From: Hammond, Judy <jhammond@ceo.lacounty.gov>
Date: Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 6:33 AM
Subject: Medical Support Unit Added to Disaster Response Fleet
To: "Hammond, Judy" <jhammond@ceo.lacounty.gov>
For Immediate Release Contact:
Thuy Banh, EMS Agency
(323) 890-8483
L.A. County Adds Medical Support Unit to Disaster Response Fleet
Support unit will be deployed with ambulance strike teams in the event of a disaster
LOS ANGELES (June 18, 2008)—As part of the California Emergency Medical Services Authority's effort to place disaster support vehicles strategically throughout the state, Los Angeles County's Emergency Medical Services Agency recently accepted one of 25 disaster medical support units (DMSU) that will be transferred to local jurisdictions by the end of the year. The DMSUs transport medical supplies that could potentially treat hundreds of patients and will directly assist ambulance strike teams that are deployed in a disaster.
"Disasters can happen anywhere and an ambulance strike team's ability to provide treatment at the incident location is essential for effective medical response," said Cathy Chidester, acting director of the county's Emergency Medical Services Agency. "The support unit will help with initial response efforts not only in Los Angeles but throughout Southern California as well."
Ambulance strike teams provide immediate medical response to disaster situations and can be used for first aid sites, shelters, command posts, and mobile field hospitals. They are composed of five ambulances, either basic life support or advanced life support, and one supervisor vehicle. In addition to responding to local mass casualty incidents, they can be activated as part of mutual aid requests.
The disaster medical support unit will travel with the strike teams and provide supplies and equipment that allow them to be self-sufficient for 72 hours, such as:
- Incident command and triage support equipment;
- Waterproof tarps, treatment area flags, and barricade tape;
- Adult and pediatric airway supplies and trauma kits;
- Stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs;
- Infection control and personal protective equipment;
- Oxygen cylinders and patient transfer litters;
- A generator, emergency radios and flood lights.
The DMSU joins a fleet of disaster response vehicles that include a 100-bed mobile hospital, a mobile clinic, a mobile Disaster Operations Center, and two decontamination trailers. Two additional DMSUs will be housed by Schaefer Ambulance Service and Westmed/McCormick Ambulance for a total of three DMSUs in Los Angeles County.
About the Los Angeles County EMS Agency
As a division of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, the EMS Agency is responsible for managing the county's medical 9-1-1 system, which includes fire departments, law enforcement agencies, ambulance companies, and hospitals. Los Angeles County has the largest multi-jurisdictional emergency medical services system in the nation and handles over 600,000 medical 9-1-1 calls a year.
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Michael Higby
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