids at a Milwaukee Brewers game.Photo Courtesy Radio Disney

Are you Ready Wisconsin? That is the question Ready-

Wisconsin will be asking this September as part of NationalPreparedness Month.The statewide citizen preparedness awareness campaign

seeks to build a culture of preparedness by asking individualsand families to:

* Get home and portable emergency supply kits* Make family emergency and communication plans* Be informed about the types of emergencies they may

face.Wisconsin Preparedness Month 2009 will also focus activi-

ties and outreach messages around four weekly themes.* Man-caused and cyber security emergency preparedness* Natural disaster preparedness* Special needs preparedness* Flu preparednessAmong the activities planned for the month are a theme-

based statewide television, radio and press campaign; outreachto pet owners through the annual UW Veterinary School DogJog and an appearance at the Wisconsin Humane Society OpenHouse; and theme-based weekly booths at the Dane County

Farmers Market.Participation and partnership in planning and delivering

the 2009 Wisconsin Preparedness Month campaign has ex-panded this year to include dozens of Wisconsin professional

organizations and local/state agencies. n


5/8

Homefront

State Lab responds to H1N1outbreak

For years when Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

(WSLH) Communicable Disease Division Director Dr. PeteShult would give talks on emerging infectious diseases, hewould get at least one question from the audience about whetheranother inuenza pandemic would occur. His constant response its not a matter of if, but when. This June, Shult, a virologistand inuenza specialist, was proven correct.

On June 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared

that the novel Inuenza A H1N1 virus outbreak that had been

rst reported in Mexico several weeks earlier and had spread

globally was classied as a pandemic. In Wisconsin, the statesresponse efforts to the previously unseen virus have been led bythe Wisconsin Department of Health Services, while local healthdepartments oversee public health efforts in their communities.

In its role as the lead emergency response laboratory inthe state, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at UW-Madison not only provided testing for the virus, it partnered

with three other laboratories the City of Milwaukee HealthDepartment laboratory, the Midwest Respiratory Virus Program

lab at Medical College of Wisconsin, and Marsheld Labs/

Marsheld Clinic Research Foundation to enhance testingcapacity in the state. Having four laboratories performing testingis one of the reasons Wisconsin led the nation in the number ofnovel H1N1 cases in the months after it rst appeared. As of

August 6th, there have been more than 6,200 cases of laboratory-

conrmed novel H1N1 inuenza in the state and seven deaths.The virus continues to circulate throughout Wisconsin duringthe summer months, usually a dormant time for inuenza in thestate.

For the rst several weeks of the outbreak, WSLH

communicable disease scientists worked extended shifts six toseven days a week as needed, providing test results within 24-36hours of the patient specimen arriving at the Madison laboratory.Staff from other areas of the WSLH assisted by checking inspecimens, entering data, and shipping out specimen transportkits to physicians and hospitals/clinics statewide. The WSLH

tested more than 9,300 patients for the virus between April 25

and July 17th. On its peak testing day of May 5, the WSLHtested nearly 500 patient specimens.

In addition to testing, the WSLH maintains active

communication with the 130 hospital and clinic laboratories in

the Wisconsin Clinical Laboratory Network and with state andlocal public health agencies via teleconferences, lab messages,

phone, email and the WSLH web site. WSLH staff answerquestions and share guidance and protocols for specimencollection, transport and testing, allowing hospital and clinic labstaff to give up-to-date, accurate information to the cliniciansand patients they serve.

While illness in Wisconsin during the initial stage of thepandemic appeared to be no more serious than regular seasonalinuenza, Shult believes the signicant response mounted bylocal, state and federal public health agencies was warranted.

Inuenza viruses can be very tricky and its difcult to

forecast how theyll act in a population, Shult explains. The

rst information we had on this virus was the amount of severeillness it seemed to be causing in Mexico. It was appropriate torespond with an abundance of caution until we knew more aboutthe virus and the illness it would cause in the U.S.

Shult said that the years of pandemic inuenza responseplanning undertaken at the local, state and federal levels helpedwith an effective initial response. And since u viruses arenotoriously unpredictable, as Shult notes, the lessons learnedduring these early stages of the pandemic will be helpful if thenovel H1N1 inuenza virus comes back in a more virulent formthis fall and winter. n

From H1N1, Page 1

Policies to increase distancing between people at work and playmay be needed, so organizations should review and upgrade theirpandemic plans.

Prepare for surge healthcare demand. More ucases will likely impact clinics, hospitals and other caregivers.Stockpiles need to be reloaded and policies and proceduresupgraded. It is particularly important for healthcare workers toreceive seasonal inuenza vaccination, as well as H1N1 vaccinewhen available.

Communication. We want to improve the ability topush urgent messages regarding new policies or guidance tothe many affected sectors of society. We also seek better abilityto receive and manage questions and concerns. Our main goal

is to better enable individuals, households and businesses to takeeffective action to reduce their risks.

This fall your help may be needed. Please do three things:1. Review your familys and organizations readiness for

an inuenza pandemic using checklists from http://pandemic.wisconsin.gov.

2. Participate in planning your organizations role inpandemic response

3. Send questions or suggestions to the mailbox [email protected].

Plans will never be perfect, but planning produced a resilientresponse this spring. As we reload for autumn, we thank you forall your efforts to protect citizens. n


6/8

6 Fall / Winter 200

First responders in Monroe County held a

hazmat exercise to test their coordination with the

LaCrosse Regional Hazardous Materials ResponseTeam as well as a local private towing company thatusually responds to semi-accidents in the area.

The scenario was a semi-bus accident with

no apparent victims onboard. However, the semiwas carrying barrels that were leaking acid. Firstresponders practiced using decon equipment andcompleted tasks such as preventing a chemicalrunoff and protecting the city sewer system.

Once the scene was determined to be sufcient-ly safe by the regional response team, whom hadbeen assisting with research and data, they approvedthe entry of the local wrecker service to upright thebus and clean up the scene. All persons and equip-ment that entered the scene, including the decon-tamination team, were decontaminated by membersof the Monroe County HazMat Response Team and

the newly operations trained reghters from theSparta Rural Fire Department.

Waukesha County tests response plans

Crews respond to acid spill exercise

More than 70 rst responders,volunteer agency staff, and elected ofcials

from Waukesha County area attendeda specialized training at the NationalEmergency Training Center in Emmitsburg,Maryland earlier this year to test theiremergency response plans.

The Integrated Emergency ManagementCourse (IEMC) is a four day exercise-basedtraining activity that places EmergencyOperations Center (EOC) personnelunder realistic crisis situations within astructured learning environment The mainscenario involved major ooding throughout

Waukesha County with the responsecoordinated through a single EOC, policygroup, and an incident management team.

Waukesha County EmergencyManagement Coordinator William Stoltenoted, The experience provided anunequaled opportunity to explore andenhance the interactions between individual agency plansand the countys plans to ensure the best possible serviceto the public during disaster situations recognizing effectivecommunications as a key component in mobilizing anddirecting resources to all areas of need.

In addition to personnel from Waukesha county,responders from the cities of Waukesha, Brookeld,Muskego, New Berlin, and Oconomowoc, Villages ofMukwonago, Wales-Genesee, Pewaukee, and MenomoneeFalls, the Town of Merton as well as volunteer organizationsparticipated.


7/8

Homefront

The Milwaukee Fire Department joins the nationwide movement Red Shirt Fri-days to show solidarity in support of our U.S. soldiers. Every Friday, members of the

MFD to wear a t-shirt with the departments logo on the front and Fire & Rescue on the

back, in red. The shirts will be worn every Friday indenitely and until all the U.S. troopsreturn home.

Participating in this national movement was an easy choice for the MilwaukeeFire Department, said Fire Chief Douglas A. Holton. Our department has 9 membersdeployed on active duty and we would like to pour out our support for them, as well as alour troops, by joining the country in Red Shirt Fridays.

The shirts are also being sold to the public for $10 each at select engine houses.All net proceeds will go to the Home for Our Troops nonprot organization and will be

used to build a handicapped-accessible home for local veteran Jason M. Schulz. In 2007,Schulz lost both of his legs in Iraq during a vehicle recovery mission.

Emergency responders in northwestern Wisconsin have put out the HelpWanted signs to recruit new volunteers. Earlier this year, the 2009 BE SOME -BODY Fire/EMS media event was held in Brule to increase public awarenessthat most emergency responses in rural areas are provided by volunteers and mostsmall town re and emergency medical services departments are actively recruitingnew members.

Representatives from 35 agencies located in Douglas, Bayeld, Ashland, Iron

and Washburn counties participated in the event. In addition, departments postedBE SOMEBODY and HELP WANTED signs on major roads and highways.

The BE SOMEBODY Fire/EMS Recruiting Campaign was established in 1997by Jan Victorson, Director of Bayeld County Emergency Management, and Chief

Keith Kesler of the Brule Fire Department with funding provided through a Wis-consin Department of Transportation grant.

Recruitment and retention are the top challenges for volunteer emergencyservice organizations. Communities have long relied on the commitment anddedication of volunteers to provide quality, professional, cost effective emergencyservice for their citizens in the time of need. A BE SOMEBODY phone num-ber has been established to aid those interested in becoming emergency servicesvolunteers. People can call 888-926-1676 and leave a message indicating whichservice theyre interested in and it will be forwarded to the appropriate department

for follow-up.

Milwaukee Fire Department

joins Red Shirt Fridays

New information

distribution systemThe Wisconsin Department of Military

Affairs (DMA) is improving its distribu-

tion of news releases and other materials

sent on behalf of the Wisconsin National

Guard, Wisconsin Division of Emergency

Management, State Emergency Opera-

tions Center, and Wisconsin Homeland

Security Council. Our goal continues to beto get critical information to the people of

Wisconsin as quickly as possible. Sign up

via our free e-mail subscription service athttp://dma.wi.gov.

E-mail alerts from

OJALearning about funding opportunities,

conferences and other homeland security

news is now easier than ever. With the

Ofce of Justice Assistances new EmailAlerts, you can register to have OJA

updates sent directly to your inbox. Email

Alerts regularly announce competitive Re-

covery Act and homeland security funding

opportunities and are used to distribute

new reports and other critical information.

Registering for Email Alerts is quick

and easy. Just visit www.oja.wi.gov and

select Email Alerts. Users can register

to receive as many or as few alerts as they

would like and can unregister at any time.

Now is your chance to BE SOMEBODY


8/8

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

MADISON WI

PERMIT NO 1369

Ofce of Justice Assistance

1 S. Pinckney Street, Suite 600

Madison, WI 53703-2874

Fire, EMS Recruiters: BE SOMEBODY

wisconsin wing - dec 2009

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