January 26, 2000 Tech Arena Presentation

by Bill Karl

President
EM Assist

EM Assist

SUMMARY

EIIP Tech Arena Online Presentation
Wednesday - January 26, 2000 - 12:00 Noon EST

EM Assist

Bill Karl, President
EM Assist

The EIIP Tech Arena featured Bill Karl, President of EM Assist, to share information about the EM Assist product. EM Assist is an emergency management knowledge and resource base that provides rapid access to information through a disk-based, extensively cross-indexed program, and a comprehensive Internet-based guide to emergency management sites and resources. The product is an easy-to-use reference work with thousands of pages of program and job descriptions, definitions, and acronyms organized alphabetically as well as by type of hazard or job. EM Assist includes online links and materials as well as reference and how-to materials. These are available in a CD-ROM, along with the original EM Assist disk-based, or off-line, version. With downloaded files and links to their Internet locations, EM Assist users benefit from continual updates and also from on-hand materials when not connected to the Internet.

BILL KARL

President
EM Assist

Bill Karl is President of EM Assist, and also works as Senior Emergency Manager, Innovative Emergency Management, Inc., providing support to the Alabama Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

Previously, as Project Manager Ketron Division of the Bionetics Corporation, he coordinated the design and development of the State Integrated Emergency Management Course, the Comprehensive Exercise Curriculum, and the Integrated Emergency Management Course, "Consequences of Terrorism."

As Senior Technical Consultant, Mr. Karl was responsible for program development and administration of emergency management services projects for federal agencies and state and local governments. In this capacity, he designed and supervised the development of various FEMA courses, workshops, and plans. Mr. Karl developed the Hazardous Material Contingency Planning Course for FEMA, EPA and DOT. During this project Mr. Karl worked closely with EPA to coordinate implementation of SARA Title III LEPC requirements.

Mr. Karl also managed a multi-year project of FEMA's National Emergency Training Center. This project included research, analysis, and development of over 50 separate emergency management training programs; curriculum development; training team assignment; and program monitoring and evaluation.

Formerly, as Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Assistant Training Officer,- Mr. Karl's primary responsibilities included using task analysis methodology in research, developing courses and presentations related to emergency management, and auditing disaster assistance requests. Mr. Karl designed, developed, and co-authored a 369-page comprehensive manual covering all aspects of emergency management. He was also selected to develop the Three Mile Island after-action report and worked on a three-person team that developed the exercise to test the plans of the Three Mile Island fixed nuclear facility.

* * * *

EM ASSIST

EM Assist is a combination Gateway to the Internet for emergency management personnel; a comprehensive encyclopedia on emergency management and a dictionary of emergency
management terms and acronyms.

EM Assist is a CD ROM that harnesses the power of the Internet greatly reducing search time and leading the user to rapidly to specific areas in emergency management that are critical to mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. There are over 7000 documents downloaded from the Internet stored on the CD and these documents are accessible immediately and without the use of the Internet.

* * * *