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SPOTLIGHT ON NEHA RESOURCES: E E!E & ""#E! !E E""
Environmental Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability Framework
National Preparedness Month is held every September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and disasters. These events can happen at any time, highlighting the importance of being ready to respond at a moment’s notice. Environmental public health is an essential component of disas- ter readiness. We partner with state, tribal, local, territorial, and national environmental public health organizations to identify needs and develop tools to assist you in preparing for and responding to natural and human-made emergencies and disasters. You can find all of our readiness resources at www.neha.org/readiness. The following are just a few of the resources we have available to help you. Wildfire Response Guide for Environmental Health Professionals
Now more than ever environ- mental public health profes- sionals are on the front lines of wildfire response and recovery. We understand that even with plenty of all-hazard planning, the reality of the environmen- tal health response to a wild- fire can be daunting. These reasons are why we created a wildfire guide just for our pro- fession: the Wildfire Response Guide for Environmental Public Health Professionals.
Credit: Image @ Adobe Stock: A Stock Studio.
In 2022, we established a community of practice to guide the development and review of environmental public health disaster readiness resources. With the support of the community of prac- tice, we began the process of developing a list of core capabilities and functions necessary for eectively responding to environmen- tal public health threats during emergencies and disasters. The draft Environmental Public Health Emergency Prepared- ness and Response Capability Framework was developed to help state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions better assess and strengthen their readiness to address core public health issues in disasters. As a guidance resource, the framework supports pub- lic health agencies in formally integrating environmental public health into their emergency preparedness, response, and recovery planning and coordination activities within the health agency. It also serves to more clearly define the roles and responsibilities of cross-sector partner organizations, further strengthening emer- gency management across the public health system. The framework is divided into 15 functional areas, with cor- responding tasks that provide a tactical-level explanation of each function that serves to protect against health threats in the envi- ronment. Explore the framework at www.neha.org/epr-framework. Disaster Readiness Simulator We are developing a Disaster Readiness Simulator that oers a revolutionary approach to preparing for the reality of concurrent disasters. The simulator enables organizations to accurately test
The guide is intended for environmental public health profes- sionals responding to a wildfire as part of an immediate response or recovery process. It provides information needed in the event of a wildfire within a jurisdiction, with potential considerations and roles for environmental public health professionals. Furthermore, the guide outlines steps that can be taken before, during, and after a wildfire event. Several guidance documents and weblinks are provided for review prior to a wildfire occurring. The guide also includes: • Response and recovery objectives for each environmental health area • Template messages • Sample forms that can be used to meet objectives • Recommended guidance documents • Suggestions for cross-sector partnerships and policies Check out the guide today at www.neha.org/epr-wildfire-resources.
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