The Official RJWestmore Blog

Created in 1996, the AMBER Alert System is a legacy to Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Texas. While she was yet missing, local residents called radio stations in the Dallas area to offer their help. The active citizen involvement, though tragically unsuccessful in Amber’s case, led to the creation of broadcast alerts to help thwart child abductions across the nation.

Today, AMBER Alert is a partnership program involving law enforcement agencies, broadcasters and departments of transportation. Statistics show that most children who are kidnapped and later found murdered die within the first three hours of being taken. During an AMBER Alert, urgent news bulletins are broadcast over airwaves and posted to highway alert signs to enlist the aid of the public to find missing children and stop perpetrators in the all-important hours immediately following child abductions.

The AMBER Alert system is based on the same concept used to alert the public to a severe weather emergencies. During alerts, the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the Emergency Broadcast System, airs a description of the abducted child as well as his or her suspected abductor. The purpose is to instantly galvanize the entire community to search for and safely return abducted children. Studies show that when ordinary citizens become the eyes and ears of law enforcement, lives can be saved.

RJWestmore users can access the amber alert national map from their RJWestmore homepage:

1. Under “Your Resources” click “More Emergency Info.”
2. Open the “More Emergency Info” PDF and scroll down to the “Satellite Imagery” section.
3. Click on “Global Incident Map” and select “Amber Alerts.”

So how can average citizens help?

1. Be on the lookout for abducted children and suspects.
2. If you spot a child, adult, or vehicle fitting an AMBER Alert description, call 911 immediately and provide authorities with as much information as possible.
3. Each state or regional program has its own mechanism for relaying AMBER Alerts to the public. Check with the AMBER Alert coordinator in your local community to find out more about their procedures.
4. For more information about the national AMBER Alert plan and to find the name of your state AMBER Alert coordinator, visit the Department of Justice website.
5. Work with your local law enforcement agency to host a safety seminar at your school, church, community center, civic organization or neighborhood group.
6. Pay close attention to missing-children flyers and notices.
7. Keep current information and photos of your own children. Better safe than sorry.
8. Report emergency situations or provide information about missing or exploited children, call 911 to notify local police, or call 800–THE–LOST (800–843–5678)
9. Report information about child pornography, child molestation, child prostitution, or the online enticement of children, log on to the CyberTipLine.
10. Find out more information about missing and exploited children by visiting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

When a disaster of any kind strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJWestmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. What’s more, the NEW RJWestmore Property Messaging System is included FREE for all RJWestmore Online Training System users. Visit www.RJWestmore.com for more information.

BE SAFE. Be prepared for personal attacks.

Since we provide online safety training to tenants and residents of buildings, most of our blog posts relate to preparing for natural and man-made large-scale disasters. But our commitment to our clients’ safety extends beyond their well being while they are working or living in high rise structures. So we wanted to devote a post to personal security.

Is it possible to prepare yourself to deal with attempted assault and battery? Can you be sure you remain safe at all times? Should you take steps to make sure you’re prepared? Or is it enough to depend on uniformed police officers to step in on your behalf?

Here are a few startling statistics about crime in the United States:

• Approximately 12 million violent crimes are committed in the United States every single year.
• The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
• According to the most recent data available on the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics’ website, in the United States in 2009, more than 307,000 people were victims of a violent crime:
• 88,000 forcibly raped
• 15,000 victims of murder or non-negligent manslaughter
• 408,000 robbed
• 807,000 assaulted
• The city of Detroit, Michigan is just one alarming example of how violent crime is thriving.  So far this year in Detroit, car thefts are up 83%, robberies are up 50%, burglaries are up 20% and property destruction is up 42%.
• Gang violence is rampant. USA Today reports that criminal gangs in the USA have swelled to an estimated one million members responsible for up to 80% of crimes in communities across the nation.
• One in four women in America will be raped. The FBI reports that only one in four rapes is recorded in the Uniform Crime Reports. And those reports do not include rapes that end in death, since those are reported as homicides.

