All standing August meetings of the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council have been cancelled.
This includes: WRHSAC, Training & Exercise subcommittee, Pan Flu Planning Subcommittee, and the Western Massachusetts Regional Interoperability Committee.
Regular meeting schedule resumes in September.
Have a happy summer!
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council will host a Pediatric Psychological First Aid (PFA) Training on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at the Hadley Farms Meeting House in Hadley, MA. This training is an initiative of WRHSAC’s Children in Disasters: Keeping Kids Safe project.
Pediatric Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence informed approach for assisting children and adolescents in the aftermath of disasters and terrorism.
This course will be facilitated by members of PFA International, including Dr. Kermit Crawford, Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health, Boston; Dr. Shamaila Khan, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Massachusetts Resiliency Center, Boston; and Dr. Russell T. Jones, from Virginia Tech University, a specialist in working with traumatized children.
This training is appropriate for first responders, all school staff especially teachers & nurses, hospital staff, counselors & therapists, day care providers, faith-based members, and others who interact with children, infants through teenagers, on a regular basis.
Handlers and nationally certified comfort dogs from HOPE: Animal Assisted Crisis Response will be attending. WRHSAC is grateful for their participation.
This training is free. A light breakfast and full lunch will be provided. On-site registration begins at 8am. The training will begin promptly at 9am.
We encourage you to register soon as course size is limited to 100. The course is expected to fill quickly. Registration is open to individuals from western Massachusetts. A waitlist will be started once the course if full.
OEMS credits (7 hours) have been approved for all levels of EMT. Nursing CEUs are pending.
This training is full. Thank you for your interest.
WRHSAC has updated our interactive resource/equipment map. This online map provides quick information regarding WRHSAC purchased equipment, including a brief description of the equipment, equipment location, and contact information to borrow the equipment. You can filter displayed equipment by location or by equipment type.
The interactive map is a great tool to use to become familiar with all the equipment that is available to be borrowed throughout western Massachusetts. The equipment is free to borrow, however some expenses may be incurred to replace used fuel, anything damaged, and anything considered expendable. Full borrowing information can be found in the downloadable resource guide.
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council (WRHSAC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), hosted an informational symposium on active shooter incidents in March at the Deerfield Academy. More than 600 people from throughout western Massachusetts representing multiple disciplines including, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, hospitals, schools, colleges and businesses, attended the event.
Participants heard lessons learned from incident commanders involved with previous active shooter incidents. Presenters included:
Connecticut State Police Lt. David DelVecchia and Captain Joe Rios, of the Newtown Connecticut Police Department who together discussed the response, investigation logistics, and post-incident management of the shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
Chief David Billings, Manchester Connecticut Fire Department reviewed the first responder response to the 2010 Hartford Beer Distributor incident offering specific considerations for Fire and EMS at active shooter incidents.
Special FBI Agent Thomas Veivia examined demonstrated shooter behavior patterns and possible warning signs of potential shooters.
Nationally certified Comfort Dogs and their handlers from HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response also attended. The dogs visited with attendees and offered assistance to those who may have been emotionally affected by the day’s discussions.
The symposium was well received by attendees, with many noting how much they garnered from the lessons learned, and their appreciation for the care and respect of incident survivors and victims demonstrated by the presenters.
WRHSAC is reviewing attendee feedback with an eye towards next steps regarding this topic and anticipates conducting more events and trainings to assist the region’s preparedness capabilities to prevent and respond to active shooter incidents.
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council (WRHSAC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Springfield, MA Field Office invite you to a one-day informational symposium on active shooter incidents on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. 8:30am to 4:30pm. The symposium is open to professionals living or working in western Massachusetts. Registration is required (see below for registration information).
Presenters will share take-aways in the areas of recommended response actions for public safety responders, organizations and businesses. Participants are encouraged to take advantage of the event to build relationships for collaboration in preparing for and managing incidents.
The FBI will present their educational video “The Coming Storm”. The video dramatizes the occurrence and aftermath of a campus shooting, weaving within the story the best practices and lessons learned from active shooter incidents that have occurred throughout the United States. In addition to the video, FBI Special Agent Thomas Veivia will discuss some recognized patterns of behavior and warning signs demonstrated by shooters prior to events.
Lt. David DelVecchia, Connecticut State Police and Captain Joseph Rios, Newtown, CT, Police Department will discuss the response to, the logistics of the investigation and post incident management of the tragedy which occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012.
