FORT DETRICK, Md. – The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases hosted a multi-agency emergency management workshop in early October.
Key stakeholders in the workshop included Frederick Health Hospital, Frederick County Health Department, Frederick County Division of Emergency Management, Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services, the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit and Fort Detrick’s Barquist Army Health Clinic.
“We always look forward to working with our community partners on drills and exercises so together we can develop strategies to strengthen our emergency preparedness,” said Col. Aaron Pitney, USAMRIID commander.
The workshop’s objective was emergency treatment for potential biological exposures with a focus on enhancing response capabilities, treatment and transport protocols for potentially exposed individuals, and examining how to integrate Fort Detrick’s and Maryland’s emergency medical services’ protocols helping to foster a cohesion among the medical and emergency response communities.
“Having a space in which leaders can discuss scenarios pertaining to special pathogen operations, patient care, and transport will certainly contribute to the overall readiness for such an event within the region,” said Christopher Sulmonte, administrative director for Johns Hopkins BCU.
Participants worked to identify and mitigate potential health hazards to help minimize risk to the organization’s workforces and surrounding communities, said Phoebus; adding that USAMRIID’s proactive approach to community safety is part of an ongoing effort to train on a variety of emergency scenarios.
“Community members may occasionally witness first responders actively training or responding within USAMRIID facilities,” said Phoebus. “These activities are designed to ensure all responding agencies are well-prepared should an emergency arise.”
Additionally, the workshop fostered greater cohesion among the medical and emergency response communities to better coordinate and communicate, he added.
Maintaining and sustaining these partnerships leads to effective response times while fostering transparency and open dialogue during emergencies.
“Our engagement with [each other] is critical to our preparedness, to ensure we are ready to respond to any event,” said Dr. Anton Quist, public health emergency officer, Fort Detrick.
Phoebus said the workshop was a success with the participants solidifying a lot of goals, generating new practices for future emergency plans, and providing positive feedback.
“Our team was incredibly excited to participate in this workshop and has greatly appreciated its partnership with USAMRIID over the years,” said Sulmonte.
The workshop is scheduled to become an annual training event.
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2024 11:54 |
| Story ID: | 484668 |
| Location: | FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
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