In light of these statistics, is it sufficient to expect law enforcement to step in to ensure your personal safety? Consider the fact that there are approximately 800,000 police officers in the nation. Since there are some 312 million people in America, the ratio of law enforcement to citizens is 1 to 40. While they do their best to serve and protect, cops are not omnipresent. So, it’s imperative that you do your part to BE SAFE:

1. BE aware. When you’re walking to your car or a building, make sure you remain alert and aware of your surroundings. Is anyone following you? Does anything appear suspicious? In the same way you were taught to drive defensively, constantly monitor your surroundings so you remain on your guard against potential attacks.
2. BE careful. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. If you walk by yourself in a dark alley at night or in a low-lit unsecured parking structure, you are inviting criminals to strike.
3. BE prepared. Whether you take a kick-boxing, martial arts or self-defense class, take steps to arm yourself with tools to fight off potential attackers.
4. BE heard. If you suspect that someone is following you, make noise. In fact, don’t be afraid to scream. If you are loud, you might thwart criminals who will move on to other less vocal targets of opportunity.
5.  BE wise. Don’t venture outside alone at night. Don’t stop by the side of the road to assist a stranded motorist if you’re by yourself. Don’t carry lots of cash or leave your purse or wallet open.

When a disaster of any kind strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJWestmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. What’s more, the NEW RJWestmore Property Messaging System is included FREE for all RJWestmore Online Training System users. Visit www.RJWestmore.com for more information.

Does your organization boast a culture of preparedness?

At RJWestmore Inc., we take great pains to make sure our clients and friends understand the importance of being prepared for dealing with and recovering from emergencies of every type. Today, we would like to focus on how to actively cultivate a culture of preparedness.

According to Dictonary.com, the definition of culture is: the development or improvement of the mind by education or training.

Admittedly, it will take work to purposely develop a culture of preparedness in the workplace or even at home. But taking steps to BE SAFE is well worth the effort. There’s a marked difference between an organization that participates in planning and one that has planning woven into its very fabric.

Qualities of an Environment that Foster a Culture of Preparedness:

1. Deliberate—instead of a byproduct of occasional emergency preparedness efforts, organizations that have effectively cultivated a culture of preparedness have done so intentionally instead of by accident. Since this type of program requires organizational buy-in, it should be adopted and sanctioned by members of your company’s C-suite.
2. Consistent—although the topic of preparedness frequently make an appearance at annual corporate training seminars, disaster readiness manuals all too often gather dust between educational round tables. If you want people to embrace emergency preparedness, they need to believe that doing so is important all year long.
3. Active—practice makes perfect. The more familiar your employees and tenants are with disaster preparedness procedures, the better. To improve preparedness performance, run drills several times a year instead of just once.
4. Compelling—unless people understand the risks associated with being ill-prepared, they won’t appreciate the importance of being prepared. Although scare tactics are ill-advised, information sharing should include stories of individuals and organizations that have paid a price for their lack of preparation.
5. Multi-pronged—effective disaster preparedness and recovery plans cover all of the bases. Consider the scope of disasters that have struck the world over the past 12 months. It’s no longer easy to anticipate which storms or terrorist attacks will hit any given geographical location. So disaster plans should include strategies for fending off and/or responding to attacks as well as natural and manmade disasters.
6. Reflective—your program should allow for review of drills and training exercises. Reviewing will help foster new insights and interactive learning.
7. Inherent—it is more important that people master the ability to problem solve than that they be able to predict the future. To foster effective problem-solving, provide access to exercises that strengthen the skill.
8. Intuitive—people should be on their guard, ready to assess any given situation for potential emergency situations. Only those who constantly scan their environment notice and anticipate hidden threats.
9. Real—according to Liisa Valikangas, professor of innovation management at the Helsinki School of Economics, “one of the human cognitive factors that complicates our ability to take resilient action is confusion between frequencies and probabilities.”

People tend to discount the probability of personally encountering a catastrophe. And this tendency results in a reluctance to give due diligence to emergency preparation. Organizations that have successfully created a culture of preparedness understand this affinity and combat it by facing it head on. Communicate openly and honestly to make sure safety remains front of mind.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information.

Tail-gating can pose a security risk. Are you prepared?

