Emergency Preparedness Monthly

Table of Contents

• Training

• Research

• New Resources

Center for Public Health Preparedness
• Home
• Partnerships

• Programs and training

• Research projects

• Publications

• TRAINING: Leadership for State and Local Preparedness, June 21st, 2005, Augusta, ME

• NEW: Rural Preparedness Conference Proceedings and Recommendations

• Links

• Hazmat Treatment Protocols

• Key contacts in a disaster

• Center staff

• Contact information

logo
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Emergency Preparedness Monthly! The Maine Emergency Preparedness Coordinating Committee, the Maine Bureau of Health Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness have partnered to bring you regular updates on emergency preparedness news and activities in Maine and beyond. This free monthly newsletter is designed to be a resource for a regional audience of public health, healthcare, public safety, and emergency response practitioners throughout Maine, as well as state and local leaders interested in protecting the public's health. It includes a digest of select news stories and commentaries, links to relevant resources, and a listing of upcoming preparedness-related trainings and events. The goal of this publication is to provide a central forum for disseminating useful, current, and succinct preparedness information to busy professionals. We welcome your comments and suggestions, and can be reached by contacting epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu.

Training

Maine Emergency Management Hospital Training
This two day class is designed to give participants the knowledge to successfully pass an exam covering the Hazardous Materials Operations Level training, so that they can safely respond to persons exposed to chemical, biological, radiological materials that arrive at the hospital Emergency Department. Download: course description (PDF).

Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor; May 12-13, 2005
St. Mary's Hospital, Lewiston; May 19+24, 2005
Maine General, Augusta; May 23-24, 2005

Preparedness in Leadership Training
This one-day training teaches the "how to" pragmatics of "connectivity," defined as a "seamless web of people, organizations, resources, and information that can best catch, contain and control a terrorist incident." Participants will learn methods to improve system capacity, including multi-dimensional problem solving, and will introduce a new and original approach to the preparedness leadership process, "Meta-Leadership." Visit www.mcph.org for further information and registration.

June 21, 2005 Maine Principals' Association, Augusta

ICS 100 Incident Command Basics Online Course (EMI)
The Incident Command System (ICS) is recognized as an effective system for managing emergencies. Several states have adopted ICS as their standard for emergency management, and others are considering adopting ICS. As ICS gains wider use, there is a need to provide training for those who are not first responders (i.e., law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical services personnel) who may be called upon to function in an ICS environment. This Basic Incident Command System (ICS) Course will begin to meet that need. The course has been developed as self-instruction but can also be delivered, with the use of an instructor, in a classroom. The course includes a large number of scenarios, examples, and opportunities for students to apply what they have learned. Visit online course.

Basic Preparedness Lecture Presented by Dr. Howard Koh
This webcast features Dr. Howard Koh, MD, MPH (Director of the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness) and provides the audience with a 45 minute overview of emergency preparedness.

View webcast held February 17, 2005.

HSPH webcasts require a recent version of Real Player installed on your computer and for best results a broadband connection to the internet.

Online Training of the Month
This curriculum (provided by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice) is divided into six major sections: Introduction to Bioterrorism, Emergency Response Planning, Diseases of Bioterrorist Potential, Health Surveillance and Epidemiologic Investigation, Consequence Management, and Communications and Informatics. Download: powerpoint slides and audio presentation.

Research

"Killer Flu", by Michael Specter (The New Yorker, February 28, 2005)
"Travel, transportation, trade, pollution, and ecological disruption all play a role in assuring constant flow of disease from one part of the world to another". This article combines compelling anecdotes and epidemiological data to illustrate the potential impact of an avian influenza pandemic [on human health].

"Emergency Medical Services: The Forgotten First Responder", (New York University Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response, March 2005)
"This report identifies critical deficits in the role and organization of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in homeland security preparedness and provides recommendations to improve the ability of EMS to respond to a terrorist attack."

"If Smallpox Strikes Portland...", by C.L. Barrett, S.G. Eubank & J.P. Smith (Scientific American, March 2005)
"Epidemiological simulations provide virtual laboratories where health officials can test the effectiveness of different responses in advance of disease outbreaks. Modeling the movements of every individual in a large population produces a dynamic picture of the social network - the same network of contacts used by infectious diseases to spread among human hosts. Knowing the paths a disease could take through society enables officials to alter the social network through measures such as school closings and quarantines or by targeting individuals for medical treatments."

New Resources

Preparing for Public Health Emergencies: Meeting the Challenges in Rural America presents information and recommendations resulting from a conference that was held in St. Paul, MN, Sept. 27 - 28, 2004. The session brought together more than 80 public health preparedness leaders from multiple states to identify important yet unique barriers facing rural public health preparedness and the strategies to overcome those barriers.The report presents recommendations based on the unique preparedness concerns facing rural America.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Lessons Learned and Progress Made Since 2001
Authors: Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health
Format: CD-ROM, webcast

Maine Bureau of Health Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness All Hazard Incident Gloassary
This comprehensive incident glossary provides preparedness personnel with valuable information and explanations of preparedness related terms.

If your agency/organization is sponsoring an upcoming event related to emergency preparedness that you would like listed in a future issue of Emergency Preparedness Monthly, please send an email to epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu with "event" in the subject line, and your name, title, organization/agency, contact information, and event details in the body of the message. (Note that publication of events is subject to approval by the Emergency Preparedness Monthly editorial staff.)

If this newsletter was forwarded to you by a colleague and you would like to subscribe, please send an email to epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu with your name, title, organization/agency, and email address in the body of the message. We urge you to sign up for this exciting new resource available to our Maine partners.

