DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness

August 2014 Newsletter

In This Issue...

Featured Classroom Courses ● New Video Released: RAIN
● Integration of HICS Fifth Edition into DelValle Course

● Upcoming Courses ● Online Learning

● Emergency Preparedness News, Updates, and Affiliated Trainings ● Partners

Featured Classroom Courses

Module III: Hospital-Based Patient Decontamination - Operations

September 8 & 9, 2014

Massachusetts General Hospital

This hands-on course has been developed specifically for operational members and managers of hospital-based patient decontamination programs. Delivered as a pilot in May, the course received outstanding reviews. Module III builds upon principles presented in our Module I & II courses, and is designed to engage participants in a discussion-based learning environment. It consists of eight hours of classroom instruction, followed by an eight-hour practical session, which offers participants a unique opportunity to practice basic and advanced patient decontamination scenarios with live actors under real-world conditions. The course content aligns with decontamination capability guidelines as specified by MA Department of Public Health, ASPR's Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) capabilities, and OSHA. Click here to learn more.

"Most courses stop just prior to actual decontamination. This was a great next step for overall training."

"Hands-on discussion was excellent."

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Emergency Response and Recovery Panel: Coming Together to Keep Boston Strong

September 25, 2014

Stephen M. Lawlor Medical Intelligence Center, Boston EMS Headquarters

Keeping Boston safe and strong involves a multiagency collaboration throughout the city. Hear from a panel of experts from Boston's emergency response agencies as they discuss how they work in partnership during emergencies to keep the city safe. The course will detail how various agencies - such as emergency medical services, law enforcement, public health, and hospitals - interface during normal operations and response and recovery operations, for example in the case of the Back Bay power outage of March 2012 and other recent incidents. The panel will be challenged to walk through an incident scenario to describe how a response could unfold, including how the Boston MRC may be used to support the response. This course is open to both MRC members and non-members. Click here to register on the Learning Center today!

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Shaping the Future of Statewide Training: An opportunity to guide preparedness training and education across the Commonwealth

October 30, 2014

MEMA Region 3 & 4 Facility, Agawam MA

What does the future of preparedness education look like in Massachusetts for public health and healthcare? With the formation of HMCC's on the horizon, what are our highest priority performance challenges to address through training and education? How can we deliver training and education in a format that is accessible to the greatest number of stakeholders? Join us to explore these key questions and their implications for the future of statewide training.

As of July, 2014, the DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness was awarded a contract by the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management at MDPH to serve as the statewide Emergency Preparedness Education and Training Center, tasked with providing education and training opportunities to support public health and healthcare preparedness across the Commonwealth. This workshop will assemble stakeholders to envision the future of statewide training. The workshop will be repeated in Eastern Massachusetts in Spring 2015, and the combined findings will drive the development of learning opportunities over the next few years. Click here to register now.

New Video Released: RAIN

Click here to view the video now.

RAIN is a memory tool used by hospital staff and first responders to recall the initials steps to take when encountering a hazardous situation. The acronym stands for: Recognize Avoid, Isolate, and Notify. Though initially intended for hazardous materials response, RAIN can also be applied to scenarios such as suspicious packages, suspicious persons, and even seemingly mundane yet dangerous situations such as an icy sidewalk. This short video presentation produced by the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals and the DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness is a free asset for hospitals and other response agencies and introduces the RAIN concept using real-life situations.

Integration of HICS Fifth Edition into DelValle Course

After undergoing a multi-year revision process with extensive national stakeholder input, a Fifth Edition of the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) has been released by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority. The DelValle Institute will be releasing a revised version of the course Hospital Incident Command System (HICS): Practical Application for Emergency Response this fall, which will include HICS Fifth Edition materials as well as meet the requirements needed to pass the ICS-200.HCa final examination, a requirement for Incident Management Team members to maintain NIMS compliance. Integrating revised HICS content with ICS 200 content will provide participants with a "one-stop-shop" to achieve both requirements. Click here to register today.

Upcoming Courses


Boston MRC Orientation Various Dates	Boston MRC Managing a Mass Dispensing Clinic September 17, 2014	Emergency Response and Recovery Panel: Coming Together to Keep Boston Strong September 25, 2014

All-Hazards Disaster Response and Protection for Healthcare Personnel - Awareness Modules I & II September 23, 2014 October 7, 2014 December 8, 2014	Hospital Incident Command System (HICS): Practical Application for Emergency Response September 18, 2014	ICS-300: Incident Command System for Supervisory Personnel, Non-Supervisory Personnel in Planning October 22, 23 & 24, 2014

ICS-400: Incident Command System for Emergency Management Directors, Chiefs, and Senior Leaders December 4 & 5, 2014	Module III: Hospital-Based Patient Decontamination - Operations September 8 & 9, 2014	Shaping the Future of Statewide Training: An opportunity to guide preparedness training and education across the Commonwealth October 30, 2014

"Very informative - great presentation!"

"Very experienced, good use of equipment to show what is being used today."

"Excellent instructor and interactive session."

Online Learning

Visit our Learning Center for more information on online learning opportunities:

Online Courses

Visit our Knowledge Base to learn more about topics including:

Emergency Preparedness News, Updates, and Affiliated Trainings

Updates on N95 Respirators from NIOSH

In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) must approve all respirators. Periodically, NIOSH updates the list of approved respirators based on testing or manufacturers updates. Recently, NIOSH removed approval for a number of respirators that failed to meet their standards. To see if a respirator you use may be affected, search for your equipment in the NIOSH Certified Equipment List.

You can sign up for automatic updates and receive the latest information on respiratory protection. Be safe!

You may also learn more on by participating in a twitter chat and webinar N95 Day, celebrated on September 5 (9/5) to recognize the importance of workplace respirators. Click here to learn more about this NIOSH holiday.

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Free Emergency Mobile Apps

The Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management at MDPH released "Show Me for Emergencies," an interactive App that helps facilitate communication between public health officials, emergency management personnel, and volunteers with individuals facing communication challenges. This App provides graphical depictions for numerous events, including on emergency shelter settings, dispensing sites shelter-in-place, and evacuation scenarios. To learn more about the "Show Me" app, click here.

The FEMA National Preparedness Community, an online forum that is free and open to anyone, provides a list of free preparedness mobile applications. These Apps include preparedness planners, first aid information, weather, radio, and even a flashlight. Click here to view the list of free mobile Apps.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) provides the PFA Mobile app, which can provide information and resources to first responders and volunteers providing Psychological First Aid (PFA) to adults, families, and children. This App provides a review of the core PFA actions, tips for applying PFA in the field, and more. For more information on the NCTSN PFA mobile app, click here. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides the Behavioral Health Disaster Response App. This App provides information and resources for first responders and volunteers pre-deployment, on-the-ground assistance, and a post-deployment guide. For more information on the SAMHSA App, click here.

Partners

The Institute has great partners in emergency preparedness trainings for public health and healthcare providers in Massachusetts, including:

DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness

Boston Emergency Medical Services Headquarters

785 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118

Phone: (617) 343-1370 Fax: (617) 343-1121

Email: delvalle@bphc.org Website: https://delvalle.bphc.org/

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The DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness is the Education & Training branch of the Office of Public Health Preparedness. In conjunction with Boston EMS, a bureau of the Boston Public Health Commission, the DelValle Institute provides high-quality all-hazards training and exercises to develop and enhance capabilities-based preparedness. DelValle Institute is funded through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information regarding DelValle Institute funding, visit the Learning Center at https://delvalle.bphc.org.