Chief David Billings, Manchester, CT, Fire Department will discuss the Hartford Beer Distribution incident which occurred on August 3, 2010 and review specific considerations for Fire/EMS when responding to active shooter incidents
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) will provide an overview of current preparedness and response activities throughout the Commonwealth.
Intended Audience
Public Safety professionals, first responders, hospital professionals/security, school administrators, faculty and security from pre-school through higher education, school resource officers, faithbased organizations, businesses, public and elected officials, large venue/event organizers, and chambers of commerce who live or work within the four counties of Western Massachusetts. People registering from outside of western Massachusetts will automatically be placed on a waitlist. Two weeks prior to the event, if space allows, people on the waitlist will be accepted and notified of registration.
The event is free and food will be provided (breakfast pastries/fruit, hot lunch and beverages). Parking is free.
WRHSAC and the FBI wish to thank the Deerfield Academy for hosting this regionally important event.
Registration for this event is full and closed.
**Thank you for your interest in this course. The course is full. We are no longer accepting registration**
What if a catastrophic event occurs? Will you be ready? Will you need a special level of protection? Is decontamination necessary? Do you have the right medications?
Medical Management of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives, (CBRNE) Events answers these questions and more as you learn how to distinguish between different agents of concern that could be used in a major incident.
This two-day course is a combination of facilitated discussions, small-group exercises, Human Patient Simulator hands-on scenarios, and traditional classroom discussions. Exercises are conducted in a CBRNE scenario using both adult and pediatric Human Patient Simulators to reinforce classroom lectures and interaction. You must attend both days to receive a certificate.
This course promotes critical thinking skills while utilizing the RAPID-Care concept. The multi-discipline make-up of the participants helps to strengthen information sharing, communications, and medical surge capabilities.
This course is taught by Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services. The course is free. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration will begin at 8:30am. Class begins at 9am and will end by 5pm each day. The training will be held at The Red Barn at Hampshire College, 893 West Street, Amherst, MA.
This training is appropriate for the following disciplines:
It is recommended that you take the following online course prior to attending this training:
OEMS credit of 16 hours for all levels of EMT/Paramedic have been approved. 16 hours of Dispatcher credit are available from the State 911 Department. Nursing credits are available through TEEX. Information will be provided in the course.
Class size is limited to 40 participants. This class is full.
WRHSAC Meeting on September 27, 2016 at 10am
Please note the meeting location!
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council is sponsoring Rapid Medical Response to Disturbances in Jails & Courts Training. The second session of this training will be held at the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office on January 25, 2016.
Participation is limited to 24 people, and priority will be given to Correctional Staff and Court Officers working in the four counties of western Mass.
This particular course will look at the facilities staff response to a disturbance and how to best respond to the medical emergencies that emerge from the event. This course is aimed at the Court Officers, SERT/TRT, Correctional Officers, Correctional Nurses, and their Supervisors (Sergeant, Lieutenants and Captains) that would respond to the event. In an event such as this, time is a crucial factor as well and security, and coordinating with external responding resources such as the State Police, Fire Departments and third service ambulance providers. Course participants will learn about previous cases in history, how to medically respond to the situation by treating the most severely injured and then starting the triage system to sort the injured. In most of these disturbances the injuries are going to be trauma (blunt trauma, penetrating wounds, impaled objects and hemorrhaging). This course will concentrate on treating these types of injuries and helping the provider to feel more comfortable in treating these injuries and working in the triage system.
The course will be taught by Eric Stratton of STS Consulting/Tactical EMS.
To sign up for the course please go to www.tactical-ems.com. Go to register, fill out all the information and under comments put WCC Grant Course.
Our friends and partners of the Northern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee received an FEMA 2015 Individual and Community Preparedness Heroes Award for their regional based work. Members of the REPC went to Washington DC to receive the award.
In the nomination application for the award, NBREPC acknowledges their work with the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council and specifically the Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) project. NBREPC is the first organization in western Mass to adopt the MACC concept. They have activated the MACC several times in North Berkshire in response to incidents in their area.
Check out the iBerkshires article for more information and some pictures.
This four hour training was developed for first responders, especially fire and EMS personnel, to help understand how to identify a crime scene and how to take appropriate actions to minimize contamination whole providing patient care. There are four session in Western Mass. being offered. Click on the link below for more information and to be able to register.
