Emergency Preparedness

What is Bioterrorism?

Since 9/11 our country has intensified efforts to prepare for and prevent bio-terrorist events. The Health District continues to develop and refine plans for dealing with environmental events and disease outbreaks. We are working on both a local and regional level to ensure a coordinated response effort with appropriate manpower.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock, and crops. The three basic groups of biological agents that would likely be used as weapons are bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Most biological agents are difficult to grow and maintain. Many break down quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others, such as anthrax spores, are very long lived. Biological agents can be dispersed by spraying them into the air, by infecting animals that carry the disease to humans, and by contaminating food and water. Delivery methods include:

• Aerosols - biological agents are dispersed into the air, forming a fine mist that may drift for miles. Inhaling the agent may cause disease in people or animals.
• Animals - some diseases are spread by insects and animals, such as fleas, mice, flies, mosquitoes, and livestock.
• Food and water contamination - some pathogenic organisms and toxins may persist in food and water supplies. Most microbes can be killed, and toxins deactivated, by cooking food and boiling water. Most microbes are killed by boiling water for one minute, but some require longer. Follow official instructions.
• Person-to-person - spread of a few infectious agents is also possible. Humans have been the source of infection for smallpox, plague, and the Lassa viruses.

How is the Delaware General Health District Preparing?

The Delaware General Health District strives to prevent and curtail the spread of disease, promote health and well-being for its residents, and educate the public. In conjunction with federal, state and local preparedness initiatives the Delaware General Health District (DGHD) is constantly developing and updating emergency preparedness plans as well as monitoring for potential threats. The Health District will follow the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in accordance with Executive Orders.

It is the goal of DGHD to approach the planning initiative from an all hazards approach. It is also important to learn from past events so that we may better mitigate for potential future events. The process of planning and emergency management is a continuous cycle:
 

How can I prepare for a Bioterrorism Event / Public Health Emergency?

Make sure to prepare for yourself, family and pets.  Items you may want to keep in your home or car in case of emergency include but are not limited to:

• Non-perishable foods
• Plenty of drinking water
• Flashlights that take batteries or is crank activated
• First aid kits
• Batteries
• Radio that takes batteries or is crank activated
• Extra pet food and supplies

It is best to have an emergency plan in place for your loved ones including meeting places, emergency phone numbers, location of above emergency items and anything else that may be necessary for long term sustainment.  For more information on emergency preparedness for home, school and work please visit the American Red Cross’s website: http://www.redcross.org/.   

Where can I find Incident Command System Job Aids / Forms?

The Planning "P"
ICS 202 Incident Objectives
ICS 207 Organizational Chart
ICS 215 Operational Planning
ICS 215A Incident Safety Analysis
 

Who do I contact for more information?

For more information on how the Delaware General Health District is working to protect the residents of Delaware County Ohio please contact

Kelli Kincaid - kkincaid@delawarehealth.org
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Delaware General Health District
1-3 W. Winter St.
Delaware, OH 43015
(740) 203-2046

You may also wish to contact Brian Galligher, Director at the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency (740) 833-2180 ext.2181 BGalligher@co.delaware.oh.us for more information on preparedness within Delaware County.
 

Ohio Department of Health (ODH)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization (WHO)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

 Health & Human Services (HHS)

How You Can Get Involved?

• American Red Cross Delaware County

• Citizen Emergency Response Team

• Citizen Corps Delaware County

• Citizen Corps Ohio

• Delaware Medical Reserve Corps

• FirstLink
  
   

Log Your Numbers into
‘Code Red’ Reverse 911

Delaware County has added a new communications tool to reach citizens in emergencies: The Code Red reverse 911 system.

Code Red allows county authorities to send recorded messages to up to 60,000 phone lines per hour. The system can be programmed to call specified geographic areas as well as the entire county. Also, Code Red can call cell phones as well as land lines. It can be a very rapid way to reach people about something like a hazardous material spill.

Although Code Red has limitations -- it won’t come across a disconnected telephone line or revive a dead cell phone battery -- it is another valuable tool to help keep Delaware County residents informed in the event of an emergency.
The Code Red system uses existing telephone directories, but residents need to log on and provide their own contact information to receive weather warnings. This also is particularly important for people with unlisted numbers or cell phones and people who have moved. By providing your cell phone number, you would get the Code Red reverse 911 call even if you aren’t home as long as you have your cell phone.

Log on to Delaware County’s web site, www.co.delaware.oh.us, to log your phone numbers and get more information about Code Red. Click on the “Code Red” button on the left side of the screen.

Important Local Emergency Information Sources & ‘Code Red’ Reverse 911