8:30 am to 3:30 pm

DISTANT STORM 2012 full-scale exercise will simulate the reception of hospitalized patients from non-functioning hospitals in a disaster zone.  In the exercise, 40 simulated patients will be flown by US Air Force aircraft to Westover Air Reserve Base and will be distributed to Western Massachusetts Hospitals and Medical Centers under the umbrella of the National Disaster Medical System.  This exercise was developed to test the Springfield Metropolitan Medical Response System’s capability to assemble a patient reception team, establish a unified command, triage, stabilize, regulate and transport patients received via military airlift at Westover Air Reserve Base from the site of a disaster impacted area.

Since this exercise takes place at a military facility and at selected hospitals, participation and observation is limited.

For more information, please contact Robert J. Hassett, Springfield Metropolitan Medical Response System, at rhassett@springfieldcityhall.com or (413) 787-6720.

8:30 am to 4:30 pm

EMS Response to the Active Shooter is sponsored by the Sunderland Fire Department and will be taught by STS Consulting – EMS Tactical Training. Participants will learn how to be aware of a potential active shooter incident and how to respond to an active shooter in progress. After classroom/lecture time, participants will head into stations and will perform the skills learned from the classroom time. Some of the topics covered include:

• History of the active shooter
• Lessons learned
• Pre-planning
• Static vs. dynamic medical teams

For more information, please contact Lieutenant James Tower at fire@townofsunderland.us or (413) 665-2465.

10 am to 12 pm

This exercise has been postponed and will be rescheduled. Please contact Carolyn Ness with any questions at (413) 774-5824 or acornhillfarm@hotmail.com.

The purpose of this Exercise is to increase the involvement of amateur radio operators in emergency back-up communications for local Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) and to provide an opportunity for hospitals, EOCs, and the ham radio community to formalize and strengthen their communication relationships.

In this exercise scenario, a severe ice storm has struck the region, jeopardizing the delivery of an oxygen tank to an area hospital. Under this scenario, each hospital could contact via ham radio local EOCs for road conditions and closures update, so that each hospital could successfully complete the oxygen tank delivery.  Area hospitals are generally ham radio capable, but not all local communities have ham radio capability. This exercise offers the chance for each Western Massachusetts community to identify and reach out to amateur radio operators and to involve them in emergency back-up communications.

This Exercise may qualify as a DPH deliverable. For more information and to sign up for this exercise, please contact:

Carolyn Ness: Deerfield Selectboard Member and Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council Member: (413) 774-5824 or acornhillfarm@hotmail.com

OR

Chris Myers, Shelburne EMD and Franklin County Ham Radio Club President: (413) 625-0344 or camyers_1@verizon.net