Did Someone Say FREE Advertising?

So how can we expand outreach when our budgets are being cut? Did you know that many of the local papers offer free advertising for non-profit groups!

For example, the Washington Post Local Living Section:

"To submit an item E-mail fxliving@washpost.com, Mail: Volunteers, Fairfax Living, The Washington Post, 4020 University Dr., Suite 220, Fairfax, Va. 22030

Details: Items, published weekly on a space-available basis, are accepted from nonprofit groups."

To view comments on this, visit http://www.facebook.com/citizencorps

Fairfax is Ready thanks to MRC Volunteers! Is Your Community?

Community Emergency Preparedness Fairs

"The Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the Fairfax County Health Department’s Office of Emergency Preparedness will host a community preparedness fair called Get Ready Fairfax!

The Springfield Days family festival will be held concurrently in the mall parking lot. The goal of this family friendly event is to educate the public about the role individuals and their families play in all-hazards emergency preparedness and how to get ready!

The fair is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - part of the Urban Area Security Initiative program." (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mrc/getready.htm)

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Recognized by Board of Supervisors

Certificate of Appreciation – "To recognize the Fairfax County Health Department, Medical Reserve Corps and appropriate representatives for the H1N1 vaccination clinics. Requested by Chairman Bulova."

Join the New Citizen Corps Facebook Group

Joing the new Citizen Corps/Neighbors Helping Neighbors Group on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Citizen-Corps/244273467113?ref=mf

Join Multiple Citizen Corps Organizations To Make A Bigger Difference

H1N1 Clinics
Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
We Train. We Exercise. We Do.

Several folks from other Citizen Corps programs have inquired how they can join others and help out with the Fairfax County Health Department H1N1 Vaccination Clinics.

For example, the Fairfax Coutny CERTs you have seen at the clinics, are also Fairfax County MRC volunteers. Many volunteers in Fairfax County are also members of and trained in other Citizen Corps programs.

In order to volunteer with the clinics, you are required to be an MRC volunteer. If you are interested in joining MRC, you can signup at https://www.fairfaxmrc.org/regprocess.php

You will then need to attend MRC 101 Orientation. The next class is December 16th from 7-9pm.

Fairfax County H1N1 Clinics Featured in CBS Evening News

On the day President Obama declared a National State of Emergency for H1N1, Fairfax County and the H1N1 Mass Clinics held at the Government Center are featured in the CBS Evening News report.

The following CBS Evening News Video and news story are available online.

The clinics were run by Fairfax County Health Department Employees and hundreds of volunteers from the Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps.

Other Citizen Corps volunteer groups also participated, including Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) and Auziliary Police Officers (APOs).

Questions Requested For Daily H1V1 Briefing

This morning a request went out for public questions for the daily H1V1 briefing. The following question and comment was sent to: hhsstudio@hhs.gov

"There are programs, such as the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) across the United States where volunteers can help if mass distribution is needed. Residents should be reassured that volunteers have been training with professionals for quite a few years. This is not to say that more trained volunteers are not needed.

What plans are in place for areas of the country that do not have a robust MRC or volunteer network, and areas where more volunteers are needed, including potentially leveraging volunteers from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Red Cross, religious organizations, and other affiliated Citizen Corps programs?

As we learned from September 11, it is times like this when people see the need to act. However, with time, that need fades.

Thank you for keeping the public regularly updated.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors
http://citizencorps.blogspot.com"

Does your community have a Medical Reserve Corps? Maybe it should

According to recent news reports, "The World Health Organization warned countries around the world Saturday to be on alert for any unusual flu outbreaks after a unique new swine flu virus was implicated in possibly dozens of human deaths in North America."

The local news headlines say "New U.S. Swine Flu Cases Spread "Pandemic" Fear Virus confirmed in Kansas and probable in New York City".

The complete article can be found at:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/us_world/NATL-Deadly-Flu-Outbreak-Linked-to-US-.html

Now while this article should not cause major panic, it is always good to take basic health precautions and consider volunteering for a local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program, in the event a local response was needed for a pandemic flu.

AED Recall

The following information was provided today in an email from the U.S. Fire Administration.

