Tweet
KILLINGTON ? The theme of the second annual Vermont Emergency Preparedness Conference held Tuesday at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel evolved to address a state and world response to the H1N1 flu, a top organizer said.
"This is an evolution and here are the resources for you," said Ross Nagy, on the purpose of this year's conference geared toward informing state and local emergency management directors and first responders on what to do during times of crisis in their municipalities.
Nagy is the deputy director for preparedness and planning with Vermont Emergency Management.
In rural Vermont, typically the top local emergencies are structure fires and, at the state level, flooding, Nagy said.
But the state's newest threat is H1N1, or swine flu, and a morning session by Vermont Health Commissioner Wendy Davis and Brant Goode of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was standing-room-only.
Anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of Americans are expected to get infected with swine flu, according to Goode.
The main difference between the seasonal flu and swine flu is that people older than 65 aren't getting it and aren't a priority for the state's first wave of swine flu vaccines, Davis said.
Davis said now that Vermont has declared the virus widespread among its population, local responders act as key mediators between their neighbors and the state.
"They can take the information back and share it in their communities," Davis said. "People trust their local faces."
The state health department recently completed an emergency process allowing local emergency medical technicians and paramedics to administer flu vaccines if nurses or other medical personnel run short, according to Davis.
Other topics discussed at the conference included the amount of damage to public property before the federal government grants Vermont money to rebuild, the nature of ice-storm deaths, and police search-and-rescue operations.
But the most highly attended sessions during the conference were flu-related.
In October, 31 percent, or more than 1,300 calls, to Vermont 2-1-1 ? the state's nonemergency secondary response line typically used for information on where to get food, shelter and other services after emergencies ? were about swine flu, said Director MaryEllen Mendl.
"There's just a lot of questions," Mendl said.
For more details on this year's conference or emergency management resources, go to www.dps.state.vt.us/vem
cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com
"This is an evolution and here are the resources for you," said Ross Nagy, on the purpose of this year's conference geared toward informing state and local emergency management directors and first responders on what to do during times of crisis in their municipalities.
Nagy is the deputy director for preparedness and planning with Vermont Emergency Management.
In rural Vermont, typically the top local emergencies are structure fires and, at the state level, flooding, Nagy said.
But the state's newest threat is H1N1, or swine flu, and a morning session by Vermont Health Commissioner Wendy Davis and Brant Goode of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was standing-room-only.
Anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of Americans are expected to get infected with swine flu, according to Goode.
The main difference between the seasonal flu and swine flu is that people older than 65 aren't getting it and aren't a priority for the state's first wave of swine flu vaccines, Davis said.
Davis said now that Vermont has declared the virus widespread among its population, local responders act as key mediators between their neighbors and the state.
"They can take the information back and share it in their communities," Davis said. "People trust their local faces."
The state health department recently completed an emergency process allowing local emergency medical technicians and paramedics to administer flu vaccines if nurses or other medical personnel run short, according to Davis.
Other topics discussed at the conference included the amount of damage to public property before the federal government grants Vermont money to rebuild, the nature of ice-storm deaths, and police search-and-rescue operations.
But the most highly attended sessions during the conference were flu-related.
In October, 31 percent, or more than 1,300 calls, to Vermont 2-1-1 ? the state's nonemergency secondary response line typically used for information on where to get food, shelter and other services after emergencies ? were about swine flu, said Director MaryEllen Mendl.
"There's just a lot of questions," Mendl said.
For more details on this year's conference or emergency management resources, go to www.dps.state.vt.us/vem
cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com
