Emergency Preparedness

Maryland State Police Explorer Post 56 of Westminster named 2nd Lt. Michael Denny as Explorer of the Year for 1996 at a banquet Wednesday.Denny, 17, of Westminster and a Westminster High School junior, has been in the Explorer post since February 1995.During 1996, he earned commendations for law enforcement training and service, emergency preparedness, tenure, perfect attendance and drug abuse prevention, and was elected to 2nd lieutenant.He also was elected the post's administrative vice president for 1997.

The PETS Act is the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act and was passed in 2006. It was enacted after Hurricane Katrina because of provisions not being in place for pets during emergencies.   It requires state and local emergency preparedness operational plans take into account the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals before, during and after a disaster. People do not want to leave their pets during emergencies, such...

Copies of Anne Arundel County's Guide to Emergency Preparedness, which was mailed to county homes in September, are available at public libraries and the Arundel Center, 44 Calvert St., Annapolis. The guide also is available online at www.aacounty.org. The guide recommends assembling items, including a three-day food supply and flashlights, so residents can take shelter in their homes in the event of a disaster. Information: 410-222-8040.

The earthquake struck without warning during children's naptime. Fortunately, Judy Tribby and her fellow staff members at the YMCA-Arc child care center in Bowie knew exactly what to do last August, when the ground started to shake. Within seconds, well before the crying children were fully awake, the caregivers began placing infants and toddlers into evacuation cribs. They grabbed ready-to-go emergency bags prepared for each child and quickly moved all 40 children, including a number of children with disabilities, into the main hallway away from the windows.

152,000 trees planted; goal of 1 million by 2011 Maryland officials are making progress toward their goal of planting 1 million new trees across the state by 2011. As of May 30, agencies including the State Highway Administration and the Department of Natural Resources had completed the plantings of about 152,000 trees. The trees, which were planted by inmates, comprise nearly 250 acres at eight state parks across Maryland. Funds for the trees' purchase come from the Federal Highway Administration's Transportation Enhancement Program.

The PETS Act is the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act and was passed in 2006. It was enacted after Hurricane Katrina because of provisions not being in place for pets during emergencies.   It requires state and local emergency preparedness operational plans take into account the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals before, during and after a disaster. People do not want to leave their pets during emergencies, such...

In Baltimore City Councilman's bill would raise fines for parking violations City Councilman Robert W. Curran is expected to introduce a plan at today's council meeting to increase fines for parking violations. Curran, who represents Northeast Baltimore's 3rd District, has no plans to raise the $50 fines for parking in snow emergency routes. He said increasing other fines would raise $3.6 million. The city receives nearly $8 million in fines each year. Under Curran's proposal, parking in restricted areas near Camden Yards could increase from $50 to $75. Fire hydrant violations would cost $40, up $10. Meter violations would be raised to $25, from $18. The council will study the issue for more than 30 days.

County announces holiday closings Carroll County government offices will be closed Dec. 26 for Christmas and Jan. 2 for New Year's. Carroll County public library branches will be closed Saturday and Dec. 26 for Christmas and Dec. 31 for New Year's. Senior centers will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Public schools will close two hours early Friday (closed for half-day kindergarten), and remain closed through Jan. 2, reopening Jan. 3. Tourism council to hold church tour The Tourism Council of Carroll County is sponsoring its first House of Worship Tour from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 30, co-sponsored by The Shepherd's Staff and Community Foundation of Carroll County.

The Boy Scouts of America will participate in the 16th annual Harford County Farm Fair from Thursday through July 27, demonstrating emergency services training that will lead to an emergency preparedness merit badge. Emergency service providers and Scouts, ages 11 to 18, will show how to respond to emergencies, including radiation, chemical, biological and other hazards, according to Ernie Crist, Harford County emergency operations manager. David Eng, a representative of the Boy Scouts of America, said the Scouts are learning how to prevent injuries and possible loss of life in situations such as fires, explosions, cars stalling in a blizzard, gas leaks and avalanches.

WASHINGTON - Maryland is one of the best states in the nation when it comes to preparation for health emergencies like bioterrorism, but it still has a long way to go, according to a report released yesterday. "The fact that the score was good is really good, but that doesn't mean we're finished," said Maryland Homeland Security Director Dennis Schrader. "We're going to keep hustling and continue to get better." Maryland was one of only four states - along with California, Florida and Tennessee - to earn a score of seven out of 10 in the report by the Trust for America's Health.

For Baltimore's emergency workers, the Baltimore Grand Prix Festival of Speed is more than a three-day party surrounded by shrieking Indy cars. It's 40,000 to 80,000 people a day — many with medical issues, bad judgment or evil intent — jammed in by closed streets and barricades, surrounded by speeding cars and volatile fuel, all just a week before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Planning how to keep fans and participants safe, treat the sick or injured at the race site, and move them quickly to area hospitals if necessary — while keeping the rest of the city's emergency medical network working — has taken months.

152,000 trees planted; goal of 1 million by 2011 Maryland officials are making progress toward their goal of planting 1 million new trees across the state by 2011. As of May 30, agencies including the State Highway Administration and the Department of Natural Resources had completed the plantings of about 152,000 trees. The trees, which were planted by inmates, comprise nearly 250 acres at eight state parks across Maryland. Funds for the trees' purchase come from the Federal Highway Administration's Transportation Enhancement Program.

WASHINGTON - -Albert P. Toner, a White House aide in two Republican administrations nearly 20 years apart, died of congestive heart failure May 21 at his home in Brunswick, Maine. He was 91. Toner prepared the daily information report for President Dwight D. Eisenhower on problems and activities submitted by government agencies and the White House staff. He returned for his second White House tour during the Nixon administration to do essentially the same job. Albert Plummer Toner was born in Lewiston, Maine, and graduated from the University of Maine in 1939.

About 20 sophomores donned protective mesh vests, each with a piece of paper attached containing the title of an emergency worker. They gathered around a 20-by-6-foot table with a miniature city displayed on it and played roles. Their job was to evaluate a stream that reportedly had a contaminant in it. "Who should be the first person on the scene?" Leah Beaulieu, the program coordinator and teacher, asked the students. "The incident commander," a student answered. "What should the incident commander do?"

Howard County health officials are offering up to 4,000 free flu inoculations next month at a drive-through clinic designed to reach twice as many people as a similar exercise last year. The shots, which will be given from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at Columbia's Gateway Business Park, are available to anyone, not just county residents, said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, the county's health officer. No Flu-Mist spray will be used, said Beilenson, who announced the program yesterday. The county plans to field 230 employees and volunteers, including police, firefighters and health officials in what will double as an emergency-preparedness exercise.

County announces holiday closings Carroll County government offices will be closed Dec. 26 for Christmas and Jan. 2 for New Year's. Carroll County public library branches will be closed Saturday and Dec. 26 for Christmas and Dec. 31 for New Year's. Senior centers will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Public schools will close two hours early Friday (closed for half-day kindergarten), and remain closed through Jan. 2, reopening Jan. 3. Tourism council to hold church tour The Tourism Council of Carroll County is sponsoring its first House of Worship Tour from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 30, co-sponsored by The Shepherd's Staff and Community Foundation of Carroll County.

Baltimore County police have stepped up patrols at sites that have been identified as possible targets for terrorists, and government officials plan an education campaign to inform residents how they can prepare for emergencies, County Executive James T. Smith Jr. said yesterday. As soon as the bombing started in Iraq, the county activated its command and control center, a place where police and fire officials can monitor the county and coordinate a response to any incident. Additional security measures have been in place since the nation's terrorism alert was raised to code orange Monday night.

When Pat Buchanan's husband was in the military, she was prepared to evacuate the base they lived on at a moment's notice in case of an emergency. "Now I'm totally unprepared," said Buchanan, who lives in Hickory Crest, a seniors community in Columbia. To get prepared, Buchanan attended an emergency-planning demonstration Friday at Howard County's seventh 50+ Expo, an event catering to the needs of the county's growing senior population. The expo fell at the end of the county's first Community Readiness Week, which focused on disaster preparedness for county residents of all ages.