Project Highlight: Course for CDC Targets Integration of Medical, Public Health, and Public Safety Response During a Radiation Emergency
State, federal, and local entities must understand how they should work together when responding to an emergency or terrorism event. But during the fall of 2005, Hurricane Katrina highlighted a serious disconnect among the response teams when a national tragedy affects a large population. The inability of these groups to communicate effectively with each other resulted in chaos for the public and responders alike.
Imagine the scenario if such a mass casualty event involved radiological or nuclear materials. The communication problems would be magnified because of a general lack of understanding of radiation.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities' (ORAU) radiation emergency medicine specialists partnered with senior staff within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address this potential situation.
In late March 2006, personnel from REAC/TS and the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) teamed to teach the first course targeted at improving the integration of the medical, public health, and public safety response efforts during a radiation emergency.
Fifty-five individuals from within the CDC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement agencies, and emergency planners from across the country attended the 3 1/2-day course, held in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Attendees listened to lectures and participated in tabletop exercises.
The content covered the phases of responding to a terrorist attack involving nuclear materials:
- Day One: The emergency response, deciding what actions needed to be taken immediately following an incident
- Day Two: Consequence management, such as crowd control and evacuation issues.
- Day Three: Public information for the media and the general public