"Medical Device Recall: ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reporting the following medical device recall:

Product: ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator. This product was manufactured from May 2004 through February 2009 and distributed from May 2004 through February 9, 2009.

Use: This device is used by emergency or medical personnel, by others who have completed CPR AED training courses, or the public at large. It is intended to treat patients in cardiac arrest. The device analyzes an unconscious patient’s heart rhythm and instructs the user to press a button that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm.

Reason for Recall: The AED failed to deliver the defibrillation energy. "

Additional information can be found at:

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/recalls/recall-021209b.html

Disaster Leadership Training - American Red Cross Takes the Lead

This past week, people across region got together at the American Red Cross National Headquarters for the National Capital Region Disaster Leadership Training Conference.

Training ranged from Disaster Action Team (DAT) training to Mass Care/Shelter Operations to Emergency Operations Center (EOC)/Emergency Support Function (ESF) #6 to Serving People with Disabilities, and many more.

Not only was the leadership training offered by the American Red Cross, but partners also taught and attended the classes.

This training is supported with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and demonstrated organizations training together to best be prepared and provide leadership before, during, and after a disaster or major emergency.

Many of the participates are not only involved with the Red Cross, but also with multiple local response organizations including the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Volunteer in Police Service (VIPS), Volunteer Mobilization Centers, etc.

The training provided an excellent opportunity for people who often take training in their local community/county to be able to also train with people in other jurisdictions and organizations.

This leadership conference should serve as a model for future training.

Picture below are some of the representatives that attended the Disaster Leadership Training Conference. The picture was taken in the American Red Cross National Headquarters Disaster Operations Center (DOC).

Election Lessons Learned for MRC

As the polling places have opened in the United States, there are already long lines at local schools.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors will monitor the news reports from the polling to capture some lessons learned that may benefit the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) or other mass distribution organizations.

In the event there ever is a major mass medical distribution, the lines are expected to be larger than that from an election.

National Preparedness Month - Coalition Partner

For the second year,

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

is a proud Coalition Member of National Preparedness Month 2008.

For additional information on National Preparedness Month, please visit

http://www.ready.gov/america/npm08/index.html

or

http://www.ready.gov/

_________________________________________

During the month of September,

in addition to multiple speaking engagements,

we will be comparing different

preparedness tips from around the world.

Many Organizations Represented at Local Parade

There were some recognizable people at the City of Fairfax July 4th parade.

Steve Willey – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Instructor with Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire and Rescue.

Amy Tarte – Medical Reserve Corps and Health Department.

Brian Brendel – If you took ICS 300 or 400 locally, you should recognize him.

There were multiple Boy Scout troups who also marched in the parade.

And the many members of the City of Fairfax Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) who provided First Aid.

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.

Source: http://www.observernews.com/story08/news08/052308_training.html

Do You Wonder Why We Train?

For those people who have ever considered any of the training offered by our Citizen Corps programs or affiliates and hesitated to take a class, you never know when you may need those skills.

The following is not a drill and happened not that far away from Northern Virginia. You never know what can happen in your own backyard.

(Source: MSNBC)

For additional information, pictures and video on this story, visit:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24358565

If you are interested in volunteering or getting training, please visit:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/citizencorps/

Our thoughts are with the teams who are responding to this incident and those that were impacted.

Leap Day Emergency - Please Read

You may have made a New Years Resolution to be better prepared for an emergency in 2008. But, do you have that plan? Do you have an emergency preparedness kit?

HAVE YOU DONE NOTHING TO BE BETTER PREPARED???

Take this extra day of the year to follow a few simple steps.

The Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management and Citizen Corps Council suggests a simple four-step process for residents to prepare themselves, their communities and their businesses for naturally occuring or man-made emergencies.

Information on the process can be found at:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/

If you have already taken steps to be prepared, consider helping others in the community to do the same.

Also consider the many volunteer emergency preparedness and awareness volunteer opportunities through the Fairfax County Citizen Corps Council at: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/oem/citizencorps/

What are you waiting for? Click on the links above to start taking some action today.

One Giant Leap For Mankind - Facebook

Thinking really ahead for National Preparedness month (which is when we launched this blog last year), we created a Citizen Corps Facebook Group.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10287941494

For those not familiar with Facebook, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook