Concerns about a possible swine flu pandemic continued to rise over the past weekend. Gunnar Kuepper, a principal member of the NFPA 1600 technical committee, has prepared an informative paper on the H1N1 virus. Download Report Disease Briefing Swine flu.
Gunnar says, "The risk of an emerging biological agent can be compared with the risk of a wildfire. Most wildfires will be extinguished quickly or die on their own. However, it wind, weather, fuel and other conditions are right, a small and innocent looking wildland fire can explode into a conflagration that threatens life, health, hope, property and the economy. The same applies to an emerging pathogen. If an outbreak is not identified and contained in its early stages, the pathogen may cause a pandemic, with devastating consequences in today's complex and interconnected world. As in wildfires, we do not know which fire will be the big one."
Gunnar is the President Region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV Pacific Trust Territories) of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) - USA. IAEM is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the goals of saving lives and protecting property during emergencies and disasters. Web site www.iaem.com.
Gunnar can be reached at (310) 649-0700, or by email gjk@edmus.info.
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