November is National Aviation History Month

November 3, 2017

National Aviation History Month is dedicated to exploring, recognizing and celebrating America’s great contributions and achievements in the development of aviation. Aviation history refers to the history of development of mechanical flight — from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered heavier-than-air, supersonic and space flights.

America by Air. Prepared in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Discusses the history of commercial aviation in the United States, from 1914 to the jet age. Contains copyrighted material.  Air America.

First Flight: The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane. The Wright brothers’ distinct personalities are vividly depicted, while a series of graphic features trace their progress towards development of a practical flying machine. Featured are a foreword by astronaut John Glenn and a colorful foldout illustrating the 1903 Wright Flyer.

Aviation. Aviation units, although they belong to one of the newer branches of the Army, have compiled an impressive record of achievement. From the organization of the earliest separate units in the Korean War era through an outstanding record in Vietnam and the recent achievement of independent branch status, Army aviation has become an integral part of today’s combined arms doctrine.                         

NASA’s First 50 Years: Historical Perspectives; NASA 50 Anniversary Proceedings. In this perspective, a wide array of scholars turn a critical eye toward NASA’s first 50 years, probing an institution widely seen as the premier agency for exploration in the world, carrying on a long tradition of exploration by the United States and the human species in general. Fifty years after its founding, NASA finds itself at a crossroads that historical perspectives can only help illuminate.

For easy access to interesting and informative publications about Aviation, both commercial and military, click here.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Smartphones Make Traveling Easy and Fun!

March 15, 2017

Smartphones are becoming essential for people who travel. But how do you find the best travel app for you?

Whether you are a sophisticated or a new adapter of smartphones, the recently released publication “Smartphone Applications to Influence Travel Choices” published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration offers up the information foundation to let you maximize the value of this new technology.

Are you a user of business-to-consumer apps, a mobility tracker, bike sharing believer, or are you interested in public transit apps or real time apps? Who can’t use a ridesharing or taxi-hail app, a smart park or courier network service?

Get the picture? If you are a “mover or shaker” then smartphone applications are a must, and keeping apprised of the latest and greatest new technological features and applications is key to your daily survival.

And for the newly initiated as well, the booklet, “Smartphone Applications to Influence Travel Choices” is the easiest way to take an information leap forward.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

 

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

DOT Keeps on Truckin’

October 13, 2016

dot-headquartersTransportation infrastructure is quite literally the foundation of our country. Interstate highway trucks, freight trains, and aircraft get people and products where they need to go. Across bridges, along rail lines, and through ocean lanes, transport is an essential part of life.

It’s so essential that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is charged with “ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.”

This year DOT celebrates its 50th anniversary. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Department of Transportation Act on October 15, 1966. It brought 31 Federal entities together to form the fourth largest Federal agency.

GPO employees printed the original legislation and now it’s available digitally on govinfo. In addition, GPO makes available several DOT publications.

FAA Safety Briefing

750-002-00209-1The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mission is “Keep America Moving”. This magazine provides updates on movements in FAA rulemaking and policy. It also includes information on flight rules, airworthiness maintenance, avionics, and accident analysis. This is an indispensable resource for pilots, air traffic controllers, airplane maintenance personnel and anyone involved in flight safety.

Public Roads

750-005-00166-3DOT’s Federal Highway Administration (FHA) publishes this bimonthly magazine containing articles on highway research, engineering, safety, and surfacing. Public Roads keeps readers up-to-date on developments in Federal highway policies, programs, and technology. Subscriptions are available through GPO.

2016 Emergency Response Guidebook

050-000-00597-6This refreshed FHA publication is targeted to first responders called to clean up transportation-related hazardous material spills. It details procedures for handling such incidents as well as products and technology used in spill management. This guidebook helps incident responders, including transporters and emergency services personnel, to quickly identify spilled material and protect themselves and the public.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956

June 28, 2016
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (credit: Dwight Eisenhower Library)

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (credit: Dwight Eisenhower Library)

President Dwight Eisenhower’s signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law 60 years ago on June 29th had a profound change and impact on American life.  This act established the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (aka the Interstate Highway System), one of largest public works programs in U.S. history and an integral part of U.S. economy and culture. The act created 41,000 miles of highways and is credited for improving the transportation of goods and services, and giving birth to the commuter. The new roads allowed Americans to live farther away from the cities and provided easy access to commute from the suburbs to work.

public_roads_1The Federal-aid highway program began with the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, and many miles of highways and rural roads were built under this funding program through the 1930s. As the need for major interstate highways increased, a master plan for highway development was created in 1939 under President Franklin Roosevelt and was finally fulfilled with the passage of the 1956 Act, signed by President Eisenhower. The Act also created the Highway Trust Fund, which funds Federal-aid highway projects in partnership with state highway agencies.

The first construction project begun under the Act was for work on U.S. 40 (now the I-70 Mark Twain Expressway) in Missouri. Currently there are just under 47,000 miles of Interstate highways in the U.S., and new routes are developed by states to this day.

To celebrate this momentous day in transportation history, please enjoy the historical resources GPO provides:

  • The text of the 1956 bill, from the United States Statutes at Large, available via govinfo
  • 50th anniversary hearings before the House Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure,  June 27, 2006, available via govinfo
  • America’s Highways: 1776-1976, a book published by the Federal Highway Administration in 1976, documenting the history of the highway system, available via GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
  • Highway History, a website managed by the Federal Highway Administration, with informative articles and other historical resources, including a 50th anniversary commemorative webpage
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library’s Interstate Highway System collection, containing digitized documents from the Eisenhower presidential papers relating to the passage of the Act
  • Highway hearings, a promotional video created by Dow Chemical in an attempt to increase popular support for the Act

750-005-00164-7The Federal Highway Administration publishes a bimonthly magazine titled, “Public Roads Magazine.” It contains many articles relating to highway research, engineering, safety on the highways, surfacing, and other subjects in this field. Reading Public Roads is the easiest way to keep up-to-date on developments in Federal highway policies, programs, and research and technology. Learn more and subscribe, or read online.

We hope you will enjoy these interesting resources that capture the essence of this historic and influential event in U.S. history.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

In addition to clicking on the links in the article above to find the publications, you may find these publications from the following:

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

 Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Jennifer Lindley is a Technical Services Librarian in GPO’s Library Services & Content Management office.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

How to “SPOT” Trucks Carrying Hazardous Materials on Highways during Road Trips?

October 1, 2014
trucks

(Image compliments of dreamstime royalty free photos)

I travel to NJ by car frequently for long weekends. This past summer, I took a long road trip from Northern Virginia to New England.   This large span of highway took me close to ten hours in my personal vehicle without traffic delays or any traffic-related accidents.

On these trips I often encounter the now familiar visions of red brake/tail lights in front of me, and hear the screeching of brakes coming from somewhere around me and hope/pray that the other vehicle is not near me. Sometimes these massive slow-downs are a result of a car fire, a traffic accident with multiple vehicles, or bumper-to-bumper traffic due to people viewing a recent incident on the other side of the highway.

While I am sitting at a stand-still, I often wonder how the policeman that arrives while I am sitting in traffic know whom to call to clean the roadway to make it safe for others?   When we are allowed to move forward and get closer to the incident, we have all seen them – those responders, that are in their “special” suits and masks called in to deal with cleaning up this roadway mess, an image that may look similar to this one:

(Image compliments of US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration website)

(Image compliments of US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration website)

They often arrive after the incident has taken place. Aside from their sense of smell, how do they know what type of hazardous material is on the roadway? Are all chemical spills treated the same way?

According to the Department of Transportation (US DOT), Federal Highway Administration’s publication targeted at First Responders titled “Traffic Incident Management in Hazardous Materials: Spills in Incident Clearance”. The Federal Highway Administration’s mission is to “Keep America Moving”.

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) and spill management are two of the tools in the “resource toolbox” that focus on reducing congestion.

050-000-00596-8[1]The purpose of this document is to report practices regarding the clean-up of incidental spills and to explain the use of the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG). This document also describes techniques and strategies that can be used to handle hazardous material spills at traffic incidents.

Volume of Hazardous Material Shipments

(Image compliments of dreamstime-copyright-free images)

(Image compliments of dreamstime-copyright-free images)

Current research indicates that hazardous materials traffic in the U.S. now exceeds 800,000 shipments per day.   When you think about how many trucks you see while driving on the highways and airplanes flying overhead daily, that is an abundance of hazardous materials being transported!

The largest tank volume is the saddle tank (normally 70 gallons) on a semi-truck. Depending on the number of tanks on the truck, the maximum capacity for fuel for a commercial vehicle can be as much as 350 to 420 gallons!

Types of Hazardous Materials

(Image compliments of U.S. Department of Transportation website)

(Image compliments of U.S. Department of Transportation website)

Under the DOT’s Hazardous Materials Regulations notations included in this guide, (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) hazardous materials are categorized by analysis and experience into hazard classes and packing groups. Each shipper is required to classify a material according to these hazard classes and packing groups and communicate the material’s hazards. The shipper repetitively communicates the hazard through the use of package labels, shipping papers, and placards on transport vehicles.

The DOT has broad jurisdiction to regulate hazardous materials that are in transport, including the discretion to decide which materials shall be classified as “hazardous.” These materials are placed in one of nine (9) hazard classes based on their chemical and physical properties. Therefore, it’s important for response personnel to understand the hazard classes, their divisions, and reclassified materials so they can assess the situation and respond, accordingly.

Here is an image of a sampling of the types of placards that you may be able to recognize on trucks traveling the US highways with you:

(Images compliments of Wikipedia)

(Images compliments of Wikipedia)

You can find this Transportation Incident050-001-00345-7[2] Management in Hazardous Materials Spills in Incident Clearance print book available at the US Government Printing Office Overstock Sale here.

While supplies last, you can check out all the titles in our 50% Off Overstock collection here.

GPOVERSTOCK-SALE-BannerOur Overstock Sale includes an assortment of print and eBook titles discounted by 50% from the list price ranging in topical categories from military history …. to transportation …. to health resources ….. to childcare …… check out this clearance sale today!

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE PUBLICATIONS?

About the Author – This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication & Information Sales division  in Washington, DC.  Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution vendors such as Apple iBookstore, Google Play eBookstore, EBSCOhost, Overdrive, and more.

 

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Keeping Our Skies Safe, Part 2 of 2: Aviation safety rules and regulations

April 24, 2014

About this blog series: In this two-part blog post “Keeping Our Skies Safe”, we review the many processes and policies in place to regulate United States airspace and to protect air travelers, flight personnel and all sorts of aircraft flying U.S. skies. In “Keeping Our Skies Safe, Part 1 of 2: Aviation safety planning & response,” we covered the many aviation safety publications produced by the United States Federal Government, future plans to keep ahead of evolving flight safety issues, and U.S. emergency response.

In this post, “Keeping Our Skies Safe, Part 2 of 2: Aviation safety rules and regulations,” I wanted to go over some of the key U.S. regulations that govern the United States airspace including aircraft certifications, flight crew member certifications, pilot preparation, and airspace monitoring.

So, I began my search for information with the United States Code of Federal Regulations, commonly referred to as the CFR or CFRs, the codification or standardization of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by all the departments and agencies across the entire U.S. Federal Government. Each agency’s regulations are divided among the 50 volumes of the Code of Federal Regulations. For aviation safety, we must turn to the popular Title 14, Aeronautics and Space, which covers both the US Department of Transportation — Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations as well as those for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Where can you find the US standards for airplane maintenance—referred to as the “airworthiness standards”— as well as the certification procedures for both large and small aircraft parts and products, such as engines?

CFR-2014-PURPLECode of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Aeronautics and Space, Pt. 1-59, Revised as of January 1, 2014

Part 1-59 primarily covers the definitions and scope of the Federal Aviation Administration within the US Department of Transportation. The section specifically includes rulemaking as well as some nuts and bolts of our US air space, such as the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes and commuter category airplanes, manned air balloons, engines, and propellers, rotary aircraft and transport rotary aircraft, plus certification procedures for parts and products, noise standards, aircraft registration and identification markings, and more.

Where is the best place to search for U.S. regulations covering flying certification for pilots, as well as their medical standards and certifications required for them to be able to take a plane up into U.S. airspace?

Google Images- Photo image compliments of www.flyertalk.com

Google Images- Photo image compliments of http://www.flyertalk.com

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Aeronautics and Space, Pt. 60-109, Revised as of January 1, 2014

Part 60-109 covers more regulations relating to the Federal Aviation Administration within the US Department of Transportation. Specifically, this volume covers certification for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors, flight crew members other than pilots and certification for airmen other than flight crew members. This part also includes medical standards and certifications. Air space routes, special use air space, general operating and flight rules, as well as special air traffic rules and standard instrument procedures are also included in this volume.

How about the U.S. regulations about the flight crew including flight duty limitations and drug and alcohol testing?

Google Images- Photo image compliments of pilotlights.net

Google Images- Photo image compliments of pilotlights.net

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Aeronautics and Space, Pt. 110-199, Revised as of January 1, 2014

Parts 110-199 cover more regulations pertaining to the Federal Aviation Administration within the US Department of Transportation. The primary focus of this volume is the flight crew. It includes the following: General requirements, Flight duty limitations and rest requirements for flight crew members, drug and alcohol testing program. It also covers the operational requirements and certification for airplanes having a seating capacity of more than 20 passengers and covers the foreign operations and foreign operators of U.S. registered aircraft engage in common carriage. This volume also includes the operating requirements for commuter and on-demand operations and rules governing persons on board such aircraft. Pilot schools, training centers, aviation maintenance schools are also covered with regulations in this volume. Aviation insurance requirements and airport certification, property and noise compatibility planning are also covered in this volume.

Google images- Photo image compliments of flysfo.com

Google images- Photo image compliments of flysfo.com

Are there any U.S. regulations relating to tarmac delay data, domestic baggage liabilities and international cargo and passenger transportation?

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Aeronautics and Space, Pt. 200-1199, Revised as of January 1, 2014

Parts 200-399 covers items, such as: the scheduled air carrier and charter trips of the United Sates; terms, conditions, and limitations on foreign air carriers, charter trips and commuter air carriers. It also covers the reporting statistics of foreign air carriers in civilian scheduled charter and non-scheduled services.

This part also contains regulations relating to airline service quality reports, tarmac delay data, direct airport-to-airport mileage records, domestic baggage liabilities, interstate cargo operations air transportation and international cargo and passenger transportation. Foreign freight forwarders and foreign cooperative shippers associations are also included in this part.

Parts 400-1199 covers license applications, safety approvals, and some regulations for the commercial space transportation including definitions, scope, rulemaking, investigations, and enforcement.

Google Images-Photo image compliments of Hawaii.gov

Google Images-Photo image compliments of Hawaii.gov

These volumes may interest the general public concerned about requirements for US flight crew members, and aircraft, especially in light of the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 . Aviation specialists, especially pilots and flight crew members that need to be aware of the US regulations relating certifications, airport routes, to aviation and airspace within the United Sates will also want to be aware of these essential regulations.

An online version of these volumes of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) can be found for free on GPO’s Federal Digital System at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectionCfr.action?collectionCode=CFR or can be purchased through the US Government Bookstore at this link: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/CFR

How can I get these Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) publications ?

  • Shop Online Anytime: You can buy these print publications (with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide) from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore website at http://bookstore.gpo.gov:
  • Order by Phone: You may also order print editions by calling our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
  • Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
  • Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications or CGP.

About the Author – This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication & Information Sales division program office in Washington, DC.  Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution platforms and vendors such as Apple iBookstore, Google Play eBookstore, EBSCOhost, Overdrive, and more. Additionally, Maureen’s commercial publishing industry experience with publishing requirements, copyrights, product formats and content metadata and search optimization have helped Federal agencies publications be more discoverable through these consumer channels. A few examples of commercially popular Federal print books that were successfully migrated to digital include The Healthy Woman and The Basic Guide to Exporting.

 

 

1 Comment | Aviation, Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA), NASA, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Keeping Our Skies Safe, Part 1 of 2: Aviation safety planning and response

April 23, 2014

If you’re like me, hearing the speculation about the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 has created a number of questions in your mind about air safety in America and why the United States is taking an active role in this mystery.

malaysia-370In this two-part blog post “Keeping Our Skies Safe”, we review the many processes and policies in place to regulate United States airspace and to protect air travelers, flight personnel and all sorts of aircraft flying U.S. skies. In “Keeping Our Skies Safe, Part 1 of 2: Aviation safety planning & response,” we will cover the many aviation safety publications produced by the United States Federal Government, future plans to keep ahead of evolving flight safety issues, and U.S. emergency response.

