NYC Subway Study Will Test Impact of a Chemical Attack

Posted Jun 16, 2016

(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.

From May 9 through May 13, DHS said officials will be releasing harmless, non-toxic gases inside several subway stations in Manhattan, including Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and at Times Square.

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Emergency Drill Will Involve Gunshots With Blank Rounds

Posted Jun 13, 2016

(TNS) - Don’t be alarmed if you hear gunshots coming from inside the Henry County Courthouse Thursday evening.

It’s only a drill.

Henry County, Iowa Emergency Management director Walt Jackson and the Henry County Sheriff’s Department will host the drill at 4 p.m. Thursday, using blank rounds in real guns to simulate the sounds of a shooting incident.

“We want to give employees here more tools in their tool bags if something like this happened,” Jackson said.

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EMS Advisory Group Presented with Ways to get Medicaid Dollars

Posted Jun 9, 2016

(TNS) - A new source of reimbursement for ambulance providers in the state could provide Skagit County providers with millions of dollars, but would require restructuring the county’s current ambulance system.

Ground Emergency Medical Transport legislation, which was recently signed into law, provides certain ambulance providers with a partial reimbursement for care given to Medicaid patients, according to Scott Clough of AP Triton, a consultant who worked on the legislation.

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State's New Rail Director Will Tackle Oil-Train Safety, Other Issues

Posted Jun 7, 2016

(TNS) - The map above Alene Tchourumoff’s desk shows lines that appear, at first, to denote rivers -- they sprawl and branch off, weaving and curving across the state.

Instead, they depict a vast network of railroad tracks.

In her new role as Minnesota’s rail director, Tchourumoff will refer back to the map often as she leads Gov. Mark Dayton’s efforts to improve rail safety, train first responders and track the movements of the rail cars that transport Bakken crude oil and other hazardous freight.

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The Bottom Line Corporate giants pour money into emergency response and research.

Posted Jun 2, 2016

Walmart and Wells Fargo are two unsung heroes of the emergency management world. While most corporations focus mainly on their bottom lines, these two titans make major, tangible contributions to emergency management agencies in their communities. In doing so, both companies combine a sense of civic responsibility with enlightened self-interest — because the disasters that affect their communities also affect these corporations’ properties, employees and paying customers.

More Than $50 Million Contributed

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‘Normal’ Number of Storms Forecast for 2016 Hurricane Season

Posted May 27, 2016

(TNS) - MIAMI — Normal could still be bad.

On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast an average number of storms for the Atlantic hurricane season, with 10 to 16 named storms, four to eight hurricanes and one to four major storms packing winds over 110 mph. But that doesn’t mean that the season, which officially begins Wednesday, could be without trouble. Already a storm has bucked the odds by threatening to form off the coast of Florida over the holiday weekend.

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