Long Island Emergency Planning Team

John Auerbach Team Award for Innovations in Public Health

In April 2008, Dr. Ferrer asked for an emergency evacuation plan for Long Island, to be completed by the opening of Camp Harbor View on June 30th . Long Island is home to 4 BPHC programs, Camp Harbor View, and nine additional community programs. During peak periods, there can be as many as 1,500 clients, staff and visitors on the Island. Long Island is connected to the mainland by a bridge, nearly 2/3 miles long. The deteriorated condition of the bridge requires periodic closures, and the weight capacity of the bridge has been permanently lowered to allow only small- to mid-size vehicles to pass.

The team that assembled included key partners from both within the Commission and the community. Internal representatives included the Division of Emergency Preparedness, Office of Public Health Preparedness, DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness, Boston EMS, Long Island Shelter, BPHC Security, BPHC Property Management and Administration. External partners included the Mayors Office of Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Management, Boys and Girls Club of Boston, Boston Police Department, and Boston MedFlight.

The Workgroup created short and long term goals. The short term goal was to develop plan to evacuate Camp Harbor Views campers and staff off the Island, in the event that the Long Island Bridge is closed. The long term goal was to plan the safe and effective evacuation of the entire island. These goals required close collaboration among all the partners.

On June 30 the Workgroup delivered a preliminary plan to Dr. Ferrer. This plan defines the various roles and responsibilities for conducting a safe and orderly evacuation via bridge or water of Camp Harbor View, including emergency medical air evacuation. The Workgroup also developed a checklist to prepare all the programs on the Island to participate in an evacuation or to shelter-in-place while waiting for evacuation. This innovative approach brings together the expertise of the public safety, emergency management and public health preparedness expertise of the Workgroup with the essential knowledge of client needs and program strengths within the individual programs on Long Island.

[Video by Margaux Joffe, Boston Public Health Commission]

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• emergency
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[Aandunno]

Awesome Work