Public Power - November/December 2007 - (Page 50)

SAFETY said. The program is not intended to credential workers at the local utility level, rather it is designed to facilitate consistent understanding of the scope of specific roles in mutual aid situations, he said. For example, if a locality seeking assistance following a disaster needed a “debris site manager” it would not need to dictate qualifications because the responding entities would know what it means to request a debris site manager, he said. Information on NIMS is posted at fema.gov/emergency/nims. Disaster planning is a fundamental function in a reliable utility. In APPA’s RP3® program utilities are awarded points for having a written disaster plan that is updated yearly. “Having a disaster plan and performing disaster drills is critical for utilities,” said Nathan Mitchell, APPA’s Director of Engineering and Operations Services. “The NIMS program is one way a utility can be linked to the rest of the city’s disaster recovery plan, and can supplement a strong utility response when a disaster strikes,” he said. As a part of a mutual aid program the federal government has required government agencies to follow the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to disaster response. This presidential directive from the Federal Emergency Management Agency/Department of Homeland Security (FEMA/DHS) applies to city government and includes utilities owned by the city if they are classified as first responders. Effective Sept. 30, 2007, jurisdictions are required to comply with the fiscal year 2007 NIMS requirements to receive fiscal year 2008 emergency preparedness grants. In 2007, all jurisdictions must comply with specific performance-based metrics. State, territory, tribal and local governments are considered to be in compliance with NIMS for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 if they have adopted and/or implemented the compliance activities for those fiscal years. Adoption or implementation of these compliance activities have been self-certified by the governor’s office for each state and territory, which includes tribal and local governments. Implementation of and compliance with the NIMS is critical to ensuring full and robust preparedness across our nation. ❚ Bill Atkinson is a writer in Carterville, Ill., and a regular contributor to Public Power. Seeing is not believing. Provide your customers with a safe, beautiful electric fireplace. When you see the new electric fireplace from Electraflame, you won’t believe your eyes. Electraflame fireplaces give out the cozy heat you want without the mess, matches and smoke. Show your customers the beauty of adding a new electric fireplace to their home. • Meets FAA Specifications! Color – Size – Shape! – International Orange • Tested and approved by major power companies! • Thousands still in service after 30 years • Universal attaching! Fits any wire .1" to 1"! • Installs in 5 minutes! • Withstands hail! • No maintenance! Does not slip, oscillate, chafe, cause electrolysis or harmonic vibration. • Ships in halves nested. 9, 12, 20, 24, 30, 36 and 52" balls & special sizes ava Distributed by: SERVE Co. 1-800-248-3292 www.kwh.com Call now 573-796-381 ext. 2001 Fax 573-796-3770 www.tanawiremarker.com TANA WIRE MARKERS P.O. Box 370, California, MO 65018 50 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007 PUBLIC POWER http://fema.gov/emergency/nims

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - November/December 2007

Public Power - November/December 2007 Contents Washington Focus 10 Questions Connecting with the Customer Through Automation AMR or AMI? The High Court’s Antitrust Thunderbolts California’s Push for Demand-Response Plug-In Partners Get Plugged In Wiring Up for Double-Digit Growth For Engineers Safety Community Broadband For Governing Boards DEED Customer Service Hometown Connections Index to Advertisers Parting shot

Public Power - November/December 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.