COUNTY EMS COORDINATOR GIVES FEMA FORUM LECTURE

JACKSON -- A training specialist for the Missouri State Bureau of Emergency Medical Services has recently returned from lecturing at a national FEMA forum in Washington, D.C.

Jim Lawrence, a resident of Cape Girardeau who works out of the Department of Health office in Jackson, lectured on a new form of disaster planning at a special meeting of the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week.

Lawrence coordinates emergency medical services programs for 25 counties in Southeast Missouri.

The presentation focused on the need for a functional approach to disaster management, which identifies key functions, tasks or objectives that must be accomplished in early hours following a catastrophic casualty-producing event in order to minimize loss of life and to better coordinate interagency operations such as those between emergency providers at the local, regional, state and federal levels.

Lawrence's proposal called for creation of a task group composed of emergency medical experts from across the United States to identify key elements that must be accomplished in various time segments after a disaster occurs. A historical review of incidents such as Hurricane Andrew, the Loma Prieta earthquake, Hurricane Iniki and various other events has revealed patterns of strengths and weaknesses in both disaster planning and operations.

By identifying these factors in a national model for disaster planning, and addressing them in local, regional and state plans, many difficulties experienced in previous events can be anticipated and contingency plans developed, said Lawrence.

Participating experts attending the meeting ranged from Department of Defense representatives and National Disaster Medical System operatives to disaster research physicians and nursing personnel.

Lawrence said his proposal was warmly received and endorsed. Proponents of the plan thus far include representatives from the Centers for Disease Control, FEMA, Pan American Health Organization and experts in disaster planning throughout the U.S., Lawrence said.

Lawrence is also serving as chairman of an ASTM national committee on disaster management and will pursue his project in a meeting in Dallas, Texas, later this month.