First Responders to Get Overview of BU
Boston Public Health Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2008
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT Press Office, 617-534-2821
Boston – First responders from various city of Boston agencies, including Boston Emergency Medical Services and the fire and police departments, will be introduced to the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) at Boston University during a series of orientation sessions next week, organized by the Boston Public Health Commission.
“These sessions will give first responders a chance to spend time with NEIDL and city officials so they can become familiar with the laboratory and the coordination of standard operating procedures,’’ said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. BPHC is the regulatory agency responsible for oversight of the proposed lab, which is currently under construction. Last year, BPHC approved the strongest biological safety regulations in the nation.
The orientation sessions will take place at the lab, 620 Albany St., over a three-day period, from Wednesday, Nov. 12 through Friday, Nov.14. Dr. Ferrer pointed out that residents and workers in the area will likely see EMS, fire and police, and other public safety vehicles and staff in the vicinity of the lab on those days, and should realize that their presence is related to the orientation.
Nearly 400 first responders, including representatives from Boston Homeland Security, Boston Transportation Department, Boston Inspectional Services Department, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Boston Public Health Commission, are expected to participate in the orientation.
The sessions will be led by instructors from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., one of the nation’s leading facilitators of first-responder training. Besides providing participants with a tour and overview of the infectious diseases lab, the orientation is expected to focus on such areas as alarm systems, security, laboratory staff responsibilities, emergency decontamination and disease control, and rescue scenarios.
The orientation is part of BPHC’s plan to provide additional preparation for public health and safety first responders who are working closely with Commission staff and Boston University to ensure adherence to the biological safety regulations.
—BPHC—