“Keeping Our Skies Safe, Part 2 of 2: Aviation safety rules and regulations” will cover the many laws and regulations the United States has put in place to enforce these aviation best practices on everything from gliders and balloons to commercial jet airplanes.

Part 1 of 2: Aviation Safety Planning & Response

International and national aviation safety practices and adherence to them is one of the first places investigators look when reviewing an accident or disappearance of a plane such as is presumed to have happened with Flight 370. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA within the Department of Transportation is the Federal agency charged with the “continuing mission… to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.” The FAA produces a number of vital publications for the entire aviation industry with guidelines, research, analysis and best practices.

SAFETY BRIEFINGS

faa-safety-briefingThe FAA Safety Briefing magazine provides updates on major US Federal Aviation Administration rule changes and proposed changes, as well as refresher information on flight rules, maintenance airworthiness, avionics, accident analysis, and other topics. A must-have for pilots, air traffic controllers, airplane maintenance personnel and anyone involved in ensuring flying safely.

(6 issues per year. Subscription price covers issues for 1 year)

FAA Safety Briefing magazine is available on a subscription basis from the US Government Bookstore and can be found here to order print copies: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/750-002-00000-5?ctid=1736

FAA Safety Briefings individual issues can be found online here at US Federal Aviation Administration: http://www.faa.gov/

The Future of U.S. Air Travel?

What is the Federal Aviation Administration planning in order to deliver a better travel experience in the future with fewer delays and enhanced safety? How is the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration incorporating the passengers’ point of view when thinking about the future plans for the aviation experience? The answers are delivered in the Next Generation (aka “NextGen”) Plan for the FAA.

faa-next-genThe 2013 edition of the NextGen Plan serves as a roadmap of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) ongoing transition to NextGen and provides an overview of the benefits aircraft operators and passengers are receiving from recent NextGen improvements. NextGen is the shift to smarter, satellite-based and digital technologies and new procedures to make air travel more convenient, predictable and environmentally friendly.

Highlights of the Plan include the latest on metroplex initiatives, Performance Based Navigation growth, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast deployments, surface collaboration and plans for future benefits. The plan devotes an entire chapter to general aviation and recognizes the growing role of this important stakeholder. The outreach document provides FAA stakeholders — including the aviation community, Congress, government oversight entities and the general public — with the latest progress in the transformation of the National Airspace System.

NextGen offers a better travel experience, with fewer delays, more predictable trips and enhanced safety.People who live near airports may experience less aircraft noise and fewer emissions. NextGen will increase the predictability and reliability of airport operations, enhancing the role of airports as economic engines for the communities they serve. NextGen is vital to preserving aviation’s significant contributions to our national economy.

You can download the FREE ePub NextGen Implementation Plan available here: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/050-300-00005-6  or from the FAA agency website.

The U.S. Navy’s Role in Aviation Safety

us-navy-logo(Google Images –Photo image compliments of en.wikipedia.org)

The US Navy is very involved with the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370. What do our Navy personnel responsible for protecting American by use of the oceans know about recovery of “black boxes”?

An Underwater Ice Station Zebra: Recovering a KH-9 Hexagon Capsule From 16,400 Feet Below the Pacific Ocean: Selected Declassified CIA DocumentsOne reason why the US Navy may be involved with the tracking of the submersion of the Malaysia Flight 370” black box” may be attributed to their significant expertise in this area. In fact, the US Navy has been involved in deep sea recovery for decades. As you read the story of An Underwater Ice Station Zebra: Recovering a KH-9 Hexagon Capsule From 16,400 Feet Below the Pacific Ocean: Selected Declassified CIA Documents, you will learn that the U.S. Navy ‘s advanced method at deep submersible recovery began in 1972 with the Trieste II (DSV-1). Publicly called a “data package,” the object was actually part of a U.S. spy satellite, codenamed HEXAGON. Before today’s digital technology, photo reconnaissance satellites used film, which returned to Earth in capsules ejected from the satellite. The capsules, called “buckets,” reentered Earth’s atmosphere and deployed a parachute to slow their descent.

During the first HEXAGON mission in 1971, the parachute broke off causing the bucket to crash into the ocean. This release includes photos of the capsule on the ocean floor, pictures of the Trieste II (DSV-1), and an article recounting the deepest undersea salvage then attempted.

If you would like to read about the US Navy’s fascinating recovery of the HEXAGON, you can purchase this title at the US Government Bookstore at this link: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/041-015-00294-5

U.S. Emergency Response

When disaster strikes including transportation accidents, the US Federal Government often provides expertise to emergency responders. The U.S. has expanded its emergency response knowledge base and capacity since the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks on 9/11 and now has many bestselling titles available relating to Disaster / Emergency Response.

Emergency Response Guidebook 2012 available at http://bookstore.gpo.govThe official Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) is a guide for use by transporters, firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving a hazardous material, such as an oil or chemical spill. It is used by first responders in:

(1) quickly identifying the specific or generic classification of the material(s) involved in the incident, and

(2) protecting themselves and the general public during this initial response phase of the incident.

The ERG is updated every three to four years to accommodate new products and technology.

