PEPtalk - pepkc.org

1 PEP has had a fantastic year. Over the last twelve months, we have had many won-derful presentations on a variety of topics including the security presentation by Jeff Lanza last month. As always, these meetings have provided many opportunities for networking amongst many industry professionals. All of this combined work has continued to foster a sense of community preparedness that goes far beyond the would also like to take this opportunity to thank the eleven individuals who served over the last twelve months as the volunteer PEP Board of Directors. Specifically, I would like to thank Linda Linhoff (Past President), Sarah Kever (President-Elect), Tom Munoz (Treasurer), and Linda DeTienne (Secretary) for their service and support of PEP as the other officers.

2 Moreover, a tremendous amount of work and support was also provided by the Board Directors who included Nick Crossley, Dennis Largent, Ronn Hennessy, Alisa Pacer, Jim Baird, Steve Hannah, and Bill Latteman. Thank you to all who served!While the last twelve months have been very exciting, the 2009-2010 PEP year stands to be even better. Sarah Kever will become President and Jim Baird will serve as President-Elect. They will do a outstanding job guiding PEP into the future. I would also like to announce that PEP has rolled out a new and updated website recently. It was developed in partnership with students from Johnson County Community College and looks awesome.

3 Lastly, in July, PEP will host the second annual Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Conference at the Johnson County Conference Center. The 2008 version was great, and continued to demonstrate that PEP is constantly looking for ways to improve the readiness of our membership. Look for more information about the Conference on page 4 in this newsletter. Adam CrowePEP President Presidents Corner Inside PEPtalkPEPtalk2nd Quarter 2009A Networking Organization of Professionals Involved In Planning For Emergencies And Disasters. H1N1 Flu Creating A Safe & Healthy Workplace / Page 2-3KC Metro BC/DR Conference July 16th / Cell Phones Banned for Safety / Page 4 Choosing Secure Passwords Part 2 / Page 5 How To Conduct A Safety Awareness Day / RWTC / Page 6 Business Continuity Conferences and Training 2009 / Page 7 Directory of Officers & Directors / Call for PEPtalk Articles / Page 8 PEP MeetingsJuly 9, 20097:30 amPEP Board of DirectorsSwiss REJuly 16, 20098:00 am-12:00 pm KC Metro DR/BC ConferenceJo.

4 Co. Emergency Mgmt & Homeland Security South Cherry St., Suite 200 Olathe, KS 66061 RSVP To: 6, 20097:30 amPEP Board of DirectorsSwiss RE PEPtalk2ND QUARTER 2009 The CDC understands that businesses are concerned about the health and safety of their workers and work sites dur-ing this outbreak of novel H1N1 flu. This pod cast at answers many of the questions we've received from the business community and will provide your organization with information on resources and tools to effectively respond to the H1N1 is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. The virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009; other countries have also reported people sick with the new virus.

5 CDC expects that more cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from this outbreak will occur over the coming days and are essential partners in protecting the public's health and safety during this outbreak. The health of em-ployees during an outbreak such as novel H1N1 influenza plays a critical role in the continued operations of a business. The workforce, like the public, needs clear, concise, consistent flu is a completely new disease that isn't comparable to the seasonal flu we see each year. One of the differences is that H1N1 flu is attacking healthy teens and adults. With seasonal flu, the very young and the very old are at greatest risk because their immune systems are less effective than those of healthy 's difficult to make accurate predictions on the length of time it may take for the novel H1N1 flu to run its course in the Past outbreaks have had different durations and affected different percentages of the population in differ-ent ways.

6 Outbreaks of new influenza viruses usually last much longer than seasonal flu, and often come in waves. The health impact in terms of severity of each wave has also are some ways to protect employees and work sites:Sick employees should stay home and not come to work. People who have the flu can spread it to others and the flu virus can spread easily when people are close together. If someone is sick with novel H1N1 flu, they'll probably have symptoms similar to those of seasonal flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, head-ache, chills, and fatigue. A significant number of people have also reported diarrhea and employees you don t want them coming to work sick so they don't worry about losing their job.

7 Let them know their job is safe if they need to care for someone who is sick or are sick themselves. CDC recommends that people who are sick with novel H1N1 flu stay home for seven days after the onset of illness or at least 24 hours after symp-toms have subsided, whichever is longer.(Continued on page 3.)Novel H1N1 Flu Creating A Safe & Healthy Workplace Reprinted with permission from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Page 2 For The Most Accurate Health Information 24/7 Centers for Disease Control & call 1-800-CDC-INFO PEPtalk2ND QUARTER 2009 Page 3KC Metro BC/DR Conference July 16th(see page 4 for more information) (Novel H1N1 Flu continued) To stay healthy or to stop the spread of the virus, remind your employees to do these four things:1.

8 Cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue in the Wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing, or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner if soap and water aren t Avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth to prevent spreading Try to avoid close contact with sick order to ensure business continuity, develop a plan to protect your employees and maintain operations during this H1N1 flu outbreak. Companies that provide critical infrastructure services, such as power and telecommunications, have a special responsibility to plan for continued operation in a crisis, including consideration for significant absentee-ism.

9 Having a contingency plan is are no special precautions for workers who handle or deliver packages, other than practicing good hand hygiene. If soap and water aren't available to these employees, make sure they have a supply of alcohol-based hand cleaner. Instruct them to use it after each contact with customers, including after sharing a pen with the current H1N1 flu virus is new and scientists are still studying it, studies on other forms of flu viruses have shown that influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces, such as books, counter tops, door knobs, and money, and can infect a person for up to eight hours after being deposited on the surface.

10 It's important to note that in the transportation and shipping industry, banking institutions, and retail businesses - where money and goods move daily - workers have not shown an increase in infection rates during periods of seasonal influenza. To prevent the spread of the virus, it's important to keep surfaces, especially commonly touched surfaces, such as work stations, counter tops, and bathroom surfaces, clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant, according to label who need to travel for business can protect themselves by doing a few simple things. All travelers should wash their hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.