Gaps and Useful Practices

Useful Practices in Staffing

John A. WilliamsonAdministrator

Environmental Radiation ProgramsMarch 23, 2011

Many tasks, limited personnel resources

FDOH BRC has 80 technical personnel deployed to:

SEOC 6 personnel County EOC 6 personnel Mobile Lab 21 personnel Field Teams 23 personnel Incident Command Facility 24 personnel

Available for public monitoring -0- personnel

Volunteers?

Post Hurricane Andrew ‘92 - Florida requires volunteers to register – unregistered (spontaneous) volunteers will not be used in emergencies

Registration allows the state to assure that volunteers are qualified Registration allows the state to assure that only those needed will

be called Registered volunteers are covered by state liability insurance and

good Samaritan laws But what type of volunteers should we be recruiting? And how? Training needs?

Volunteers! >22K certified radiographers, xray techs, medical health physicists,

nuclear med techs, radiation therapists form a large potential pool of volunteers

Many other industrial, governmental and academic HP’s and RSO’s Already trained in basic rad safety Many with experience in personnel decon Use Medical Reserve Corps to set up a subset: Radiation Response

Volunteer Corps Outreach to FL Chapters of HPS, AAPM, FL NMT Society, FL

Society of Rad Techs Start Registering Volunteers!

Volunteer Training Use local MRC regions to set up training (CDC-CRCPD grant

funded) Use Training staff of BRC to develop curriculum (4 hour didactic/3 hr

hands on) Hands on uses equipment Use Training staff and Professional staff to present training to MRCs To Date: 320+ personnel trained

Volunteer Training CDC Preparedness Grant

1.5 Day Radiation Emergency Medicine provided by REAC/TS 12 sessions in 2010,6 in 2011 Courses in all areas of the state Included presentation on MRC volunteer program 342 personnel trained in 2010

Volunteer Training CDC Preparedness Grant

35 education stipends provided for 3.5 day Radiation Emergency Medicine Course in Oak Ridge

15 education stipends provided for 4.5 day Health Physics in Radiation Accidents course in Oak Ridge

50 education stipends provided for 8 hour Internal Dose Assessment course in Orlando Included copy of NCRP 161 Presentations by Nolan Hertel of Ga Tech, Wes Bolch of UF, REAC/TS

Questions?

John WilliamsonAdministrator, Environmental Radiation Programs

Bureau of Radiation Control

Florida Department of Health

407-297-2096

John_Williamson@doh.state.fl.us

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/radiation/index.html