Biological Incidents and the Role of CERT
Ms. Arlene G. Crow, Emergency Manager for Anne Arundel Community College, recently provided training to the Anne Arundel-Annapolis Community Emergency Response Team (AAACERT) on the operational members’ potential role in a biological incident. Ms. Crow began the session by outlining the various forms and categories of bio-agents that might trigger a need for prophylactic dispensing […]
If It Smells Rotten … Beware! Poison Toxic Tidbits
From ToxicTidbits a monthly publication of Maryland Poison Control Center, University of Maryland. You are standing near a sewer line and smell rotten eggs. You are helping to resuscitate a patient in cardiopulmonary arrest and smell bitter almonds. What is that odor? Volatilized chemicals that humans and animals perceive by the sense of smell (olfaction) […]
Chemical Suicides Create Dangerous Environments for First Responders
Three law enforcement officers in Georgia were hospitalized in May after being exposed to toxic fumes at the scene of a possible chemical suicide. Chemical suicides involve people mixing easily-attainable chemicals to produce a toxic gas, which can kill rather quickly. Often this is done in an enclosed space such as a car; occasionally people use “exit […]
Volunteer Role Players Need – Washington DC, Emergency Management Exercise
As part of Mayor Bowser’s goal to make DC the safest big city in America, the District will host the “District of Columbia 2015 Full Scale Exercise” on Thursday, December 10, 2015. Several District agencies will participate in the exercise, which will simulate a hazardous materials event, to assess the District’s emergency response capabilities. The […]