As the NFL football playoff season enters a fever pitch, you might consider hosting a tailgate party before heading into the stadium for the big game. But tailgating of an entirely different sort may be putting your property at risk. Even if the security team at your building has things well in hand with turnstiles, documented access, PIN numbers or visitor badges, the practice of quickly slipping in behind someone who has passed through screening is called tailgating and is a very common technique for breaching building security. Is your building at risk?

The threat might start out innocently enough—with an employee opening a door and thoughtfully holding it open for others, or security personnel naively trusting and allowing entry of uniformed workers who are carrying heavy packages. But these seemingly common courtesies could put your company in harm’s way. So the way to protect your property is to develop, adopt and stringently adhere to anti-tailgating strategies.

At RJWestmore, we have come up with some simple suggestions for preventing tailgaters, built on the acronym “STOP TAILGATERS.”

Security First—the first step to prevent unauthorized entry to your building is to proactively develop a comprehensive security plan for your property.

Tell your tenants and employees the risk of ignoring security protocols. If they understand the tailgating can expose your building to domestic violence, theft, sabotage, and terrorism, they might be more inclined to follow the rules.

Open your doors only to people who have valid IDs and associated PINS (where necessary), or stop to sign in as visitors.

People who are already allowed access to your building might also present security risks if admitted to every area of the property. Since not all threats are external, restrict access for subpopulations for high-security areas such as laboratories, pharmacies, operating or equipment rooms and computer centers. You may want also want to restrict and track access to valuable equipment, sensitive files, copy machines and areas containing toxic chemicals.

Tailgating not only affects safety but building management practices as well. If your HVAC or lighting system is tied to occupancy, an influx of unexpected bodies could affect energy-spend.

Allow flexibility in your plan. The security system that is right for you will depend on the specific entry points you wish to secure, location of the entrance, the reason for controlling access to it and the flexibility of your budget.

Inaccurate headcounts during emergencies can lead to occupants unknowingly being left behind or emergency personnel needlessly searching for people who were never on the premises. So make sure that the system you adopt keeps accurate counts.

Leave security to professionals. If you have a security system in place and believe that your building is important enough to protect, why would you allow unauthorized access to it? For a fail-safe system, hire a team of pros.

Guards might be worth the expense. While you might be inclined to cut personnel costs by eliminating security guards, you should consider a simple cost-benefit analysis to decide whether full-time security guards might be right for you. Guards can visually confirm badges match the people seeking to gain entry.

Anti-tailgating programs are most effective if they are multi-pronged. So consider adopting more than one strategy for keeping tailgaters at bay.

Timothy McVeigh was granted access to the Oklahoma City building he blew up long before he committed the crime. So, when it comes to granting access to unauthorized personnel, better safe than sorry.

Everyone in your building should be aware of the safekeeping culture. So consider holding safety seminars or providing materials that clearly communicate your security system.

Risks to building safety frequently result in crimes carried out by someone you didn’t even know was in your building. So make sure your security team understands their role as gatekeepers.

Smart cards house multiple credentials on one card. Consider issuing these to building tenants, employees and visitors to electronically track traffic.

Tailgating strategies are easy to retrofit and complement most existing security systems. So adopt those systems that will work best for you and then build a culture that encourages adherence to the plan. Even if you have the best security system on the market, your safety measures will fail if occupants don’t buy in.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information.

In light of recent anti-vaccine rhetoric, it’s important to review the very positive role vaccinations have played in maintaining public health throughout the years. The community is always better served by the prevention of diseases instead of treatment, which can overwhelm the healthcare industry—particularly in case of epidemics.

There is a very long list of vaccines for a variety of debilitating diseases such as: cervical cancer, diphtheria, influenza, Lyme disease, pertussis, rabies, tuberculosis, and yellow fever—just to name a few. Likely the biggest vaccine triumph is the eradication of smallpox, a disease which once killed one out of every seven children in Europe.

In addition to savings lives and improving well-being, vaccines also save society money, as the cost of a single dosage is many times less than the time and resources required for treatment of the associated disease.

How do vaccines work?

