Florida’s Plan to Team Up for Disaster Response

It’s common knowledge that Florida is often subject to severe weather like hurricanes and super storms, which is why it may sound strange that the state has no process in place for emergency management teams other than keeping “a basic roster.”
So now, Florida is creating a credential process for a statewide disaster-response team in hopes of being able to deploy about 20 people to respond to emergency management issues ranging from super storms to terrorist attacks.
“In the past, these teams have been fire-rescue-heavy, and that does not always work,” says Ashley Davis, deputy operations chief of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Aside from asking lawmakers to approve nearly $80,000 for a position that would lead the credentialing process, the state is also emphasizing the need for a team to send to other states during emergency situations to ensure that they’ll return the favor, reports Emergency Management.

“If Florida does not periodically deploy our teams out of state on mutual aid, we are less likely to receive mutual aid support from other states during a catastrophic event,” reads a division funding request.

In fact, Florida’s 2004-05 hurricane season saw assistance from 750 emergency management employees across 36 states. While the credentialing program is new, Florida’s initiative is among the first and considered “more forward-looking,” explains Aaron Gallaher, a division spokesman.
Because of Florida’s vast experience with bad storms, states often turn to Florida for help with weather emergencies, according to Davis.
“We, unfortunately, have a lot of experience,” Davis says.

MORE: Hurricane Katrina Inspired This Man to Revolutionize Emergency Housing

An App That Turns Everyday Bystanders Into Everyday Heroes

When an airplane passenger is in physical distress, the flight attendant calls through the speakers asking if medical professionals are on board. It’s a simple action that can make a huge difference. What if we could mimic this same outreach, 10,000 feet below, everyday on the ground?
That’s exactly what the smart phone app PulsePoint (for download here) makes possible, according to Emergency Management. Using the gadgets we all carry every day, municipalities that use the free mobile service are able to send out alerts to CPR-certified citizens who are nearby someone in need. In many cases, there are just a few minutes between life and death, so every second counts. By quickening response times, this app can help save lives — before an ambulance is even in sight.
PulsePoint doesn’t replace dispatched responders, but as fast as ambulances and emergency medical technicians try to arrive, they’re often not quick enough. Once 9-1-1 is dialed and the available crew is actually with the patient, it can be too late – making those that can arrive quicker a vital resource.
San Jose became the first area city to use PulsePoint in 2012 — the app’s founder and CEO, Richard Price, is from the area, having worked as an ex-fire chief of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. Since then, it’s caught on thanks to support from a local hospital and the results it provides. A local hospital is also planning a public registry of automated defibrillators through a new, related app, PulsePoint AED.
With decreasing local budgets for emergency response, increasing populations and traffic congestion, the demand for innovations like PulsePoint is greater than ever. By alerting off-duty first responders, medical professionals, and other CPR certified individuals of a nearby need, PulsePoint turns them into valuable lifesavers, all with the tap of a phone, making the app early — and effective — when time means everything.