The recent H1N1 outbreak put pandemic influenza planning and training back on the top of the list for public health departments, EMS agencies, and hospitals. The responsibility for planning and preparing belongs to all emergency responders. Every state has a state specific pandemic flu plan. Links to those plans are listed at PandemicFlu.gov.
Take a few minutes to learn about the Pandemic Flu plans and resources available from your state and use these Everyday EMS Tips as you review the information and guidelines from your state:
- How recently was the plan updated? Medicine is dynamic and pandemic plans should be updated regularly.
- Which organizations participated in the development of the plan? If a broad coaltion of organization participated in plan development training and implementation is more likely to occur.
- Does the plan have any EMS specific information? If yes, is your organization in compliance with the objectives for EMS included in the plan?
- Where can you go to find more resources during a known or suspected pandemic?
The link to the Wisconsin Pandemic plan opens a PDF document that is 2 years old. Wisconsin’s own pandemic preparedness website has up-to-date information about current events. It would be good to have both sites bookmarked.
Free Pandemic Influenza Training from RapidCE.com. Available for a limited time.
