AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION • JANUARY 2009 • www.apwa.net THE ROLE OF PUBLIC WORKS IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Ensuring effective response to and recovery from emergency situations Certificates • Associates • Bachelors • Masters www.uiu.edu/apwa • Flexible delivery options • No on-campus residency required - Online • Highly qualified and supportive faculty - Independent Study • Regionally accredited Established in 1857® UIU_Jan 09 full page 4-color ad wOutlines.indd 1 12/10/2008 11:39:58 AM E J C D C S T A N D A R D Contract Documents Widely recognized as the most fair and objective contract documents in the construction, engineering, and design-build industries New Construction Contract Documents just released! Why Use EJCDC Contract Documents? • Minimize Risk on Your Next Job • Immediately Downloadable • Available for Multi-Use at NO Extra Cost • Peer Created and Reviewed • Fully Customizable www.nspe.org/ejcdc EJCDC AD AWPA_10-08-nodisc.indd 1 10/2/2008 4:22:19 PM January 2009 Vol. 76, No. 1 The APWA Reporter, the official magazine of the American Public Works Association, covers all facets of public works for APWA members including industry news, legislative actions, management issues and emerging technologies. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INSIDE APWA 4 President’s Message 8 Technical Committee News 10 2009 North American Snow Conference Technical Tour 16 Mentoring: Consider “Future City Competition” in your own backyard 18 APWA Standards of Professional Conduct: What we can learn from the PGA Tour 10 20 Index to 2008 articles COLUMNS 6 Washington Insight 26 Cleaning up the Kitchen 30 International Idea Exchange 46 Ask Ann FEATURES 32 Emergency Management 101 or Emergency Management for Dummies: I’m supposed to do what? 16 33 A new perspective on public works mutual aid: the Illinois approach 36 National Homeland Security Consortium provides new vision for homeland security and emergency management 38 Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Ike: What we did and what we learned 40 Climate change and preparedness planning 42 Our urban forests are under attack 44 GTVC: Mapping tool allows emergency management 33 personnel to visually track resources WORKZONE 48 WorkZone: Your Connection to Public Works Careers MARKETPLACE 49 Products in the News 50 Professional Directory CALENDAR 19 Education Calendar 52 World of Public Works Calendar 38 52 Index of Advertisers On the cover: Greensburg, Kansas, May 23, 2007 – Public Works employees take January 2009 APWA Reporter 3 down what was left of a home, nineteen days after an F5 tornado destroyed most of the town. (Photo by Greg Henshall/FEMA) Work to be done and promises to keep Noel Thompson APWA President n October 2007, my wife, Sue, locally, the Center will engage, lead and I traveled to New Orleans for and facilitate APWA in identifying the first time since Hurricane Ka- and advancing sustainability ini- trina. We visited along with three tiatives. For those of us who don’t Official Magazine of the other couples to renew our wedding want to write letters of apology to American Public Works Association vows and celebrate the wedding of our grandchildren for squandering PUBLISHER a third couple. The fourth couple opportunities to sustain the envi- American Public Works Association 2345 Grand Blvd., Suite #700 officiated. The wives decided New ronment and our communities, Kansas City, MO 64108-2625 Orleans was the place to be because there is work to be done and prom- (800) 848-APWA (Member Services Hotline) (816) 472-6100 (Kansas City metro area) it was renewing itself, and it would ises to keep. FAX (816) 472-1610 best symbolize our vows of renewal e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.apwa.net and marriage. They were right. It For those who want to lead and was a memorable occasion. make APWA the most attractive EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and professional cutting-edge edu- Peter B. King While touring a historic New Or- cational and advocacy organization EDITOR R. Kevin Clark leans cemetery, I was struck by an of its kind, there is work to be done GRAPHIC DESIGNER inscription on the face of a black and promises to keep. And for those Julie Smith granite memorial to Mother Teresa who want to learn how to lead their ADVERTISING SALES that said something like, “If you communities with sound, well-rea- Amanda Daniel R. Kevin Clark Erin Ladd Kansas City Liaison pray, you have hope and if you have soned principles to assure a future Jennifer Wirz (800) 848-APWA hope, you can love. If you love, then free from pollution, congestion and (800) 800-0341 you can serve and if you serve, you declining communities, and full of APWA WASHINGTON OFFICE have peace.” I like the idea of peace 1401 K. Street NW, 11th floor educational achievement, economic Washington, D.C. 20005 made possible through service. It is opportunities, health and security, (202) 408-9541 