2008 News

December 12, 2008

Bucks Participates in Regional Public Health Emergency Exercise

A Officials from Bucks County participated this week in a table-top exercise (TTX) sponsored by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force (SEPA RTF) that was aimed at refining the area’s public health emergency response plan. Joining Bucks were participants (or players) from Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

In the format of a table-top exercise, the approximately 45 players were presented with an escalating public health scenario and are asked to strategize within their functional areas. Once those discussions were complete, the groups shared their recommendations and learned how their decisions may affect other functional areas. Those areas represented yesterday were local and state public health, emergency management, and public information.

In his first exercise with the county and the region, Bucks County’s new Health Department Director, Dr. David Damsker, noted, “I have a strong interest in bioterrorism preparedness and am impressed with Bucks County’s leadership and vigilance in their planning for public health emergencies. Preparing together as a region will also help us deal with everyday situations more effectively.”

The TTX serves as a springboard for a full-scale exercise that is planned for mid-2009, where the scope will expand to include more players in their authentic environments. Whereas the TTX is held with everyone in one room talking through solutions, a full-scale will see emergency operations centers opened, logistics being delivered and volunteers going to points of dispensing (PODs) to receive essential medications – much like Bucks County’s annual pandemic flu drill, but on a regional level.

Bucks County’s Emergency Management Coordinator and former SEPA RTF Chairman John Dougherty thought the effort was worthwhile. “The more we plan and exercise as a region, the more we can continue to improve and the better our skills get,” he noted. “As we always say, disasters know no municipal boundaries.”

Ready Bucks
To receive important emergency alerts to your cell phone and/or email, sign up at www.ReadyNotifyPA.org. To learn more about individual emergency preparedness, visit www.BucksCounty.org/ReadyBucks. The time to prepare is now!