During the 26th Annual Virginia Hazardous Materials Conference on Wednesday October 21, 2009, the Virginia Association of Hazardous Materials Response Specialists (VAHMRS) awarded $10,000 in scholarships and grants. The 2009 VAHMRS Educational Scholarship and Grants Program

resulted in the largest amount of assistance ever provided by the association in support of its members.

Among the awards was an equipment grant to the Hampton Fire Department in Hampton, Virginia for purchase of gas monitoring equipment. Three members also received $1000 Walt Sivertson Memorial Scholarship awards to assist in the attainment of their college degrees. Named in memory of VAHMRS member Walt Sivertson, a hazmat responder and member of the Newport News Fire Department who died in the line of duty in 1993, the Sivertson Scholarship program has awarded thousands of dollars of tuition assistance to VAHMRS members and their families to help with higher education needs.

For the first time, four members received Norman McTague Conference Scholarship Awards to assist with costs associated with attending the annual conference. Norm McTague was an influential founding member of VAHMRS and the association developed an annual scholarship in his name following his passing in 2007. Colonel McTague was the former director of the Virginia Department of Emergency Services (now Management) Operations Division, overseeing the Virginia Emergency Operations Center. He also directed the Hazardous Materials Preparedness and Response program for VDEM.

This year’s VAHMRS Educational Scholarship and Grants Program  assisted 10 members from 6 hazmat teams in attending the annual conference, provided one equipment grant and assisted 3 members with their college educations. All told, nine different organizations across the Commonwealth benefited from this program.

VIPER

Real Time Situation Status for the Commonwealth

VDEM's Virginia Interoperability Picture for Emergency Response, or VIPER, is a tool that not only gives Virginia Emergency Operations Center staff the ability to visually assess statewide emergency management operations in real time, but it also automatically offers users instant access to essential local information through traditional Geographic Information Systems layers.

For example, if a locality experiences a rapidly escalating traffic incident, VIPER will provide information about nearby hospitals; in the case of a hazardous materials spill, VIPER will offer data about area schools; during a flood, VIPER will alert users to low-lying areas that could be affected.

Va. Association of Hazardous Materials Response Specialists

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