To unsubscribe, send an email to epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.


			Table of Contents • Training • Research • New Resources Center for Public Health Preparedness • Home • Partnerships • Programs and training • Research projects • Publications • TRAINING: Leadership for State and Local Preparedness, June 21st, 2005, Augusta, ME • NEW: Rural Preparedness Conference Proceedings and Recommendations • Links • Hazmat Treatment Protocols • Key contacts in a disaster • Center staff • Contact information						Welcome to the inaugural issue of Emergency Preparedness Monthly! The Maine Emergency Preparedness Coordinating Committee, the Maine Bureau of Health Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness have partnered to bring you regular updates on emergency preparedness news and activities in Maine and beyond. This free monthly newsletter is designed to be a resource for a regional audience of public health, healthcare, public safety, and emergency response practitioners throughout Maine, as well as state and local leaders interested in protecting the public's health. It includes a digest of select news stories and commentaries, links to relevant resources, and a listing of upcoming preparedness-related trainings and events. The goal of this publication is to provide a central forum for disseminating useful, current, and succinct preparedness information to busy professionals. We welcome your comments and suggestions, and can be reached by contacting epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu. Training Maine Emergency Management Hospital Training This two day class is designed to give participants the knowledge to successfully pass an exam covering the Hazardous Materials Operations Level training, so that they can safely respond to persons exposed to chemical, biological, radiological materials that arrive at the hospital Emergency Department. Download: course description (PDF). Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor; May 12-13, 2005 St. Mary's Hospital, Lewiston; May 19+24, 2005 Maine General, Augusta; May 23-24, 2005 Preparedness in Leadership Training This one-day training teaches the "how to" pragmatics of "connectivity," defined as a "seamless web of people, organizations, resources, and information that can best catch, contain and control a terrorist incident." Participants will learn methods to improve system capacity, including multi-dimensional problem solving, and will introduce a new and original approach to the preparedness leadership process, "Meta-Leadership." Visit www.mcph.org for further information and registration. June 21, 2005 Maine Principals' Association, Augusta ICS 100 Incident Command Basics Online Course (EMI) The Incident Command System (ICS) is recognized as an effective system for managing emergencies. Several states have adopted ICS as their standard for emergency management, and others are considering adopting ICS. As ICS gains wider use, there is a need to provide training for those who are not first responders (i.e., law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical services personnel) who may be called upon to function in an ICS environment. This Basic Incident Command System (ICS) Course will begin to meet that need. The course has been developed as self-instruction but can also be delivered, with the use of an instructor, in a classroom. The course includes a large number of scenarios, examples, and opportunities for students to apply what they have learned. Visit online course. Basic Preparedness Lecture Presented by Dr. Howard Koh This webcast features Dr. Howard Koh, MD, MPH (Director of the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness) and provides the audience with a 45 minute overview of emergency preparedness. View webcast held February 17, 2005. HSPH webcasts require a recent version of Real Player installed on your computer and for best results a broadband connection to the internet. Online Training of the Month This curriculum (provided by the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice) is divided into six major sections: Introduction to Bioterrorism, Emergency Response Planning, Diseases of Bioterrorist Potential, Health Surveillance and Epidemiologic Investigation, Consequence Management, and Communications and Informatics. Download: powerpoint slides and audio presentation. Research *"Killer Flu", by Michael Specter (The New Yorker, February 28, 2005)* "Travel, transportation, trade, pollution, and ecological disruption all play a role in assuring constant flow of disease from one part of the world to another". This article combines compelling anecdotes and epidemiological data to illustrate the potential impact of an avian influenza pandemic [on human health]. "Emergency Medical Services: The Forgotten First Responder", (New York University Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response, March 2005) "This report identifies critical deficits in the role and organization of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in homeland security preparedness and provides recommendations to improve the ability of EMS to respond to a terrorist attack." "If Smallpox Strikes Portland...", by C.L. Barrett, S.G. Eubank & J.P. Smith (Scientific American, March 2005) "Epidemiological simulations provide virtual laboratories where health officials can test the effectiveness of different responses in advance of disease outbreaks. Modeling the movements of every individual in a large population produces a dynamic picture of the social network - the same network of contacts used by infectious diseases to spread among human hosts. Knowing the paths a disease could take through society enables officials to alter the social network through measures such as school closings and quarantines or by targeting individuals for medical treatments." New Resources Preparing for Public Health Emergencies: Meeting the Challenges in Rural America presents information and recommendations resulting from a conference that was held in St. Paul, MN, Sept. 27 - 28, 2004. The session brought together more than 80 public health preparedness leaders from multiple states to identify important yet unique barriers facing rural public health preparedness and the strategies to overcome those barriers.The report presents recommendations based on the unique preparedness concerns facing rural America. Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Lessons Learned and Progress Made Since 2001 Authors: Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health Format: CD-ROM, webcast Maine Bureau of Health Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness All Hazard Incident Gloassary This comprehensive incident glossary provides preparedness personnel with valuable information and explanations of preparedness related terms.

									If your agency/organization is sponsoring an upcoming event related to emergency preparedness that you would like listed in a future issue of Emergency Preparedness Monthly, please send an email to epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu with "event" in the subject line, and your name, title, organization/agency, contact information, and event details in the body of the message. (Note that publication of events is subject to approval by the Emergency Preparedness Monthly editorial staff.) If this newsletter was forwarded to you by a colleague and you would like to subscribe, please send an email to epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu with your name, title, organization/agency, and email address in the body of the message. We urge you to sign up for this exciting new resource available to our Maine partners. To unsubscribe, send an email to epmonthly@hsph.harvard.edu with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.