EMS responders attend Homeland Security course in Alabama

Not everyone can say they are well prepared for a natural disaster or even a terrorist attack.

But Beth Riley and Jerry McCullough, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders at Banner Churchill Community Hospital, can say they’re ready. Both Riley and McCullough recently attended the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala. The Center is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Riley and McCullough, along with other healthcare professionals from around the country, received advanced training on incident management, mass casualty response and emergency response during a catastrophic natural disaster and terrorist attack.

“This class was amazing,” Riley said. “We learned about hospital decontamination and we plan on going back to learn more.”

Thankfully, nothing as serious as a natural disaster or terrorist attack has happened in Northern Nevada that would require Riley, McCullough and their colleagues to respond. But according to the center, these training exercises provide them with the advanced hands-on training they need to effectively prevent, respond to and recover from real-world incidents that involve acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials. Both Riley and McCullough hope to use this knowledge to educate their EMS colleagues in case they are involved in any type of these emergency situations.

Riley said, “This training has better prepared us for our jobs and we really appreciate the opportunity to learn more about these types of emergency situations. We have more knowledge on how to handle mass casualty incidents that involve Haz-Mat situations.”