Roy Deitchman, CIH, a member of the Potomac Section of AIHA, recently took part in a full-scale emergency responder exercise for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The exercise, which took place on Aug. 27, was conducted by the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and was intended to help prepare regional first responders to evacuate Metro passengers in the event of an emergency, such as smoke in the tunnels. Deitchman and 27 other volunteers occupied the eight-car train during the exercise. The volunteers were tasked with acting as passengers on the train at the time of an emergency; some were given scripted medical emergencies to act out such as broken limbs, heart conditions, and general anxiety.

“A commercial fluid was used to make ‘theatrical’ smoke during the exercise,” Deitchman recalls. “We waited on the dark train for about 60 minutes while the third rail was de-energized and additional safety precautions were put into the place before the fire department responded.

“It was an interesting and productive learning drill,” he says.

The Potomac Section encourages all AIHA Local Sections to become members of their local emergency planning councils to support their communities. In June, the team launched a new feature to accompany e-newsletter: the Newswire newsfeed. The Newswire newsfeed is a resource that members can check throughout the week to keep up with media organizations’ reporting on IH- and OHS-related topics. e-newsletter, which is delivered to AIHA members’ inboxes every Friday, will continue, but now members don’t have to wait until Friday to stay up to date on the latest news.

Check out and bookmark the newsfeed on AIHA’s and about the Newswire e-newsletter.

To ensure that they receive and other important email communications from AIHA, members should whitelist the email address in their email program or add it to their "safe senders" list.

Please send feedback and questions to . AIHA is seeking nominations for four Board of Directors positions that will be vacated in May 2018: vice president, secretary-elect, and two at-large director positions. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 3, 2017. are available for all positions.

AIHA requests nominations for the 2018 Fellow and AIHA named awards. The deadline for AIHA awards nominations is Dec. 5, and the deadline for AIHA Fellows nominations is Dec. 31. More information on AIHA awards and honors, including nomination forms, is available . Please about AIHA awards. AIHA’s is IH and OEHS consulting professionals’ link to building a larger network. The features an online layout and search function that allows consumers searching for an IH or OEHS consultant to quickly and easily find the expert they need in their zip code. Every year, AIHA distributes the nationwide to thousands of decision makers in a variety of industries, including legal, real estate, trade associations, academia, healthcare, and agencies at all levels of government. Federal agencies such as EPA, FEMA, and OSHA regularly refer consumer inquiries to consultants listed in AIHA’s for assistance.

For one price, consultants can display their company logo in both the online and the print version. The deadline to submit order forms for next year's printed is Nov. 27, 2017. To learn more or download the form, visit . Please contact Wanda Barbour or (703) 846-0782 with questions. , president-elect of the Oklahoma Section of AIHA, will serve as the new chair of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. “This well-deserved appointment is a source of great pride to OKAIHA members and to all safety and health professionals in Oklahoma,” said OKAIHA President Jorge A. Delucca, MS, MA, CAIH.

, MS, CIH, was recently appointed as the senior risk control manager of Hillmann Consulting, LLC’s Risk Management and Loss Control Division. Kapp has more than 25 years of experience in industrial hygiene and insurance risk control and previously served as president of the New Jersey Section of AIHA. Longtime AIHA member and volunteer , CIH, passed away on Sept. 5, 2017, following a battle with breast cancer. She was 56. Pearce worked as a senior fire protection engineer at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for the past six years. She previously worked as an industrial hygienist for the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards, Occupational Safety and Health Program. Pearce also served as the staff liaison for NFPA 350, ; as chair of AIHA’s Confined Spaces Committee; and in a variety of other roles. Her obituary is available . On Sept. 3, 2017, AIHA signed on to the Singapore Accord, a commitment to improving the capabilities of occupational health and safety professionals and practitioners so they may more effectively guide and lead the creation of healthier and safer workplaces. The full list of signatories is available . View a photo of the Singapore Accord certificate on AIHA’s . The 2018 will be mailed together with the November issue of . Keep the handy for easy access to information on products and services that you need in your daily work. The is also available . in Tampa, Fla. in Tampa, Fla. Deadline to submit 2018 .

Deadline to submit 2018 . Deadline to submit 2018 . in Philadelphia, Pa. in Washington, D.C. For a complete list of events, visit the AIHA .