• The human body is attacked by pathogens and produces antibodies every day.
• Antibodies become a sort of “memory cell” in the body to help ward off future attacks.
• Vaccines contain a weakened form of a disease that, when injected, does not produce the disease itself but encourages antibodies and subsequent memory cells.
• These memory cells can remain in the system for decades.

There is a long history of distrust of vaccines in the United States. In 1879, a gentleman named William Tebb created the Anti-Vaccination Society of America. Skeptics still remain, refusing childhood vaccinations for their children due to concerns about the risk of autism, ADHD and hyperactivity.

• Some individuals contend that vaccinations do not stop diseases at all, and that factors including better sanitation practices, reduced poverty, and better education work together to lower disease rates.
• Any link between vaccines and autism has been thoroughly discredited.

Let’s review two notable vaccines, one developed half a century ago, and another which is currently in the news:

The poliomyelitis viral disease, commonly known as polio, afflicted hundreds of thousands of people annually before the development of a vaccine:

• Scientist Jonas Salk created the safest and most effective polio vaccine in the 1950s, which instantly saved thousands of lives. Salk was hailed as a hero, as the country came to a standstill to celebrate the news.
• The polio vaccine is heralded as a major scientific achievement, an example of how hard work and diligence can conquer problems.

Gardasil is the brand name of a relatively new vaccine that prevents the human papillomavirus virus, (HPV), which can lead to cervical and other genital area cancers:

• According to the National Cancer Institute, nearly two thirds of cervical cancer deaths can be prevented through widespread adoption of the vaccine.
• Controversy surrounds some states and school districts which call for mandatory HPV vaccinations.

Looking towards the future, advances in medicine will likely reverse the likelihood of many diseases. Research into HIV and advanced smallpox vaccines, as well as DNA-based solutions, are an example of this type of treatment, which has generated significant interest.

Despite unproven claims about vaccines, booster shots play a vital role in limiting the spread of some of the most crippling diseases in the world. For more information about preventable diseases, vaccine schedules and the importance of following all recommended guidelines, visit the CDC’s site at www.CDC.Gov.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

Security experts such as Graham Alison, who is the funding dean of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and an expert on nuclear proliferation, point to the comparative ease of acquiring bioterrorism materials as opposed to the technology required to actually make a nuclear device. This ease of accumulation makes it considerably more likely that nations will respond to bioterror-detonations or spread before a nuclear attack. And bioterror attacks have already occurred in this country, and continue to happen, with a recent Washington D.C. anthrax attack making the news.

A key tactic for preventing the widespread spread of bacterial weaponized agents is the production of vaccines. However, creating a new vaccine faces many hurdles. There are some successes and shortcomings for efforts to build and stockpile vaccines:

• Enough smallpox vaccine exists to inoculate every U.S. citizen.
  There is enough anthrax vaccine to cover three major metropolitan areas.
• The organization of Health and Human Services points to a severe lack of urgency with the United States Government’s efforts to stockpile vaccines and prepare for potential calamities.
• According to the New York Times, the cost for the pharmaceutical industry to produce a new vaccine averages about $1 billion. Vaccines are not typically money-makers for these companies, which often focus on drugs that require habitual usage—such as cholesterol treatment medications.

Another key component of managing the risk of bioterror is to protect buildings and personnel:

• HVAC systems pose a severe risk to their very function. They circulate and recycle air throughout buildings, making them the perfect vehicle for contamination.
• Companies can improve HVAC filtration, protect outdoor air intakes, and secure building blueprints that would show HVAC details.
• Buildings with tenants whose companies utilize industrial chemicals should ensure physical access to these chemicals is severely restricted.
• Restricting access of unannounced visitors and couriers is vital to providing some separation between the public and tenants.
• Establish a “safe haven” where employees can congregate after an attack is eminent.

How to prepare for the threat of bioterrorism

During the anthrax attacks of 2001, many postal and mailroom staff members were not able to recognize the risks of suspicious packages, even after opening the contents and discovering powders.

