Road Map toREADY
Regional Emergency Response
Advisors (RERAs)
Rick Rhodes & Jon Erwin
Florida Department of Health
Richard_Rhodes@doh.state.fl.us
Jon_Erwin@doh.state.fl.us
RERA History
• After October of 2001, it was decided that the Department of Health would
field Disaster Planning personnel as well as Disaster Operations personnel
while Logistics and Finance functions would be provided by Tallahassee.
• This would provide planning expertise at the local level where it would be
most effective as well as on-call response capabilities that many County
Health Departments also needed.
• From an Operations perspective, this decision meant that there would
always be a core group of Health Department personnel who would be
trained in exotic specialties and would be available 24 hours a day for a
wide range of response needs.
Planners? RERAs?
• County Disaster Planners are charged
mostly with Planning
• Regional Emergency Response Advisors
(RERAs) are charged mostly with
Operations
In Case of an Emergency
Break Glass…
Jackson
Gadsden
Leon
Bay
Liberty
Bruce Martin
Pensacola Regional Emergency Advisor
Gulf
Nassau
Franklin
Wakulla
Hamilton
Madison
Suwannee
Taylor
Duval
Baker
Union
Clay
Bradford
Lafayette
Gilchrist
Alachua
Putnam
Dixie
Marion
Volusia
Citrus
Ken Sturrock
Tampa Regional Emergency Advisor
Seminole
Orange
Osceola
Hillsborough
Polk
Indian River
Manatee
Sarasota
David Crowe
Orlando Regional Emergency Advisor
Lake
Pasco
Pinellas
Sandi Courson
Jacksonville Regional Emergency Advisor
Hernando
Sumter
Sam MacDonell
Tallahassee Regional Emergency Advisor
Flagler
Levy
Hardee
DeSoto
Charlotte
Lee
Okeechobee
St. Lucie
Highlands
Martin
Glades
Hendry
Collier
Richard Rhodes
Ft. Myers Regional Emergency Advisor
George Colson
Miami Regional Emergency Advisor
Brevard
Calhoun
St. Johns
Washington
Columbia
Walton
Jeffe
rson
Okaloosa
Santa Rosa
Escambia
Holmes
Palm Beach
Broward
Miami-Dade
Monroe
Who Do We Report To?
• Originally called “Regional Coordinators” and were out-posted Central
Office Personnel.
• A couple of years ago, the RERAs were administratively moved to CHDs
within our regions and our titles were changed from “Coordinator” to
“Advisor”.
• Most of the time, we report to our Regional Domestic Security Task Force
(RDSTF) Health & Medical Co-Chair.
• When the Governor declares a “State of Emergency” our command and
control switches to the Division of Emergency Medical Operations, Office
of Emergency Operations.
What Do We Do?
• Technical Advisors & Notification
• Inter-agency & Intra-agency field coordinators
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Department of Environmental Protection
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Bureaus of Laboratories and Radiation Control
Federal, State and Local Coordination
• Post-disaster Field Coordination
• Post-disaster Field Intelligence Collection
• HazMat Incident Response & Consultation
Technical Advice
• HazMat Skills
– Trained and Equipped to deal with:
• Biological, Chemical and Radiological agents
– PPE, Travel IR, Sampling kits, Radiation Monitors
• Crime Scenes
• Emergency Management Skills
– We work in County and Municipal EOCs
• Charlie, Katrina, Rita, Wilma
– Work in the State EOC and “forward commands”
• Charlie Command, Task Force Florida, Dennis MAC
Field Coordination
• Post Hurricane
– Work with both Federal and Local ESF-8 partners
• Working together has slashed request times
– Insure mission request & completion
• Work with locals during all phases of resource requests
– Provide communications
– Assist with Logistical Staging Area operations
• HazMat Incidents
– Work with local HazMat Teams
– Advise CHD personnel if necessary
– Serve on the DEP Emergency Response Team
Examples…
• Charlie
– First outside State personnel into DeSoto & Hardee
– First ESF-8 personnel into Charlotte County EOC
– Only communications asset available during the first 24 hours after
Charlie in Charlotte County
• Ivan Preparation
– Worked with FEMA and Orange County to establish the “Super
Shelter” at the Convention Center
– Established ourselves with the FEMA RNA prior to Land Fall in Ft.
Walton Beach
• Katrina
– Assigned to “Task Force Florida” to establish and conduct
operations out of Stennis NASA Center
– Advised Mississippi State Dept. of Health and MEMA on ESF-8
operations
(First EMAC Mission of the storm)
Examples…
• Rita
– Conducted most field assessments and resource
requests throughout Monroe County within 4 hours
after landfall.
• Wilma
– Established a RERA in the Collier EOC 72 Hours
Prior to land fall to assist with coordination and
preplanning of possibly needed Health and Medical
assets
– Conducted Assessments from West to East Coast and
assisted with resource requests.
• A Majority of all RERA Hurricane Missions
are conducted jointly with our Federal
Partners
• The only State agency to routinely do so
What About the Rest of the Time?
• RERA duties vary from region to region
– And RERA to RERA…
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Assist in State and Local Planning as requested
Assist in Design and Conduct of exercises
Teach classes on HazMat and ESF-8
Maintain inter-agency relationships
Maintain proficiency through classes and training
Manage special projects as assigned
– EMS PPE, Chemical Antidotes, SNS/CRI, Chempack, Med
82 radios
• Of course, we also attend meetings!
On a Quiet Day
• Coordination and assistance in response to
events that may have potential impact on
public health (eg: mercury spills, incidents
requiring evacuations, etc...)
• Many of us serve as members of the RDSTF
in positions of responsibility such as
Operations, Planning, Logistics
On a Quiet Day
• We are instructors
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Development of Rad Pager Training
Development of Mark I training
ICS Certified Train the Trainers
Some of us can teach “Response to Terrorist Bombing
Course”
• Some are members of the State Working Group
for Domestic Preparedness (SWG) and serve on
several committees within the SWG
On a Quiet Day
• Serve on committees and councils such as:
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State Community Health Surge Committee
Bio Watch Advisory Council
Local Hospital Evacuation Committees
MMRS
Regional Planning Council
Pan Flu plan Review Committee
Some were voting members for the Domestic Security
Funding Session held each year.
On a Quiet Day
• Develop and maintain systems
– EMSystem SW Florida (System Administrator)
• Public Speaking
– Community Groups
– Schools
– Other Local Agencies
• Contributors to the writing of State Level Plans
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SNS
Pan Flu Annex
EOP
Regional CHIRP
Being A RERA Isn’t Just Sitting
Around…
We Walk, Fly, Drive…
…and look sharp doing it!
Day to Day
• Interpretation of State and Grant Set Goals
– Training
• Meetings
– County Profiles
• Position Description
Day to Day
• Development of Job Action Sheets
• Equipment
– Communication
• What is really needed in a response vehicle
– Information Technology
– Response
– Vehicles
Day to Day
• POC for Tallahassee Operations
• POC for Co-Chairs
Questions?