May 15-21, 2016
This week, the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) recognizes EMS Week in Virginia and pays special tribute to all Virginia EMS personnel. We recognize your dedication and commitment to serving the citizens of the Commonwealth with quality prehospital care.

EMS for Children (EMSC) Day is Wednesday, May 18, and it raises awareness of pediatric health and the efforts being made to reduce child disability and death due to severe illness and injury.

Though disasters do not discriminate, their impacts affect men and women differently. Globally, women and children are 14 times more likely to die or be injured during a disaster than men.

(TNS) - The vital role of women in reducing the risk of disasters is being highlighted in a regional conference that opened yesterday in Hanoi.

#ItOnlyTakesOne

#HurricaneStrong

(TNS) — This is the season when weather forecasters and emergency managers tell Floridians, over and over, that they're at risk from tropical storms.

The problem is making them take the warnings seriously and do things that will reduce the impact hurricanes can have on their lives and property. The effort has become as important as forecasting itself.

Recovery is underway but not complete, and provides lessons for emergency managers.

Margaret Steen | May 12, 2016

Air sampling will occur in 55 stations around Manhattan after non-toxic gases are released, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

(TNS) — The Department of Homeland Security is testing airflow inside the city’s subway system this week as a way to predict what would happen in a possible chemical attack.

The week-long study poses no risk to the public, the Department of Homeland Security said.

May 6, 2016As part of its efforts to build a Weather-Ready Nation, NOAA’s hurricane experts will tour five U.S. Gulf coastal cities to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for the upcoming hurricane season. The tour will include a U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J hurricane hunter aircraft and the NOAA G-IV aircraft, both of which are used in hurricane forecasting.

(TNS) - Ready for class in a red Listie Volunteer Fire Company sweatshirt, Brenda Shaffer said she’s always had a general interest in weather patterns.

That interest multiplies when she knows the stakes are high – when her fellow firefighters are responding to emergencies.

“When the guys are out on calls is when I worry,” she said.

Emergencies are, by definition, unexpected occurrences — but one Florida county has a new 911 system that aims to remove some of the guesswork by putting data in the hands of decision-makers who can make smarter choices about emergency response.

Today’s global cybersecurity threats do not allow for any perfect solutions, security expert Juliette Kayyem tells business owners.

“You’re never going to get the risk to zero,” Kayyem said. ““The goal is to minimize the risk.”

Kayyem served as President Obama’s assistant secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security and now holds a faculty spot at the Harvard Kennedy School.