FAX (202) 408-9542 so simple and completely valid; yet, then there is work to be done and Disclaimer: The American Public Works Association as we know, it isn’t necessarily easy promises to keep. assumes no responsibility for statements and/or opinions advanced by either editorial or advertising to accomplish. It is, however, more contributors to this issue. APWA reserves the right necessary than ever. If you agree The good thing about taking up a to refuse to publish and to edit manuscripts to conform to the APWA Reporter standards. with that, then you would also cause in an organization like APWA Publisher’s Notice: The APWA Reporter, January agree there is much work to be done is that you won’t be alone. There will be someone like you who wants 2009, Vol. 76, No. 1 (ISSN 0092-4873; Publications and many promises to keep in our Agreement No. 40040340). The APWA Reporter is to do something important, to make published monthly by the American Public Works chosen profession of public works. Association, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 700, a difference. They will help you do Kansas City, MO 64108-2625. Subscription rate is In this new year, APWA will more the work and keep the promises. $159 for nonmembers and $25 for chapter-spon- deeply explore and delineate the sored students. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas APWA is working hard and keeping City, MO and additional mailing offices. POSTMAS- role of public works in environmen- TER: Send address changes to the APWA Reporter, tal stewardship and sustainability, the promise of making your orga- 2345 Grand Boulevard, #700, Kansas City, MO nization a world-class association. 64108-2625. Canada returns to: Station A, P.O. Box and I am excited about where we 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. Building upon the success of our are headed. In November, the Board Reprints and Permissions: Information is available at of Directors acted to create a new Certified Public Fleet Professional www.apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/guidelines.asp. and Certified Public Infrastructure APWA Center for Sustainability to © 2009 by American Public Works Association Inspector programs, at the New ensure that sustainability becomes Address Change? an organizational principle for pub- Orleans Congress last August we To alert us of a change to your membership record, launched the new Certified Storm- contact an APWA Membership Specialist at (800) lic works management. Tapping into 848-APWA or [email protected]. water Manager program. Our cer- the expertise of our members who The APWA Reporter is printed by Harmony Printing are leading sustainability programs tification programs are a hallmark & Development Co., Liberty, MO. of excellence for public works pro- 4 APWA Reporter January 2009 fessionals like you who are striving to Capitol Hill and with the new Obama Each day brings challenges to us make your communities the best they Administration. It is incumbent on us all, and we must be judicious in our can be. as public works leaders to communi- thoughts and deeds when we address cate the value of local projects and how them. Regardless of the degree of peril Also in New Orleans we introduced our that equates to jobs. The recent APWA they bring, challenges are opportuni- second public works curriculum geared survey asking members for “ready to ties to make things better. So, if confu- toward young people. Discovering the go” projects identified over 3,600 proj- sion arises, we must work for clarity. World of Public Works, a K-5 curricu- ects with a value of $15 billion, and If lethargy creeps in, we must become lum, was unveiled at the 2005 Con- that information is not going unno- relevant. If disarray occurs, we must gress and since then, more than 40,000 ticed in the debate. work for solidarity and organization. student workbooks have been sold. At Where there is inequity, we must work last year’s Congress we unveiled our In addition to a new economic stimulus to empower. Should a crisis confront middle school curriculum, Exploring package, Congress will also debate us, we must work for resolution and the World of Public Works, which fo- reauthorization of the federal surface understanding. At a time of doubt, cuses on five aspects of public works transportation act, or SAFETEA-LU, we must work for belief and commit- and public works careers. By educat- in 2009. APWA recognizes the critical ment. At a time of conflict, we must ing 6th to 8th graders on the impact of need for sustained transportation work for peace. public works, we’re increasing public investment and has recently knowledge of the field and cultivating unveiled a “toolkit” and website— The great professionals of APWA have student interest in the profession. Our reinvestintransportation.apwa.net—to a bond built on fairness, profession- next project underway is a high school help members advocate to their local alism, common experience and simi- curriculum.