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Subject: Re: safety shower curtain
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:00:45 -0700
Author: russellu1**At_Symbol_Here**JUNO.COM 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: Mass Decon
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:14:03 -0400
Author: Amber Potts


Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:47:50 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**med.cornell.edu>
From: Amber Potts <amber_potts**At_Symbol_Here**HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Mass Decon
X-To: dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**med.cornell.edu
In-Reply-To: <GEEFJGEGHNACDPMOEJCDAEHODCAA.patricklambert**At_Symbol_Here**rogers.com>
Mr. Lambert, 

A couple years ago we had a 'white powder' scare at a local school. It was complete chaos. If, in fact, it had been anthrax or some other biological weapon I am not sure if a massdecon would even have been remotely possible. The police and fire were nothelpful at all and were not respecting our wishes at all. So it will definitely be a challenge to try and coordinate with police, fire and EMS. Theother problem is that we contract with all of North East Texas, so theremight be counties or cities we respond to that we have no relations with. 

Thank you so much for your suggestions andhelp!


Amber Potts



Date:Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:22:26 -0400
From: patricklambert**At_Symbol_Here**ROGERS.COM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Mass Decon
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU

Dear Ms Potts,
 
We have had to deal with this very same issue here in Canada. A group I work with in the CDN Federal Government spent some time reviewing mass decon of civilians prior to our recent Winter Olympics. The questions you pose are very familiar.
 
The USDHS developed a mass decon guidance document as was mentioned in the replies by others. In general, most military groups have attempted to addressmass decon. That being said, their objectives are often a bit differentthat those of mass decon for civilians. Here are a few of the points we noted. 
 
Our experience was that mass decon will likely be undertaken by local 1st responder and not federal agency. Mass decon of the civilian population is quite different than our experience with mass decon of military staff and assets. In our discussions with the fire departments from many of our major cities, we note that each one has developed their own mass decon operational plan. Certainly there were similarities however there were also significant variations. Each fire department or hazmat team have their own procedures and interoperability with their local complimentary services such as EMS and Police. This is what accounted for the most significant variations between cities. Unlike military personnel, one can not order a civilian through mass decon. So the fire departments have had to consider how to address this issue. Most have some arrangements with the local law enforcement and even they can not order a citizen through decon unless a public health event has been declared. That brings in local EMS and the local public health officials. They will play a large part in determining who and how civilians are marshalled through mass decon. The vanity or privacy issue was not trivial to overcome. Similar with security surrounding concerns for a civilians personal belongings. Another issue I recall was local public health dealing with was how to document and track the masses whether the go through decon or not.
 
Respectfully,
Patrick Lambert
Head, Field Work and Response
Environment Canada
-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU]On Behalf Of Amber Potts
Sent: October 21, 2011 12:43 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Mass Decon


Our department just received a mobile mass decontamination trailer. I work ata city health department and we respond to any HAZMAT or WMD emergencies in North East Texas. Besides the users manual there really are no set guidelines for how to mass decontaminate a crowd.  Has anyone every used a mass decon trailer or been in a situation where  a mass decon has takenplace? We are going to set up a scenario in a few months to test it out but until then I would appreciate any ideas or helpful information on mass decontamination. 

Thanks! 

Amber Potts
Health Department
Garland, Texas


Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:21:11 +0000
From: rmizzo**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] USA Today Article on University Lab Safety
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU

In advance of today=92s CSB webinar on Texas Tech:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/story/2011-10-19/college-lab-safety-chemistry/50818666/1



 

 

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