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I’m pleased to present to you the first issue of Inside IEMA, a monthlynewsletter designed to increase communications with our manystakeholders. Each month we will keep you informed of the latestdevelopments and provide insight into the many ways IEMA servesthe residents of Illinois.

IEMA’s mission is to “Prepare, protect and assist the citizens of thestate of Illinois through planning, prevention, training, mitigation,response and recovery to all hazards, natural or manmade.” It’s achallenging mission that can’t be accomplished without strongrelationships with our partners throughout the state. We hope thisnewsletter will be yet another avenue for strengthening thoserelationships.

November ushers in an exciting time at IEMA as the agency realignsto enhance our ability to fulfill that important mission. The organizational changes are the result of anin-depth look over several months at the agency’s processes, procedures, equipment and mostimportant assets, our people. Check out the article in this issue for more information on the changesthat will enhance ourservice to the residents ofIllinois.

Please take a few minutesto read this inaugural issueof Inside IEMA. As always,we welcome yourcomments and input.

In this issueIEMA reorganization....................................................2Congressional testimony on nuclear shipments ............3Search for missing radioactive source..........................4Ready to Respond Campus..........................................52015 ShakeOut ..........................................................6CERT Challenge ..........................................................7EMAP reaccreditation .................................................7Comments sought on FEMA manual.............................8IEMA training calendar................................................8

From IEMA Director James K. Joseph

November 2015Illinois Emergency Management Agency

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Reorganization Will Enhance Agency’s OperationsIEMA Director James K. Joseph recentlyannounced a reorganization, effective Nov. 1,that will enhance IEMA’s ability to fulfill itsimportant responsibilities and help the agencydeliver exceptional customer service, streamlineoperations, eliminate duplicative efforts andboost efficiency.

The changes, which will be transparent to manypeople and organizations that interact withIEMA, include:

Phil Anello, former bureau chief for DisasterRecovery and Risk Reduction (DR3), is theagency’s new Chief Accountability Officer.Sections within the DR3 bureau have beenreorganized within the agency to better aligntheir functions as follows:

• The Catastrophic Disaster PreparednessSection is now part of the StrategicPlanning Cell within the Bureau ofPreparedness and Grants Administration.

• The Mitigation and Infrastructure Section isnow part of the Bureau of Preparednessand Grants Administration.

• The Hazardous Materials Section andLEPC program are now part of the Bureauof Radiation Safety.

• The Radiological EmergencyPreparedness Section is now part of theBureau of Nuclear Facility Safety.

In addition, the following functions also will berealigned within the agency:

• The Hazardous Materials Training andPreparedness functions previously in theBureau of Preparedness and GrantsAdministration are now part of the Bureauof Radiation Safety’s EnvironmentalMonitoring Section.

• Personnel within the Bureau of NuclearFacility Safety’s Nuclear Monitoring RepairUnit are now part of the Bureau ofRadiation Safety’s Nuclear Calibration LabSection.

The movement of personnel will result inchanges in some contact information. If youexperience any problems reaching your agencycontacts, please call IEMA’s main line at 217-782-2700 for assistance.

November is WinterWeather PreparednessMonthThe updated Winter WeatherPreparedness Guide is now availableon the Ready Illinoiswebsite at http://www.illinois.gov/iema/Preparedness/Documents/winter_storm_preparedness_guidebook.pdf.

Gov. Bruce Rauner (left) and Director of Public SafetyRodger Heaton (right) recognized former IEMA DirectorMike Chamness during the 2015 IEMA Training Summitfor his vision, dedication and many contributions topublic safety in the state of Illinois. Chamness alsoserved as chairman of the Illinois Terrorism Task Forcefor more than a decade.

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Kelly Horn, head of the EnvironmentalManagement Section within IEMA’s Bureau ofRadiation Safety, provided testimony to the U.S.House Environment and the EconomySubcommittee on October 1 regarding thetransportation of nuclear materials.

Horn, who also serves as co-chairman of theMidwestern Radioactive Materials TransportationCommittee of the Council of State Governments,was invited to testify by Rep. John Shimkus ofIllinois. He was one of four experts on a panel ofwitnesses who stressed the importance ofinvolving state and regional stakeholders indevelopment of policy regarding nuclearmaterials transportation.

In his testimony, Horn stated, “States are co-regulators of transportation because we bearthe primary responsibility for protecting thehealth and safety of the public and theenvironment. Additionally, for transportation ofspent nuclear fuel, the responsibility of trainingemergency response personnel, monitoringshipments, conducting inspections andproviding escorts becomes the responsibility ofthe states.

“Because states have well-established workingrelationships with local community officials, law

enforcement and first responders along theshipping routes, we are also the intermediarybetween the federal government and localofficials.”

In a press release following the committeehearing, Rep. Shimkus stated, “Today’s hearingreaffirmed the fact that engaging with state andlocal stakeholders to share information, identifyroutes and train emergency responders is ofutmost importance when formulating a long-termplan to transport nuclear material.”

Horn oversees IEMA’s Spent Nuclear Fuel andHigh-Level Waste Inspection and EscortProgram, which ensures the safe transport ofthese shipments through Illinois. The programhas inspected and escorted more than 1,000shipments of spent nuclear fuel, transuranicwaste and highway route controlled quantities ofradioactive materials since the mid-1980s.

Illinois has a significant stake in nuclearmaterials transportation. Eleven reactorscurrently operate at six power stations, and anow-closed nuclear power station in Zion isundergoing decommissioning. The state also ishome to the only commercial away-from-reactorspent fuel storage facility in the nation. Morethan 9,600 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel arestored in spent fuel pools or dry cask storagecontainers in the state.

Given the state’s geographical location andrelatively large amount of spent nuclear fuel instorage, it is obvious Illinois and its Midwesternneighbors will be greatly impacted when itcomes time to move spent nuclear fuel to interimstorage or a repository.

More information about IEMA’s inspection andescort program is available on the IEMA websiteat http://www.illinois.gov/iema/Info/Documents/IEMA%20034%20Spent%20Fuel%20Escort.pdf.

IEMA Staffer Testifies Before CongressionalSubcommittee on Nuclear Materials Transportation

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On Oct. 16, an IEMA licensee notified theagency that it was unable to locate a radioactivewell logging source holder. The call triggered anIEMA-led search for the device in 16 Illinoiscounties and two counties in Indiana. As ofpress time, the device had not been located.

The missing source, which contains Americium-241, is owned by Wayne County Well Surveys,Inc., a well logging company based in Fairfield,Illinois. It is used to assess geological formationsin oil and gas, groundwater, mineral andgeothermal exploration.

Radiological response team members fromIEMA’s Bureau of Radiation Safety reviewedcompany records to determine where the devicewas last seen and define the search area, whichincluded job sites and transportation routesbetween those sites and the company’sheadquarters.

Counties in the search area include Clay,Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Franklin,Hamilton, Jasper, Jefferson, Macon, Marion,Moultrie, Richland, Shelby, Wabash, Wayne andWhite counties in Illinois and Gibson and Pikecounties in Indiana. IEMA informed the Illinoissearch counties through a conference call priorto information being released to the public.

Searches have been conducted on foot as wellas in slow-moving vehicles equipped withradiation equipment designed to detectAmericium-241. IEMA has been assisted in thesearch by personnel from the Illinois Departmentof Transportation and Illinois State Police. Thecompany’s 14 employees also have beeninvolved in the search.

On Oct. 19, IEMA issued a press release toinform the public in the search area and ask thatthey contact local law enforcement if they findthe container. The radioactive source is wellshielded by the rugged shipping container and

another welded container, and anyone finding itwould not be exposed to dangerous radiationexposure. However, IEMA urges anyone whohas any knowledge of the location of thecontainer or comes across this container to notapproach it but rather contact local lawenforcement.

The missing source is an International AtomicEnergy Agency category 3 source (categories 1and 2 are the most hazardous). If unshieldedand not safely managed or security protected,exposure to the source could cause permanentinjury to a person who handled it or who wasotherwise in contact with it.

The IEMA investigation is ongoing, and potentialcivil penalties will be determined as part of aformal review that considers several factors,including the severity of the violations andpromptness of corrective measures. Civilpenalties up to $10,000 per day per identifiedviolation are possible under IEMA’s regulations.

IEMA Assists in Search for Missing Radioactive WellLogging Source Holder

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In early October, Elgin Community Collegebecame the fifth campus to achieve the Readyto Respond Campus designation. The IEMAinitiative is aimed at enhancing campus safetythrough a comprehensive, community-basedpreparedness and response effort, includingpublic safety, campus administration, facultyand students.

The official presentation of the designation toElgin Community College came just days after adeadly shooting at a community college inOregon, highlighting the need for campuses tobe well prepared for all types of hazards.

Elgin Community College is the first campus toreceive the designation that was not involved inthe pilot program, which was launched in 2013.The voluntary program was opened to allcolleges and universities in the state in 2014.

To achieve Ready to Respond Campus status, acollege or university must meet criteria thataddress hazard identification, risk assessmentand/or consequence analysis, operationalplanning, incident management, training and

exercise. In addition, the campus must developand maintain a violence prevention plan andimplement a campus outreach and educationcampaign.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,Richland Community College, Parkland Collegeand Augustana College also have received theReady to Respond Campus designation.Several other campuses currently are workingtoward the designation.

Colleges receiving the designation can use thelogo on official correspondence, websites,brochures and other media. The logo representsthe institutions’ commitment to preparedness forall types of threats and hazards.

The designation is valid for three years; at thattime colleges can submit updateddocumentation in order to renew the status.

Colleges and universities interested in pursuingthe Ready to Respond designation can findprogram information at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.

Elgin Community College Achieves Ready to RespondCampus Designation

Don Kauerauf (IEMA) presents the Ready to Respond Campus plaque to Elgin Community College President Dr. David Sam as ECCBoard Chair Dr. Donna Redmer looks on.

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The 2015 Great ShakeOut earthquake drill was aresounding success in Illinois, with more than667,000 people registering to participate –nearly 90,000 more than for the 2014 drill. Alarge portion of those participating (537,000)were from K-12 schools and districts throughoutthe state.

