Emergency Management Commission discusses future

    The Washington County Emergency Management Commission announced at its monthly meeting Wednesday that it would postpone the pandemic exercise it had planned for next week. Local authorities such as law enforcement, public health, emergency medical services and the hospital were to act out how they would respond in case of a disease outbreak.

    The medical providers were going to transport mock patients to the appropriate care center based on the severity of their injuries. The event was going to last four days, from Monday to Thursday. A make-up date for the exercise has not yet been announced.  

    The commission also said that the clinic scheduled for Wednesday would distribute the H1N1 flu vaccine instead of the seasonal flu vaccine. Coordinator Larry Smith said that public health had run out of the seasonal flu vaccine.    

    Smith also told the commission about a new organization designed to address disasters called ?COAD,? which stands for Community Organizations Active in Disaster.Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will visit Washington to speak about how a COAD works and what it does during emergencies. They will be at the United Methodist Church on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

    According to FEMA?s website, a COAD is an umbrella organization that exists to bring people together to prepare for disasters. It does not provide services directly, but does provide a network through which individuals coordinate their relief efforts to prevent duplication of services. The organization would develop plans, training and exercises for disaster operations.

For te full story,see the Oct.15 edition of The Washington Evening Journal