This title is available for purchase at the US Government Bookstore at this link: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/050-000-00596-8

U.S. Coast Guard Incident Management Handbook assists Coast Guard personnel in response to oil spills, search and rescue operations and other emergency situations on the water.

us-coast-guard-incident-handbookThe Coast Guard Incident Management Handbook (IMH) is designed to assist Coast Guard personnel in the use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) during multi-contingency response operations and planned events. The Incident Management Handbook is an easy reference job aid for responders. Also useful for other waterway rescue and police operations.Read the table of contents and purchase this title at this link on the US Government Bookstore: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/050-012-00465-0

This title is also available in a Spanish-language version,Manual Para el Manejo de Incidentes / Servicios de Guardacostas and can be purchased here: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/050-012-00473-1

Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief Handbook And finally, Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief (Handbook for JTF Commanders and Below) is a manual for personnel involved in a foreign disaster relief mission, including a search for a missing airplane.

A classified version exists only for certain military personnel, but the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) also released this unclassified version that can be used not only by members of the military, but also by anyone involved in U.S. foreign disaster response JTF (Joint Task Force) operations, including U.S. Government agencies, international organizations, Intergovernmental Organizations (IGO) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO).

This handbook covers the: legal authority and principles; operational context and planning factors; both supporting groups and supported foreign disaster relief organizations; and DOD guidelines for interaction with the U.S. Department of State and US Agency for International Development (US-AID) and NGOs and International Organizations such as the United Nations and International Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Read more about this information-packed handbook in our previous blog post: The U.S. military storms to the rescue in foreign disaster relief.”

How Can I get these aviation safety publications ?

  • Shop Online Anytime: You can buy these eBooks and print publications (with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide) from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore website at http://bookstore.gpo.gov:
  • Order by Phone: You may also order print editions by calling our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
  • Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
  • Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications or CGP.

About the Author – This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication & Information Sales division program office in Washington, DC.  Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution platforms and vendors such as Apple iBookstore, Google Play eBookstore, EBSCOhost, Overdrive, and more. Additionally, Maureen’s commercial publishing industry experience with publishing requirements, copyrights, product formats and content metadata and search optimization have helped Federal agencies publications be more discoverable through these consumer channels. A few examples of commercially popular Federal print books that were successfully migrated to digital include The Healthy Woman and The Basic Guide to Exporting.

1 Comment | Aviation, Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, Disasters, Emergency Response, Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA), Foreign Relations, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Federal Favorites: Our Best Selling Books of 2013

January 16, 2014

Ahhh…. It’s that time of the year again: Awards season! From the Golden Globes to the Academy Awards, red carpets abound with interviews of movie stars and other celebrities boasting about their best work during the past year.

We at the US Government Bookstore want to make sure our star publications and Federal agency publishers get their moment in the limelight, too. So, we are pleased to announce the winning publications that you, our readers, chose through your purchases over the past year: The US Government Bookstore Best Sellers of 2013!

Top-Government Books and Best-Sellers-of-2013 from the GPO US Government Online BookstoreHere are some of the more notable books, eBooks, posters and more that were winners in your eyes over the past year:

ART & TRAVEL

National Park System (Wall Map Poster)Americans love our national parks, so it’s no surprise the National Park System Wall Map Poster was a big hit.

Humanities-Magazine-2014-01Humanities is a bimonthly magazine published by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) which covers NEH sponsored research in the humanities and NEH programs and projects, as well as information on recent and upcoming NEH grants.

HISTORY

With the 150th anniversary and reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg last summer, The Gettysburg Campaign, June-July 1863 was a smash success (Read our post “Gettysburg, America’s Bloodiest Battle” for more information).

Perennial favorite Underground Railroad: Official Map and Guide (Read our post “The Underground Railroad Leaves its Tracks in History”) was joined by two publications commemorating 50th anniversaries:

Book Cover Image for Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012 (Paperback)Finally, the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the last official edition published in 2012 by the U.S. Census Bureau, contains a standardized summary of all official key statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States (Read our post: “Statistical Abstract and Print Mashups in a Digital Age”).

TREES & FORESTS

Book Cover Image for The Little AcornI won’t be going out on a limb to say that our customers definitely wanted to hug trees this year, as books about Trees & Forests topped the lists. Why Would Anyone Cut a Tree Down? and The Little Acorn are extremely popular books for children explaining about the uses and life cycle of trees.

Image for Timber Management Field BookHow to Prune Trees and How To Recognize Hazardous Defects in Trees for amateur and professional gardeners, landscapers and foresters alike, and the Timber Management Field Book serves as the most popular reference handbook for forestry professionals.

(Read our posts “Oh, say, can you tree? American Christmas tree traditions,” “Pruning Trees” and “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Inspires Kids to Hug a Tree” for more information on these titles.)

BUSINESS AND LAW

A Basic Guide to Exporting for Small & Medium-Sized Businesses (10th Revised)International business entrepreneurs and would-be exporters have made A Basic Guide to Exporting: The Official Government Resource for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses a best-seller every year (Read our posts: “Exporting Made Simple” and “Government eBooks Made Easy– and Sometimes Free” for more information).

Copyright Law of the United States in U.S. Code as of 12/2011Protecting intellectual property and privacy were extremely hot topics in 2013, making the Copyright Law of the United States and Related Laws and the Overview of the Privacy Act of 1974, 2012 Edition (extremely popular last year (Read our post: “The Privacy Act: What the Government Can Collect and Disclose about You” for more information).

TRANSPORTATION AND NAVIGATION

TAstronomical Almanac for the Year 2014 and Its Companion the Astronomical Almanahe latest versions of the annual best-selling Astronomical Almanac for the Year 2014 (Combined Print plus Online Edition) and The Nautical Almanac for the Year 2014 are critical tools to aid commercial and private navigation by both air or water (Read our post: “Navigating by the Moon, Planets, and Stars” for more information).

Specifically for maritime navigation, Navigation Rules, International-Inland contains the latest international regulations for preventing Book Cover Image for FAA Safety Briefingcollisions at sea as well as the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules which have been in effect for all inland waters, including the Great Lakes.

The FAA Safety Briefing magazine provides updates on major Federal Aviation Administration rule changes and proposed changes, as well as refresher information on flight rules, maintenance air worthiness, avionics, accident analysis, and other aviation topics.

CITIZENSHIP AND CIVICS

Preparing to become a United States citizen and reaffirming knowledge of the American system of Government is extremely popular with our customers, and this year was no exception. Top civics and citizenship publications for 2013 included the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence (Pocket Edition) and materials for preparing for the U.S. Naturalization Test to become a United States citizen—

(Read our posts: “Quiz and History for Bill of Rights Day December 15”, “Quiz: Are you smarter than an 8th grade Civics student?”, and “Notable Documents 2009: Civics Flash Cards” for more information on these products.)

Another patriotic publication that proved popular (Do you like the alliteration?:-) was Our Flag, which briefly describes the history of the American flag and sets forth the practices and observances appropriate to the display of Old Glory, was a top-seller.Book Cover Image for How Our Laws Are Made

The Congressional book, How Our Laws Are Made, provides citizens with a basic outline of the numerous steps of our Federal law-making process from the source of an idea for a legislative proposal through to its publication as a statute and becoming the “law of the land”.

HEALTH

Watching our weight and eating better were definitely on the minds of Americans this year as Diet & Nutrition books and posters were best sellers, including:

Book Cover Image for Special Operations Forces Medical HandbookHealthcare professionals turned often to the U.S. Government Bookstore for Physician References & Medical Handbooks, Medical & Health Research, and Military & Emergency Medicine publications in 2013. Top on the list were copies of the new Healthcare Law, as well as the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook.

But also important were publications used to improve the quality of healthcare research and patient care and safety. These included the ORI: Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research  (also available in Packages of 50) which provides guidelines for Public Health Service-funded researchers, as well as the TeamSTEPPS patient care and safety training materials for healthcare personnel, such as the TeamSTEPPS Instructor Guide (Binder Kit) and TeamSTEPPS Pocket Guide that should be handed out to all healthcare personnel who attend TeamSTEPPS training.

SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Emergency management personnel and first responders responded strongly to the many great safety and emergency response publications on the U.S. Government Bookstore.  These books and pocket guides topped their “must have” list in 2013:

Specifically for dealing with Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear-Explosive (CBRNE) incidents, clean-up and response were these best-selling guides:

The importance of radio communications was underscored by the popularity of the United States Frequency Allocations: The Radio Spectrum Chart (Poster) of all assigned frequencies and the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide which contains radio guidelines for establishing or repairing emergency communications in a disaster area.

GOVERNMENT

Every year, the publications containing the President’s proposed Federal Budget for the upcoming fiscal year are on our best sellers list, and the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget publications followed this tradition. (Note: Stay tuned! The new Fiscal Year 2015 Budget publications will be coming out soon from the White House).

United States Government Manual 2013 lists all federal agenciesThe U.S. Government Manual, the ultimate handbook of all Federal agencies, was a hit as it is every year. Now you can get the new edition: United States Government Manual 2013 (Read about it on our Blog post:  “Understand How the U.S. Government is Organized”).

Other “Best of the Best” Government titles include:

How can I get these “Best-selling Books of 2013”?

  • Shop Online: You can purchase these publications from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov by clicking on the individual links above in this blog post. You may also click here to shop our entire “Best Sellers of 2013” collection.
  • Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
  • Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
  • Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for one of these publications in a nearby Federal depository library.

About the Author: Government Book Talk Editor Michele Bartram is also Promotions and Ecommerce Manager for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales Division in Washington, DC, and is responsible for online and offline marketing of the US Government Online Bookstore (http://bookstore.gpo.gov) and promoting Federal government content to the public. Assistance provided by Stephanie Jaeger, Sales & Marketing Coordinator for GPO’s Sales & Marketing Division that markets GPO’s publishing services to the Federal sector.

8 Comments | African Americans, Agriculture, Aviation, Award Winning Books, Business, CBRN Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear, Census Bureau, Center of Military History, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Children, Civics and Citizenship, Civil War, Cold War, Commission report, Congress, Consumers, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Interior, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Digital Publishing, Disasters, Emergency Response, Executive Branch, Family, Federal Budget, FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency, Foreign Relations, Gifts, Government Accountability Office (GAO), Health care, Hispanics, House of Representatives, Innovation, International, Judicial Branch, Law Enforcement, Legal Analysis, Legislative Branch, Libraries, Military History, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Park Service, Notable Government Documents, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Office of the Federal Register, Office of Women's Health, Parenting, Presidential Commissions, Presidents, Teachers and teaching, Terrorism, The White House, Travel and Tourism, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Constitution, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. History | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michele Bartram, U.S. Government Online Bookstore

Understand How the U.S. Government is Organized

January 13, 2014

The United States Government Manual 2013

United States US Government Manual 2013 ISBN: 9780160919510 Available from http://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/069-000-00216-1?ctid=38The Government Manual is an essential guide to the United States Federal Government, where one can find the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and information on every U.S. Government agency. This official handbook on the Federal Government is published annually by the National Archives and Record Administration’s Office of the Federal Register.

Two years ago, Government Book Talk featured the Government Manual with the post “Browsing the Government Manual”. Here, we will take another look at this ultimate resource on the U.S. Government.

The 2013 Government Manual begins with the country’s founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and then goes on to profile each agency, quasi-official agency, international organization in which the United States participates, board, commission, and committee found in the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches of the U.S. Government. The profiles include:

  • Organizational charts
  • List of principal officials
  • Summary statement of the agency’s purpose and role in the Federal Government
  • Brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority
  • Description of its programs and activities
  • Information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and contact information.

This organizational structure is beneficial for large executive branch agencies that have several departments each with their own mission and function.  For example, 20 pages of the manual are devoted to the nearly 40 different divisions, offices, and bureaus that make up the Department of Justice, which seems complex but pales in comparison to the Department of Defense and its behemoth structure.

The Government Manual concludes with the History of Agency Organization Structures. This section of the manual is arguably the highlight of this publication, as it provides a history of the lifetime and timeline of each agency as the U.S. Government grows with the country. For example, the Bureau of Immigration was created in 1891 as a branch of the Department of Treasury and cycled through to the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, and finally, after losing its name but keeping its functions, landed in the newly established Department of Homeland Security in 2002.

The Government Manual is not only a great resource on the United States Federal government and its functions, but also a goldmine of new information and interesting facts that are not commonly known about the U.S. Government and the country’s history.  So, if you would like  to understand how the U.S. Government is organized, then this is the book for you!

How can I get a copy of “The United States Government Manual 2013”?

About the Author: Our guest blogger is Emma Wojtowicz, Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Office of Public Affairs. Additional content provided by Stephanie Jaeger, Sales & Marketing Coordinator for GPO’s Sales & Marketing Division and is responsible for marketing GPO’s publishing services to the Federal sector.

10 Comments | African Americans, Congress, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of the Interior, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Executive Branch, Government Printing Office (GPO), Judicial Branch, Legislative Branch, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of State | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Stephanie Jaeger, U.S. Government Printing Office

Help is Just a Call, Click or Page Away: Federal Disaster Helplines & Emergency Medical Resources

April 19, 2013

Sadly, most adults in this country can remember some disaster or tragedy that’s happened to them or one of their loved ones in recent history. Most people in my office have their own exit strategy story from 9/11.  We all remember how we tried to cope, and we feel deep sympathy for fellow citizens in similar situations.

After the horrific events at the Boston Marathon and the Texas fertilizer factory explosion this past week, many Americans are again in the unfortunate position of needing assistance in the face of life-changing events. Your Federal government is here to help both the injured citizens and the local medical personnel who rush to their aid, both during and after the disaster occurs.Complementary Federal and local disaster response

Image credit: Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Emergency Preparedness  

I. Federal Disaster Resources for Civilians

The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is, in the words of their own staff,

“…the first 24/7, year-round national crisis hotline exclusively dedicated to providing free, immediate and confidential crisis counseling and support to people in distress related to any natural or man-made disaster, such as the explosions in Boston. We offer this counseling 24/7/365 through phone (1-800-985-5990) and through SMS/text messaging (text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746) – and DDH is for those affected, family member and loved ones, as well as for responders.”

SAMHSA-Disaster-Distress-Helpline

Operated by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Disaster Distress Helpline’s Web page www.disasterdistress.samhsa.gov also has a section devoted to incidents of mass violence.

If you are suffering from trauma related to the Boston Marathon attack, or similar events, reach out to the Disaster Distress Helpline. Get help, get some shelter. You’re going to wake up tomorrow, and the day after that. Make your day bearable; as Malcolm X said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

Additional Federal disaster and emergency resources for civilians include:

GPO is helping in its own way; you can find the catalog record about the Disaster Distress Hotline in GPO’s Catalog of Government Publications or your local federal depository library.

II. Federal Disaster Resources for First Responders and Civilian Medical Personnel

With the tragic terrorist bombings in Boston,  fertilizer factory explosion in Texas, mass shootings in Sandy Hook, and other recent disasters, medical personnel, civilian first responders and mental health personnel have had to learn to deal with injuries both physical and mental that are usually only experienced on the battlefield.

With the experience gained in treating the wounded and traumatized in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and mass violence and disasters in the US, the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Transportation–

including FEMA, US Fire Administration, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, US Special Operations Command, and particularly the Army’s Office of the Surgeon General, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, USAMRIID- US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, and the Borden Institute

— have produced a number of outstanding resources and publications which are of extreme value to emergency medical personnel, including EMTs and surgeons, mental health counselors, fire and rescue personnel, and first responders of all kinds.

[UPDATE 4/30/2013] One great resource for first responders is the Public Health Emergency website maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services. This is meant to be a one-stop resource for all of the federal medical resources and information for emergency response. The military version, the Department of Defense Force Health Protection and Readiness National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Page, is here.

[UPDATE 4/26/2013] One of the best resources we have seen was provided by one of our readers, a Regional Emergency Coordinator with the Department of Health and Human Services. It is a one-stop site for all emergency medical resources called the WMD, Emergency Management, and Medical Web Sites List. The author says it is updated every six months to keep it accurate, and it “is intended to provide an extremely “comprehensive list of internet sites of use for emergency planning and in particular Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and medical emergency planning.”

boston-marathon-emergency-medical-responseImage: First responders at the Boston Marathon bombings, including fire and rescue and emergency medical personnel. Image credit: EMSWorld

All of these Federal publications below can help civilian emergency response and medical personnel quickly learn from these Federal and military experts on how to respond to disasters and how to treat gunshot and blast wounds (such as from bombs and IEDs), amputations, and other combat-style injuries both in the field as well as the rehabilitation and psychological factors afterwards, including post-traumatic stress.

Some of the more pertinent disaster response and treatment publications that can be found on the U.S. Government Bookstore include:

About the Authors

Part I: Excerpted from a post on the FDLP Community Blog on April 18, 2013, by guest blogger Jennifer Davis from GPO’s Library Services & Content Management Division that supports the Federal Depository Libraries Program (FDLP) who wrote about the Disaster Distress Helpline.

