![]() ![]() In Missouri and neighboring states, tornadoes are common. The first lesson that continues to inspire her is to prepare for emergency responses before emergencies strike. The course runs the gamut of all the activities that are within the scope of environmental health response.”ĮHTER Principles Guide Emergency Responseīennett captures well the specific EHTER lessons that trained her for the tornado response. ![]() “They do not have the dramatic search and rescue role, but without them, how do you get things back to normal? How do you make things safe?” She adds, “EHTER gives students access to all the jobs environmental health practitioners can do in disasters-from supervising tetanus shots to manning shelters during an ice storm. “Environmental health workers are vital in disasters,” she says. It wasn’t long before Bennett recognized how essential environmental public health practice is. Because no emergency response positions were open, she accepted a job as a public health inspector, first in Arkansas and a year later in Missouri. She began her career with an emergency response internship in her home state of Arkansas, hoping to move into a job when her internship was over. As an environmental health practitioner in the Springfield-Greene County Health Department (HD), Bennett was part of the emergency response to the nearby 2011 Joplin, MO, tornado that killed 160 people, wounded over 1000 and left a ¾ mile path of destruction.Įnvironmental Health Workers Vital in Disaster Responseīennett did not originally plan to work in environmental health. When Amanda Bennett took CDC’s Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER) at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, AL in 2010, she had no idea that she would be putting these lessons to good use in a year’s time-almost in her own back yard. Environmental health staff from Springfield-Greene County Health Department who responded to Joplin tornado include, from left to right, front: Lisa Brenneman, Laura Wingo middle: Sarah Limb, Amanda Bennett, Roxanne Sharp back: Cathy Johnson, Tom Flowers, Eric Marcol. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |