IAMU will hold a Trenching and Shoring Competent Person Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 21 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex.

OSHA requires a competent person be onsite at every excavation. The competent person is required to evaluate site safety and resolve existing and potential hazards. 

This workshop is designed for city and utility employees and outside contractors employed by a city, or anyone working in a trenching and shoring situation.  It is an excellent opportunity to become qualified as a competent person (or stay current with the responsibilities).

The DNR has approved 0.6 CEUs for WD and WW only.

The training received will cover the overall requirements of the law, including:

• Employee Safety
• Dealing with traffic
• Soil identification
• Emergency equipment
• Determining if shoring is needed
• Proper methods of trenching and shoring

Contact the contractors that work for your city/utility and encourage them to register and attend. For more information or to register, click here.

The 8th Annual IAMU Municipal Broadband Conference is scheduled for March 13 and 14 at the Holiday Inn & Suites – Des Moines-Northwest, 4800 Merle Hay Road. The annual event is filled with educational workshop sessions and networking opportunities.

NEW FOR 2019: The Customer Service Boot Camp – Pivot Group will conduct a day-long Customer Service Boot Camp for all customer contact personnel on March 13.

For more information about the event or to register, click here.

IAMU will be offering a Gas “Boot Camp” Operator Qualification Training Workshop April 1st-5th, 2019 at the IAMU Training & Office Complex.

This workshop is designed to give personnel new to the natural gas industry all of the basic fundamentals needed to aid in the day-to-day operations as well as the ability to perform certain "On-Call" tasks.

In addition, any office personnel who may receive a report of a natural gas leak (Dispatch personnel) should attend to obtain all the qualifications that are needed to perform their duties.

This workshop is also beneficial to natural gas operators who are looking to gain additional training, re-qualify on tasks offered, as well as providing a great opportunity to network with other operators from around the State addressing problems, concerns, techniques, etc.

Click here to register, and for additional information.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend the March 19 session of "The Bottom Line on Industrial Stormwater."  This workshop is a repeat of the one held in November 2018.  There was so much demand that not all the interested attendees could be accommodated.  If you missed the November workshop, now is your chance to register.

Industrial and commercial facilities with "stormwater discharge associated with industrial activity" are required to obtain permits, typically known as General Permits #1 and #3. This training opportunity has been developed to help those facilities understand their permitting requirements, develop pollution prevention plans, and implement best management practices with the goal of staying in compliance.
The workshop, scheduled for March 19, 2019, is presented by the Iowa Stormwater Education Partnership (ISWEP) (www.iowastormwater.org) and co-sponsored by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Who should attend?:  Company managers, site supervisors, environmental managers and staff, consultants, contractors, and others.  Presentations will feature experts on industrial stormwater permitting and compliance, including:

• Patti Cale-Finnegan (ISWEP):  "Why are you here?  Basics of industrial stormwater permitting"
• Joe Griffin, Iowa DNR:  "What is the IDNR process and implementation expectations?"
• Rebecca Svatos, Stanley Consultants:  "How to implement stormwater pollution prevention plans"
• Alison Manz, Iowa DNR Field Office 4:  "How to comply with your permit and keep DNR and the public happy"
• Allison Sambol, Felsburg, Holt, and Ullevig:  "Keeping it clean - best management practices to control runoff"
• Chuck Corell, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers North Americ

Registration information is online at: http://iowastormwater.org/event/the-bottom-line-on-industrial-stormwater/?event_date=2019-03-19. 

For questions or more information, contact Patti Cale-Finnegan, patticf59@gmail.com or 515-490-4684.

Amanda Hickman has joined the IAMU staff as a Regional Safety Coordinator and will be working on the new Northwest Iowa Safety Group (NWISG) contract. Amanda has a background in health, environment, and safety. Her most recent previous position was as a DOT & Safety Coordinator in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. With her background and personality, she is an ideal fit for IAMU and the cities of the NWISG. NWISG consists of Sioux Center, Sheldon, Orange City, Rock Rapids, Inwood, Akron, Hinton, and Remsen. The cities in the Northwest Iowa region will be her daily reporting locations, but other members may see her from time to time in the IAMU office for meetings.

The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) is aware of several vulnerabilities affecting Kunbus PR100088 Modbus industrial gateways running software versions prior to Release R02 (1.1.13166). These vulnerabilities could allow attackers to gain full control of vulnerable devices, create a denial-of-service condition, and/or perform other actions.
 
NCCIC has published ICS Advisory ICSA-19-036-05: Kunbus PR100088 Modbus Gateway (TLP:WHITE). To read the advisory, go to  https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-19-036-05  
 
For questions about physical security, cybersecurity, emergency planning, training or exercise development or facilitation, contact Russell Saffell, IAMU Director of Member Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection, at rsaffell@iamu.org or by phone at (515) 289-1999.
 
For more resources related to security and preparedness, visit www.iamu.org/security.

Consider attending the Advanced Water Workshops
 
Certified water and wastewater operator certificates expire every two years on June 30th of odd-numbered years. Applications for renewal are mailed to operators 60 days before the expiration date.
 
To be eligible for renewal, operators must have earned the required number of Continuing Education training Units (CEUs) during two-year periods ending March 31 of odd-numbered years.
 
You can view your CEUs at: 
https://programs.iowadnr.gov/opcertweb/pages/opmenu.aspx              
 
If you still need CEUs, check out the Advanced Water Workshops scheduled for March 6 and 7. Each workshop is worth 0.5 CEUs. Come for one or both days.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Program has seven openings this coming summer for a free tree inventory and management plan for communities under 5,000 in population. 

These inventories and plans are focused on locating tree management needs (removal, pruning, and planting suggestions) and preparing for and managing invasive pests, such as Emerald Ash Borer.

To get on the tree inventory list, please contact Emma Hanigan, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator, at 515.249.1732 or emma.hanigan@dnr.iowa.gov.

For more information about the program, visit www.iowadnr.gov/urbanforestry.