Part II: Government Book Talk Editor Michele Bartram writes about the disaster and emergency response publications that can help civilian personnel respond to disasters with combat-style injuries. Ms. Bartram is Promotions Manager for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales Division in Washington, DC, and is responsible for online and offline marketing of the US Government Online Bookstore (http://bookstore.gpo.gov) and promoting Federal government content to the public.

14 Comments | Afghanistan, Catalog of Government Publications (CGP), Department of Defense, Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Disasters, Emergency Response, Health care, Iraq, Terrorism, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Medical Department, Walter Reed Army Medical Center | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michele Bartram, U.S. Government Online Bookstore

Go-to Guide on Hazardous Materials for First Responders

November 2, 2012

After my electrical power was restored late last night in northern Virginia following Hurricane or Superstorm #Sandy, I was caught up with images of the devastation that has affected millions from the Caribbean up the East Coast and even to the Midwest of the United States. Even the first floor of my house where I used to live in New Jersey on the Hudson River across from Manhattan was flooded. (Our best wishes go out to everyone affected by the storm!)

As in so many emergencies, the heroes of Superstorm #Sandy are definitely the first responders from firemen, police, National Guard, and emergency medical personnel  who rushed to deal with emergency situations even while the storm was at its height. These first responders have to rush into extremely hazardous conditions, often with live power lines, broken gas lines, or work around sewage, spilled chemicals, or other pollutants, such as is happening in Hoboken, all while trying to save lives.

IMAGE: Hazmat personnel (at back in yellow) test contaminated water around half-submerged cars float in a flooded parking lot in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York City. (Credit: Justin Lane/EPA)

Published by the experts at Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in conjunction with Transport Canada, the Emergency Response Guidebook 2012 is the newly updated guide for use by transporters, firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving a hazardous material or “Hazmat” as it is usually referred to in the United States.

The Emergency Response Guidebook 2012, or ERG as it is known popularly to those who use it, provides first responders with a go-to manual to help deal with hazmat accidents during the critical first 30 minutes. PHMSA’s goal is to place one of these ERGs into every emergency service vehicle nationwide.

While the subtitle is: “A Guidebook for First Responders During the Initial Phase of a Dangerous Goods/Hazardous Materials Transportation Incident,”  it can be used during any emergency incident where hazardous materials are present.

The Guidebook is organized to provide first responders individual pages or guides on how to deal with each kind of hazardous material. It recommends a three-step process:

  •  STEP ONE: Identify the HAZARDOUS MATERIAL by finding either the Name of the Material or the Identification Number (4-DIGIT ID after UN/NA) of the material from a placard or orange panel on the container or from the shipping paper or package.
  • STEP TWO: Identify the 3-digit GUIDE NUMBER in this guidebook that corresponds to the material name or number.
  • STEP THREE: Follow the GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS carefully on the corresponding orange-bordered numbered guide page.

IMAGE: Fully-suited hazardous materials first responders at a chemical spill drill.  The 4-digit Hazardous Material Identification Number 2880 is clearly shown on a placard on the tanker. Credit Guy McCarthy

How to use the ERG 2012

Here is the cross-reference to the Guide number to follow for the above hazardous material # 2880, which we find is Calcium hypochlorite, corresponding to Guide number 140 in the ERG.

IMAGE: Cross-reference for hazardous material ID number to the ERG Guide number.

Looking up Guide number 140, we find that water is to be used to deal with this particular material, not dry chemicals or foams such as from fire extinguishers. Each Guide page also discusses how to handle small or large fires of this material, fires involving whole tanks for trailer loads, spills or leaks of this material, and first aid for anyone injured by this substance.

The ERG 2012 also provides guidance for responding when the hazardous material is unknown, with a Table of Placards and Emergency Response Guide to Use On-Scene.

Whom do the first responders call?

Since first responders can’t have the answers to every time of hazardous material incident, the guide provides a list of toll-free, 24-hour emergency response hotlines to call for the United States and U.S. Virgin Islands, and numbers to call for incidents involving military shipments with explosives, ammunition or other dangerous goods, as well as CBRN (Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear) incidents and terrorist or criminal incidents involving IEDs (improvised explosive devices), pipe bombs, car bombs, suicide vests and more . It also includes numbers for all provinces in  Canada, including bilingual French-English phone numbers, and hotline numbers for Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

And finally, a terrific glossary of terms helps decipher some of the jargon.

Firemen, bomb squads, CBRN teams, police, emergency medical personnel, military police and other first responders  have a hard enough job to do without risking their lives dealing with broken pipelines, overturned tankers, bombs, spills, and other hazardous materials. Fortunately the Department of Transportation provides this excellent tool to help keep them—and us—safer. That’s something we can all respond to.

HOW DO I OBTAIN “Emergency Response Guidebook 2012”?

  • Buy a print copy online 24/7 at GPO’s Online Bookstore. NOTE: Save 60% off the original price of $28. Now only $10.
  • Buy it at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday-Friday, 9am to 4pm, except Federal holidays, (202) 512-0132.

Find this and other books for Emergency Management and First Responders under the Security, Defense & Law Enforcement category on our new online bookstore.

About the Author:  Michele Bartram is Promotions Manager for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales Division in Washington, DC, and is responsible for online and offline marketing of the US Government Online Bookstore (http://bookstore.gpo.gov) and promoting Federal government content to the public.

6 Comments | CBRN Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Nuclear, Department of Transportation, Emergency Response, Nuclear, Terrorism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michele Bartram, U.S. Government Online Bookstore

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