Handling suspicious packages requires several key steps:

• Identify unopened packages that might deserve extra scrutiny. Look for signs such as handwritten or badly written address information, excessive postage, markings such as “Confidential,” mismatched postmark/return address, or misspellings.
• A powdery substance, oily stains, or excessive packaging can be signs of potential bioterror substances in the package.
• Don’t open questionable packages! This advice seems rudimentary. But you should instruct tenants and mailroom staff that no package is worth injury.
• Handle the package gently, without shaking the contents.
• Do not smell the package.
• Keep the unopened package in a secure area that has adequate ventilation.
• If you come in contact with a suspicious package or substance, immediately wash your hands and possibly discard clothing if possible.
• Avoid touching your face when you are handling the package.
• After calling law enforcement, record as many details as possible about the package. Did you notice a new delivery driver, or an unusual shipping carrier? Any details can give law enforcement time to develop evidence.

In the event your building or staff members are involved in an attack, you should take certain steps to limit damage. Designated employees should call the local FBI office to report the incident and coordinate investigation efforts. Affected individuals should be quickly quarantined while they wait for medical personnel. It is important to provide first responders with as many details as possible so they can arrange HAZMAT or other protections.

The threat for bioterrorism is real. Through proper planning, and open communication with agencies such as the CDC and FBI, you can do your part to identify and prevent attacks from occurring.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

Are you prepared for an occupy movement?

The recent Occupy Wall Street protests brought more than 100,000 protestors to New York City on October 15^th and now have reached 70 major cities. While the movement does not have official leadership, its main goals are to bring awareness to income inequality in the country, especially in regards to the “1%” of individuals who earn and hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, up to 40 percent in some studies. The popularity of the protests has even made them a NYC tourist attraction.

While many of the protesters are undoubtedly pacifists, there is the potential for violence, as recent clashes with law enforcement have demonstrated. The risks are inherent to property whenever large groups of people gather to vociferously demand something that is difficult to tangibly achieve. As time goes on, entrenched protestors might turn to mischief simply out of boredom or frustration. Building owners who encounter these types of protests should prepare to take steps to make sure their property remains protected at all times.

The first priority of property ownership is to ensure the safety of tenants, residents and/or employees. The second objective is to protect the integrity of the building. Here are some ideas for steps you could take as a property owner or manager to ensure both:

• Post signage on your property stating that trespassing and/or camping is not permitted. Numerous signs will help you delineate your property. This type of signage could also help deter people from using your space in other objectionable ways.
• Coordinate with local law enforcement. They should have a plan for where protestors would be allowed to congregate and which areas would be considered off limits.
• Use barriers to deny access to important areas. If you have a sensitive part of your business that will be closed to short-term protests, then consider closing it down or blocking if entirely to avoid any issues.
• Use window film to block the view into lower-level offices. You wouldn’t want tenants to feel harassed or nervous about the potential for violence if a group gathers outside.
• Install video cameras with signs that clearly state the fact that your area is under constant surveillance. While video won’t likely stop organized protests, it can deter violent or vandalistic acts.
• During the actual protests, consider hiring uniformed security officers to guard the perimeter of your building to discourage criminal behavior.

Hopefully, any protests in your area will remain peaceful expressions of free speech and will not turn to violence or unrest. By taking some proactive measures, you can better protect your building and tenants from potential harm

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

Get involved in the 2011 Great California ShakeOut

When earthquakes struck the east coast in August 2011, they shocked the nation. After all, earthquakes strike mostly in the west. And, previously, quakes so strong (average magnitude 5.9) hadn’t been felt east of the Mississippi since World War II.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quakes averaged magnitude 5.8. And, by west coast standards, that is, admittedly, mild. But the east coast is not accustomed to earthquakes at all. So these quakes unsettled some of the nation’s biggest population centers. In fact, USA Today reported that Twitter lit up with personal accounts following the quakes, including mockery from quake-hardened veterans on the West Coast:

“5.9? That’s what us Californians use to stir our coffee with,” tweeted one west coast marketing manager.

