Monday, May 26, 2008

Viva Citizen Corps Council


Thanks to Adeel (pictured above) for coordinating Citizen Corps Council outreach efforts at Viva Vienna. We spoke to residents and handed out brochures in the Board of Supervisors tent.

Other Citizen Corps Council members who could be spotted at the fair include Lauren with Vienna Fire (our student representative) and Charles (our Boy Scout representative). Along with multiple CERT members.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps Exercise In The News

May 19 , 2008
County Conducts Disaster Training
By Leslie Perales Observer Staff Writer

Employees from the Fairfax County Health Department and volunteers with the Medical Reserve Corps completed a training session on mass medical dispensing Saturday morning. The event at Buzz Aldrin Elementary School in Reston provided volunteers with realistic training to prepare them to distribute medication on a large scale during a public health emergency.

"Hopefully we'll never have to do this, but to have a structure in place, a place for volunteers to go, is just proper planning," said Mike Andrews, public safety information officer for Fairfax County.

During the training, attendees learned how to organize and run a Quick Distribution Center, which is a space where antibiotics or other medications would be provided to thousands of people in a very short time.

"What we're doing here is training the people who would be leading the QDCs and volunteers," Andrews said. "Each member has an opportunity to become familiar with each station."

The Medical Reserve Corps would respond to events such as bioterrorism or widespread epidemics, and the group of volunteers would help set up and lead QDCs. About 138 QDCs would be set up throughout the county at area elementary schools in the event of such an emergency.

Volunteers learned how to complete the medication distribution forms and verify the information on that document, as well as how to dispense the medication quickly and efficiently.

"The form is intended to be used by non-medical people," said Steve Church, senior emergency planner for the Office of Emergency Management for Fairfax County. Church said because of how the QDCs are organized, Medical Reserve Corps and other volunteers do not need medical experience.

Saturday's exercise prepared volunteers for an anthrax attack in which two types of antibiotics (doxycycline and ciprofloxacin) would be distributed. Volunteers learned that people who were not able to take those medications would be directed to the health department or their personal physician.

Because the objective of a QDC is to distribute medication as quickly as possible, volunteers are instructed not to provide any medical advice other than the requirements for taking the drugs that are being provided, Andrews said.

In the event of an emergency, the public would be notified through the media to have the head of the household walk to their nearest elementary school to pick up medications for up to 10 people, Church said. Those picking up medications would need to know the medical history of everyone for whom they are getting medications, he said. A mobile unit would serve county residents who live more than one mile from an elementary school.


Wes McDermott, emergency preparedness coordinator for the Fairfax County Health Department, led an evaluation of the training at the end of the event, and he said, "We're very pleased with the way things went." He said the health department staff and Medical Reserve Corps volunteers worked well together. "These folks are part of a growing group of pre-trained, knowledgeable community members," McDermott said.


Andrews said they hope to have about 2,000 people trained as leaders by next year, but in an actual emergency more than 10,000 additional volunteers would be needed to help at each of the medical dispensing sites. Visit www.fairfaxmrc.org or call 703-246-2433.



Fairfax County Citizen Corps Chairman Posts Editorial to Washington Post Article


The comments can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051603735_Comments.html

levy_andrew wrote:
Many of the programs and ideas that you mention as needed have been put in place in Fairfax County, Virginia. Preparedness goes well beyond CERT. What your article does not appear to mention is a key program - Citizen Corps. The Citizen Corps Council includes the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs), Fire Corps, Neighborhood Watch, and affiliates such as Red Cross, Volunteer Fairfax, Amateur Radio, Chamber of Commerce/Business Organizations, Religious Organizations, Government Appointees, and many others. Our Citizen Corps Council also includes student programs where we have a student representative and work directly with the local public schools, Boy Scouts, etc.Your article mentions many things that are needed. While I agree steps need to be taken, there are programs and best practices available. Please take a look at our website at http://www.fairfaxcountycitizencorps.org/ and blog at http://citizencorps.blogspot.com/ Then, feel free to contact me at andrew.levy@fairfaxcounty.gov on ways to implement these programs in towns. Our program, along with others across the county, address the majority of the items you bring up in the article.


goupmarket wrote:
Mr. Levy raises a good point. There are agencies available to help us help ourselves and get better prepared to respond, if and when an emergency happens. The issue seems to be that few, if anyone, actually knows or cares that such resources exist.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Student Representative Receives Honor at Academy Graduation

Congratulations to Lauren Kovacic who was presented a Certficate of Appreciation from the Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council for her service as student representative to the council.

Pictured (L to R).
David Tremaine, FCPS Falls Church Academy Administrator.
Lauren Kovacic, Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council Student Representative.
Andrew Levy, Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council Chairman.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Fairfax County Fire and EMS High School Student Receives Scholarship

Northern Virginia EMS Council recognizes a high school senior for outstanding contribution and affiliation with an EMS agency within the Northern Virginia EMS region.

Molly Wacek is an active member of Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad and runs a weekly 12-hour duty-shift on Sundays.

The scholarship is in the form of $1,000 and makes her eligible to receive a $5,000 scholarship from the Governor's EMS Advisory Board.

Molly was part of the Fire and Emergency Medical Sciences program offered by Fairfax County.

Additional information about the program can be found at:
http://www.fcps.edu/dis/OCTE/hms/courses/833326-426.htm

A student representative from this program serves on the Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Fairfax County CERT Instructor To Be Featured In National TV Show

Fairfax County CERT Instructor, Mike Forgy, to be featured on Discovery Channel's Planet Green network on a new show, Emeril Green.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080228/neth080.html?.v=41



Video of the taping can be found on the Fairfax County CERT blog: