Twin Cities MetroAdvanced Practice Center

Overview

Advanced Practice Center RoadshowAugust 11-12, 2009

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Brian R. Golob, M.S., C.H.M.M., R.E.H.S.

brian.golob@co.hennepin.mn.us

612-543-5204

Agenda

Perspective on EH Emergency Preparedness

Overview of Products

Twin Cities Metro APC

Collaborative approach exclusively for EH emergency preparedness

Currently in 5th year of funding Focus on:

– Practical and Useful Products – Building EH Capacity

Disaster Denial Paradigm

It isn’t going to happen.

If it happens, it will not be as bad as they said it would be.

If it happens, and it is as bad as they said, it will not happen to me.

If it happens and it is as bad as they said, and it happens to me, then someone has planned for it and is coming to help.

In the Beginning…

Tracked Down Many Interesting Web Sites

Never Found an EH Emergency Response Plan

Realized that Roles & Responsibilities for EHP were not Defined

Training Materials were Lacking

Why Are We Concerned

Natural & man-made emergencies/ disasters can occur anywhere and frequently do

Incidents can affect human health, lives and the infrastructure that supports society

List of Hazards-Natural

Hurricane Earthquake Tsunami Avalanche Volcanic Eruption Landslide Fires

Tornado Flood Severe Wind Storm Severe Winter Storm Hail Storm Drought Extreme heat

List of Hazards-Man-made or Technological

Dam or Bridge Failure Power Outage/Failure Infectious Disease Transportation Accidents Terrorist Conventional

Bomb Chemical Terrorism

Contaminated Water Supply Contaminated Food Supply Hazardous Material Incident Radiological Incident Biological Terrorism Nuclear Detonation Cyber Terrorism

Defining Key Terms Hazard is any phenomenon that has the

potential to cause damage to humans and their environment

Emergency is not a disaster in itself, but an event requiring immediate response

Disaster overwhelms the affected community and requires outside assistance

Emergency or Disaster

Emergency or Disaster

Principles of Environmental Health

Promote health and quality of life

Protect the public from environmental hazards

Protect the environment from contamination

Environmental Health Skills

Assessment

Management

Communication

General Environmental Health Emergency Response Actions

Primary responsibility for the “health” of a community

Includes basic services such as food safety, water supply, shelter, sanitation & waste management

Immediate Environmental HealthEmergency Response Actions

A rapid initial qualitative assessment to collect information needed to begin an appropriate and timely response

Specific EH Functional or Topic Areas

Food/waterborne outbreak investigation

Water safety & supply Food safety Sanitation Mass care Vector control Solid waste Worker Safety/PPE

Hazardous waste Household hazardous

waste Medical/infectious

waste Chemical incident Radiological incident Flood Tornado/wind

damage

Twin Cities Metro Advance Practice Center Products

Training for EHP

Food Readiness

EH Planning & Practice

Target Audience Environmental Health

Directors, Managers, Supervisors

Public health staff responsible for environmental health programs

Front line staff with years of experience and those who are new in the field

Unintended Audiences

Other professionals: fire, police, nurses, doctors, emergency management and haz mat responders

Many people do not know or realize what EH brings to the table

They gained an understanding of the role that EHP would have in a disaster/emergency

Overview of Products: EH Training

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fundamentals & Putting Principles into Practice (2005)(Available as a CD and on-line)

Disaster Strikes-Environmental Health Responds: Stories from the Field (2007)(Available as a CD and on-line)

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fundamentals & Putting Principles into Practice

Lesson 1: Overview of EH Principles

Lesson 2: Communicating as a Key Role for EH Professionals

Lesson 3: Responding to Emergencies/Disasters

Lesson 4: Minimizing Health Implications

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fundamentals & Putting Principles into Practice

(Cont.) Three Real World Disasters

• Scenario # 1 – Elemental Hg

• Scenario # 2 – Train Derailment Anhydrous Ammonia Release

• Scenario # 3 – F5 Tornado

Disaster Strikes – Environmental Health Responds: Stories from the Field

Interviewed 22 EHP across the country

Learned how they dealt with 9 disasters & 1 emergency

They shared valuable tips, techniques and lessons learned

Experience is a powerful teacher

Focused on 8 EH Core Competencies

Disaster Strikes – Environmental Health Responds (Cont.)