One of the reasons the quakes were so unnerving, many say, is because they came so near the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. So, the unexpected jolts jarred nerves that were already frayed. On the plus side, folks in Georgia, Missouri and Virginia and surrounding areas will be better prepared for subsequent jolts because quakes will no longer be able to take residents by surprise. And this is good, since preparation is a crucial step in successfully dealing with and recovering from disasters of every kind.

It’s for this very reason that RJWestmore, Inc. participates each year in the Great California Shakeout. As we count down to Shakeout Drill 2011, we’d like to encourage you to sign up for this year’s event. Here is how to prepare:

1. Sign up. This year’s drill will be held at 10:20 a.m. on October 20, 2011. (If this time slot won’t work for you, don’t worry. You can hold your own drill when it is most convenient for you and your employees or tenants.) Click to sign up today.
2. Secure and review ShakeOut materials. These items are available online at www.ShakeOut.org/updates. Choose from drill manuals, banners, signs, triangle of life rebuttal, PowerPoint presentations, 7 Steps to an Earthquake Resilient Business and additional items available at the ShakeOut Shop.
3. Meet with your leadership team. Discuss plans and get their buy-in. Decide what level (1-4) of drill you will conduct.

• Level 1—Simple: Drop, Cover and Hold On.
• Level 2—Basic: Life Safety Drill
• Level 3—Intermediate: Decision-Making Drill
• Level 4—Advanced: Business Operations Simulation Drill

4. Create a drill/exercise plan. Make sure the plan includes an overview of what your drill will consist of, and what you expect to happen before during and after the drill (including feedback discussion to discuss strengths and areas for improvement.)
5. Encourage participation. Invite your suppliers, vendors, contractors and partnering businesses to participate along with you. The more integrated your drill, the better prepared you will be in the event of an actual earthquake.
6. Promote the ShakeOut Campaign:
1. Hang shake-out banners and signs throughout your property to encourage participation.
2. Develop an email marketing campaign to promote the event.
7. Hold briefings afterward, to discuss the event. For guidelines to stimulate discussion, check out these free resources.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to prepare for an earthquake next month, on October 20, 2011. If you own or manage a building, or know someone who does, do them a favor. Let them know about the RJWestmore Training System. Choosing our service cuts property management training related workloads by 90% and saves users over 50% compared to conventional training! More importantly, IT SAVES LIVES! BE SAFE.

RJWestmore, Inc will never forget the events of 9/11.

Part 4 of a 4-part series

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, we have devoted three of our past four blog posts to discuss the 10 lessons the world has learned from that fateful day. We have tried to use our voice as experts in safety and disaster training to recommend emergency precautions that you should take now to give you and your family, friends, employees and colleagues the best chance of surviving another terrorist attack. In this, our fourth and final installment, we’ll cover the final lessons we’ve learned since that fateful day.

Remembering 9/11:

The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger planes. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and thousands of people working in the buildings.

Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. A third airliner was crashed into the Pentagon. Hijackers redirected the fourth plane toward Washington, D.C., targeting either the Capitol Building or the White House, but were diverted when passengers tried to retake control. The airliner crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania, leaving no survivors.

Nearly 3,000 victims and 19 hijackers died in the attacks. Among the 2,753 victims who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, there were 343 firefighters, 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority, and 8 private EMTs and paramedics. Another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of more than 70 countries.

Lessons about terrorism we’ve learned from 9/11:

1. Clean-up could take many months and cost millions. Counting the value of lives lost as well as property damage and lost production of goods and services, losses associated with the events of September 11, 2001 exceed $100 billion. According to the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, “The loss in stock market wealth—the market’s own estimate arising from expectations of lower corporate profits and higher discount rates for economic volatility—the price tag approaches $2 trillion.” The best way to prepare for this type of hit is to try to prevent attacks. As a nation, over the past 10 years, we have improved security on many levels. As a building owner or property manager, make sure you take precautions to beef up security.
2. Public fear, fed by extensive media coverage, may continue for a prolonged period of time. As a result, workplaces, government offices and schools might be closed. According to the Huffington Post, television stations broadcasted more than 3,000 hours of 9/11 coverage. And while much of that coverage was desirable and understandable, portions might have been unnecessary and contributed to anxiety…especially among children. If another large-scale terrorist attack occurs, monitor the amount of associated television programming you allow your children to view. Likewise, try not to watch every televised minute of disaster coverage, yourself. While you will benefit from information about things like restrictions on transportation, make sure you take breaks from the madness to eat and rest and talk to people in the real world.
3. Terrorism has many faces. Racial profiling is not only unfair but insufficient because terrorists come in all shapes and sizes. Consider terrorists like the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Timothy McVeigh, Clayton Lee Waagner, Irv Rubin or the two females who have been blamed for the Twin Metro Blasts in Moscow. Terrorists don’t always wear turbans and speak Arabic. So pay attention to anything out of the ordinary and report it to local authorities.
4. The world was forever changed by the events of 9/11. Time Magazine writer Nancy Gibbs wrote that we, as Americans, now share: “a sharp resolve to just be better, bigger, to shed the nonsense, rise to the occasion.”

As you honor the innocent and brave folks who died on that fateful day in September 10 years ago, give note to portraits of courage, self-sacrifice and hope instead of focusing on images of the jets and the flames. Paying homage to the brave will encourage us all.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

We can learn from things that are handled right in natural disasters.

Recent events, such as Hurricane Irene, the east coast earthquake and this year’s tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin are critical reminders about the importance of preparedness. So we’d like to take a one-week break from our ongoing series about lessons learned from 9/11 to discuss ways that you and your community can prepare for natural disasters. It seems particularly fitting we do so now, since September is National Preparedness Month.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate kicked off National Preparedness Month last week with a visit to New York. He posed one important question: “Are you ready?”

As active members National Preparedness Month Coalition, we at RJWestmore Inc. would like to echo Fugate’s implied call to action. We believe the more people are aware of available online and real world tools, the more prepared they will be to cope and bounce back when disasters strike.

A great way to learn how to prepare is to learn from past mistakes. This method is effective because people are always quick to point fingers and paws and complain. But let’s take a different tact this week, by learning from what went right in the recent events on the east coast as well as Missouri and Alabama.

Hurricane Irene: For Washington, D.C., Hurricane Irene was not only the most dangerous weather system to rip through Washington in some time, but it was also a test of whether the beleaguered power company, Pepco, could claw its way out of the basement of public opinion by keeping the lights on and restoring them when they blinked out.

Pepco’s response was to make automated phone calls alerting citizens before the hurricane hit and then to restore power within 24 hours to 140,000 of the 220,000 affected customers. Fewer homes served by Pepco in the District and Maryland suburbs lost power than did those served by neighboring power companies. Pepco bounced back from bad PR by keeping lines of communication open with their customer base. Whatever line of business you are in, make communication an integral part of your emergency management plans.

East Coast Earthquake: Immediately after the 5.9 earthquake centered near Mineral, Virginia, the FAA ordered planes at airports around the country to stay on the ground rather than fly to airports in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Virginia where traffic was temporarily halted. Among major airports in the region, only New York’s LaGuardia continued operations throughout the day. But by late afternoon, traffic at all the airports was returning to normal, although delays were expected into the evening. Controlling transportation is crucial to effective disaster management.

Tornadoes: According to an article in USA Today, the Alabama tornado killed 41 people, devastated vital parts of the city’s infrastructure, destroyed or damaged more than 7,000 buildings and affected 10% of local businesses. It was part of a system of twisters that killed 238 people in Alabama alone and another 100 or so in other states across the South.

Tuscaloosa is said to be further along the road to rebuilding than Joplin, Mo., which was struck by a tornado that killed at least 125, blasted 2,000 homes, took out one of the city’s two hospitals, ravaged big-box stores and smashed several hundred small businesses.

Thankfully, funds for survivors and reconstruction are coming in from many sources, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies, state and local governments, private insurers, volunteer and faith-based organizations and other non-governmental sources.

Although the rebuilding efforts will likely take years and millions of dollars, thanks to coordinated efforts of state and federal agencies, these devastated communities are on their way to recovery. Handling any large scale disaster, whether manmade or natural, requires coordination and cooperation.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.