News and Information

There has been a lot of discussion recently about the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in regard to Emergency Management. Much of the discussion we’ve heard has focused on shelter facilities and accessibility, but Title II of the ADA requires that all facets of the Emergency Management Program be accessible… including public information, warning notification, and long-term recovery, among others.

Many valuable ADA resources for local governments and government units can be found in the ADA Best Practices Toolkit, provide by the United States Department of Justice: http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/toolkitmain.htm.

Within the toolkit, the following documents SPECIFICALLY relate to Emergency Management:

HTML Versions:

• ADA Toolkit Chapter 7 – Emergency Management (HTML) 
• ADA Toolkit Ch7 Addendum 1 – EM Program Checklist (HTML)
• ADA Toolkit Ch7 Addendum 2 – Shelter Program (HTML)
• ADA Toolkit Ch7 Addendum 3 – Shelter Checklist (HTML)

Adobe pdf versions:

• ADA Toolkit Chapter 7 – Emergency Management (pdf)
• ADA Toolkit Ch7 Addendum 1 – EM Program Checklist (pdf)
• ADA Toolkit Ch7 Addendum 2 – Shelter Program (pdf)
• ADA Toolkit Ch7 Addendum 3 – Shelter Checklist (pdf)

Planning is underway for the annual IEMA Conference, scheduled for September 6-8 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Springfield. Check the IEMA Conference Website  for updates!

In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the historic New Madrid earthquakes in 1811-12, Illinois and other central states are working to improve public awareness of our earthquake risk. The Great Central U.S. Shakeout will be held on April 28th at 10:15 as a way for local businesses, schools, and governments to practice their own earthquake plans. More information is available at http://www.shakeout.org/centralus/