Organizational Knowledge & Behavior Collaboration Information Gathering Data Analysis Problem Solving Reporting, Documentation, and Record Keeping Communication Education

Overview of Products: Food Readiness

Emergency Handbook for Food Managers includes a readiness guide and photo lessons (2005)(Available as a hardcopy, CD and PDF in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hmong & Somali)

Overview of Products: Food Readiness (Cont.)

Information sheet titled Who to Contact in an Emergency (Released 2005 & Revised 2006).

(Available as a hardcopy and PDF in English)

• Police Dept.• Local Health Dept.• Insurance Carrier• Local Utility• Governmental Agency for

Chemical Spill/Release• Well Water Disinfection• Potable Water Supply• Waste Mgt Assistance

Overview of Products: Food Readiness (Cont.)

Emergency Readiness for Food Workers Trainer Guide (2006)

(Available as a hardcopy and PDF in English)

Overview of Products: Food Readiness (Cont.)

Information sheet titled In an Emergency: Discard or Salvage (2005) *

Information sheet titled In an Emergency: Equipment & Supplies List for Food Service (2005) *

* PDFs in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hmong, Laotian, Oromo, Russian, Somali & Vietnamese

Overview of Products: Food Readiness (Cont.)

Food Safety and Security Self Audit Checklist (2007)*

* PDFs in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Hmong, Laotian, Oromo, Russian, Somali & Vietnamese

Overview of Products: Food Readiness (Cont.)

2005 Baseline Survey on Emergency Preparednessat Twin Cities Metro Food Service Establishments (Available in hardcopy and archived at NACCHO)

2007 Benchmark Survey on Emergency Preparednessat Twin Cities Metro Food Service Establishments (Work in Progress)

Overview of Products: Food Readiness (Cont.)

Clarifies Best Practices

Includes Food Security and Emergency Preparedness

Overview of Products: EH Planning & Practice

Solid Waste Management and Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus Decision Tree Guidance Document (Released 2007)

(Available in hardcopy and on CD)

Overview of Products: EH Planning & Practice (Cont.)

Environmental Health Emergency Response Guide

Overview of Products: EH Emergency Response Guide (Cont.)

Describe general and specific response actions that EH personnel would be responsible for in a disaster/emergency

Each topical area includes: Introduction Emergency Response Objectives Priority Activities Practical Guidance Information

Overview of Products: EH Emergency Response Guide (Cont.)

Food/waterborne outbreak investigation

Water safety & supply Food safety Sanitation Mass care Vector control Solid waste Worker Safety/PPE

Hazardous waste Household hazardous

waste Medical/infectious

waste Chemical incident Radiological incident Flood Tornado/wind

damage

Overview of Products: EH Planning & Practice (Cont.)

Environmental Health Resource Compendium for Emergency Response

Overview of Products: EH Planning & Practice (Cont.)

Hennepin County EH Emergency Response Plan

St. Paul-Ramsey County EH Standard Operating Procedures Annex

Sneak Preview

Special Event Planning Toolkit

Community Engagement Food Protection/EP Tool Kit

EH Emergency Preparedness Planning Toolkit

Disaster Simulation Training Module or “Game”

Special Event Planning Toolkit

Planning process guidance Training materials Training program guidance Inspection process and form Communication

protocol/reporting template Mutual-aid agreement and

staff identification Tool for estimating agency

resource

Community Engagement Food Protection/EP Tool Kit

For local EH agencies to use

Engage food service establishments

Increase the capacity of food managers and front-line food workers to protect the food supply

EH Emergency Preparedness Toolkit

Package a tool for EH Managers

Ensure that EH Plan is in place

EH Staff are oriented to the plan & available resources

Disaster Simulation Training Module or “Game”

Describe the role of EHP in a disaster

Make informed and sound decisions related to preparation, response and recovery efforts

Addresses a flood and a train derailment

                                                                             

Brian R. Golob, M.S.,C.H.M.M., R.E.H.S.

brian.golob@co.hennepin.mn.us

612-543-5204