Illinois participants joined more than 22.6 millionpeople around the world who registered toparticipate in drills on Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.m. Withseveral other states and counties conductingdrills at other times during the year, the totalnumber of participants for 2015 ShakeOut drillsis expected to top 43.4 million, up from 26.5million in 2014.

IEMA coordinated efforts to encourageparticipation in the drill through emails toschools, colleges, businesses, government

agencies and others, as well as through pressreleases and interviews.

While some people have questioned thepotential for major earthquakes in Illinois, thestate is actually adjacent to two seismic zones,the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the WabashValley Seismic Zone. In fact, some of the mostpowerful earthquakes to ever occur in the U.S.happened a little more than 200 years ago in theNew Madrid Seismic Zone. That series ofearthquakes lasted for several months, andshaking was felt as far away as the East Coast.

Illinois has participated in ShakeOut drills for thepast five years.

More than 667,000 Illinoisans Participate in GreatShakeOut Earthquake Drill

Staff in the Bureau of Preparedness and Grants Administration participated in the Great ShakeOut Drill on Oct. 15.

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Community Emergency Response Teams(CERTs) from 10 jurisdictions took part in thesixth annual Prairie State CERT Challenge Oct. 3at the College of DuPage’s Homeland SecurityEducation Center in Glen Ellyn.

Team members had up to 30 minutes tocomplete tasks at eight different stations duringthe challenge. Activities tested a variety ofresponse skills, such as the ability to triage, treatand transport injured people, search and freevictims trapped in debris, gather informationabout disaster sites, and perform preparednessfunctions.

Participating teams represented Buffalo Grove,Carol Stream, Chicago, Glen Ellyn, HighlandPark, Huntley, Milton Township (DuPageCounty), Naperville, New Lenox, North (ElkGrove Village/Fremont Township – LakeCounty).

These volunteer response teams are part of theCitizen Corps program in Illinois, which isadministered by IEMA. Eighty-four localjurisdictions in the state have active CitizenCorps Councils that oversee all homelandsecurity-related volunteer programs in theircommunities; 57 have implemented the 20-hourCERT training program and maintain an activevolunteer base.

Teams Tackle Response Tasks in CERT Challenge

State Retains EMAP AccreditationIllinois’ emergency preparedness and responseprogram has once again retained nationalaccreditation through the EmergencyManagement Accreditation Program (EMAP)after demonstrating compliance with all of theorganization’s rigorous national standards.

Illinois first attained EMAP accreditation in 2006,becoming just the sixth state to achieve thedesignation. The program was reviewed andreaccredited in 2010. Illinois currently isone of 35 states that are accreditedby EMAP’s voluntary program.

In order to receive EMAPaccreditation and reaccreditation,states are required to demonstrate 100percent compliance with 64 standards thatcover key areas, such as program management,incident management, hazard mitigation, mutual

aid, communications and warning, publicinformation and more.

A team of certified assessors from across thenation conducted a nearly week-long review ofIllinois’ program in July. The team’s findingswere submitted to the EMAP National Board forreview and approval.

EMAP is an independent non-profit organizationthat fosters excellence and accountability in

emergency management and homelandsecurity programs by establishingcredible standards applied in a peerreview accreditation program. In

addition to the state program, EMAPalso accredits local, federal, institutions of

higher education and international programs.

Photo courtesy of DuPage County Office of Homeland Securityand Emergency Management

In September, FEMA released its draft DamageAssessment Operating Manual for publiccomment. The manual is intended to establishnational damage assessment standardsdeveloped from historic lessons learned andbest practices already in use.

Once finalized, the manual is intended toincrease the accuracy, consistency andefficiency of damage assessments by providingemergency management at all levels with clearinformation and defined roles andresponsibilities.

While previous versions of the manual focusedexclusively on the federal role, the proposedmanual is built on a system that encourages

local information collection, state verification andfederal validation.

A copy of the manual is available on the FEMAwebsite at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/109040. Commentsare due by Nov. 14 and should be directed to:

Mr. Ryan BurasSenior Program AdvisorPublic Assistance, Recovery Directorate, FEMA500 C Street, SW, Mail Stop 3163Washington, DC 20471

Comment Period on FEMA Damage AssessmentOperating Manual Ends Nov. 14

Check IEMA’s Training Calendar for Upcoming Training The IEMA training calendar includes a variety oftraining opportunities that are currentlyscheduled at various locations throughoutIllinois. The courses, covering a variety ofsubject matter areas, are being provided byIEMA, the Illinois Fire Service Institute and theIllinois Department of Transportation, along withthe National and Rural Domestic PreparednessConsortiums.

These courses are all offered at no cost to firstresponders, volunteer organizations, privateindustry and others. The calendar also includesa listing of the exercises currently scheduled inIllinois.

Please visit the IEMA website(www.illinois.gov/iema) or the Ready Illinoiswebsite (www.Ready.Illinois.gov) for additionalinformation on these courses and plannedexercises.

CALENDARCALENDAR

State of IllinoisIllinois Emergency Management Agency

For more information on this newsletter, contact:Patti Thompson • Public Information Officer: (217) 557-4756

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