DMAT San Diego CA-4 AUGUST  2006              Newsletter
****  Volume 14,  Number 8  ****
A deployable  Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Affiliated with the National Disaster Medical System. Founded 1991
DMAT San Diego CA-4 is a non-profit  501(c)3 public benefit corporation., registered  in the State of California.
Co-Sponsored by: UCSD Medical Center & and International Relief Teams
Mailing Address: 200 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92103-8676
24 hour Information Line: 619-543-6216
eMail address of Newsletter Editor, Jake Jacoby:     ca4cdr@san.rr.com
DMAT CA-4 WEB site: http://www.dmatca4.or

 
DMAT CA-4 Team Meeting
USNS Mercy SE Asia Humanitarian Assistance Deployment 2006

Susanna Rudy RN & Therese Rymer CFNP, COHN
International Relief Teams (IRT)
Wed., August 23, 2006
18:00 hours
DMAT Ops Center

Team meetings for the rest of the year:
Wed., September 27, 2006
Wed., October 25, 2006
Wed., November 29, 2006 (5th Wednesday, due to Thanksgiving Day)
December Holiday Party Date --to be announced.
NDMS 2007 annual Meeting, Nashville,TN March 17 to 21, 2007.
Rough  and Ready 2007 Date- to be announced.

****
 Announcements:
1) Team members should be aware of new carry-on restrictions on the airlines, as of August 10th.  No liquids, gels or make- up  are permitted.  With each passing day, other slight modifications to the policy are being made.  Despite prior suggestions that  teams may be able to bypass security during deployments, , that is not the case at all. With advance  notice to TSA, we may be able to get "facilitated" as a group, but this does not negate the travel restrictions on carry-on baggage.  Also, a 50-pound weight limit has been placed on checked baggage, down from 70 pounds, so this should be carefully considered in packing for the  August "First up month. "
2) Team members should bring checks for DMAT CA-4 dues for the July  1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 CA-4 fiscal year. If there is any quesiton of not owing dues due to prior payments, please  email your  team CDR or AdminOfficer  who cna check the current list of people already paid up for this year.  Dues remains at $20.00. Last fiscal year, DMAT CA-4 had 102 paid up  members, and  had income of $1985.00  in dues (some members had paid up for several years in the future, and thus count as paid up members, even though dues were not recevied in that fiscal year. ). This was an increase from  75 members in 2003-04 and 79 members in 2004-05. Our roster of team  members numbers over 200, and thus I would like to encourage as many of  our members as possible to support our team through our very moderate dues structure. 
3) Please make sure to print up and complete your  personal respiratory  health questionnaire and bring to the next meeting.
4) Announcement of the 2007 NDMS Annual Meeting has been made by NDMS Section Chief Jack Beall.   It will be held from  March 17 to March 21. Conference Workships will be offered March 17-18 with the Main Conference Tracks taking place March 19-21. The host hotel is the Gaylord Opryland, in Nashville, TN. Team members  who are part of our team Command Group should NOT make reservations, as they will be provided by the hotel directly.  We do not know how many positions will be available for support by NDMS, as that is dependent on the team budgets submitted, and their approval.  The Selectee of our team as Member of the Year for 2006 will be awarded air fare and hotel accommodation, as is our team tradition.  Selection of the team's Member of the Year will take place in the fall.
5) Electronic Medical Record (EMR)-Field Support Technicians (FSTs) are being sought from each team to make sure the teams take an active role in training, maintenance and field technical support of the new EMR, which has been developed by an NDMS implementation team and a contractor (Apprio, Inc.).  As Team CDR, I have been asked to submit the names of individuals with the necessary drive, expertise and desire to serve as EMR-FSTs.  Ideally we should have two people on our team to provide enough depth to cover multiple deployments. The ideal candidates must have technical prowess in communications, computers, software support and the ability to support the technical operations of the EMR.  NDMS will sponsor a Training Event to ensure that everyone has the necessary skills to make the EMR a success. If you wish to be considered, please notify me at once. I must submit names by this Friday, August 25th.
6) NDMS WEBSITE: The NDMS has a new website with much more information than ever before available to team members and Command Staff. It was up and running in beta test format at the end of June. The new website address is: http://teams.fema.gov. There are two access levels, one for general membership  and one for team leadership.   In the near future there will be an additional area containing specific deployment-related information that can be accessed by Commanders of teams  placed on Advisory, Alert, or Activation status.


****
DMAT CA-4 TEAM MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, July 26, 2006, 1800 hours

1) Welcome. Visitors and members welcomed by Jake Jacoby, Team Commander.
2) Guest:  Michael Wood, author, has apparently been detained and is unable to attend. Jake apologized to all those members who arrived early to meet with Michael before the meeting. Michael is writing a book about First Responders to Hurricane  Katrina. As a curious aside,  Mr. Wood  had informed us that  the 3-letter code for the New Orleans airport is MSY, which stood for Moissante Stock Yards.  When the airport was first built the stockyards were close by and officials thought by naming it after the stockyards, it would be easier for people to find.
3) Security & Safety
… Safety (Raymond Ha) - Raymond is not at the meeting.
… Security (Bill Phillips) 80% of the FEMA local hires after Katrina failed their background checks, vs. about 3% in the general population who would fail a background check. So far only 1 new applicant this year has had an irregularity in their background check. A Presidential Directive now requires a background check and fingerprinting of all federal employees. CA-4 purchased a fingerprint kit and Bill Phillips has been certified  by Mr. Buddy Bell, from NDMS, to obtain the prints. Members cannot be deployed without fingerprints and the background check. The new DMAT ID cards require a photo taken with a special DHS background. Those without the new ID cards can still be deployed using the old ID cards plus another form of photo ID, BUT ONLY  if they have submitted their security packet including fingerprints. ID cards will be issued at the disaster sites, and will be event-specific.
4) Operations:
Activity Reports:
a) California Wildfires.  CA-6 has contracted with CDF to deploy MD's, RN's, paramedics and EMT's on 1-3 day assignments. Teams of 6-8, headed by an MD or NP, work at the fire camps, not on the fire line. You can sign up at CA-6's web site. The pay scale is the same as for other deployments, but there may be some delay in actually receiving the money. CA-6 has its own field and  medication cache, and thus the deployments will be without federal property. If you wish to participate, you need to go to the CA-6 website: www.dmatca6.org, to sign up.
b) "USNS Mercy" Mission to SE Asia via Int'l Relief Teams. Therese Rymer, Deanna Polk, Susanne Rudy  and Hal Forney are currently deployed on 3-week assignment.
c) MEDICAL OPERATIONS.
a. Medical Record Form 559 is now available as an electronic form, and is now referred to as the "EMR." containing the same data boxes as the paper form, which can be used if the electronic version is not available at a treatment site. This will now be used for deployments when appropriate.  We will need to select two persons to be trained in the EMR, by Aug 25th, who are expected to deploy next few times, to make sure that we have people who can train the rest of the team, and troubleshoot the EMR in the field and make sure it is functioning correctly. 
b.  Bulletins from NDMS. Staffing at headquarters is increasing to more than 100 from less than 30.. New Media Policy:  Based on the After Action Report from Katrina, the media will receive a "Suggested Gear" list in order to care for themselves and not become a burden on the DMAT's, as well as "Rules of Engagement." Media are not allowed in OR's or to witness procedures. The attending MD and the patient must consent to any photos and the consent must be witnessed by the patient's attendant. The same policy applies to any teaching photos if they may be shown to the public, used in lectures or for PR. Contact Information:  Headquarters in Washington want to be able to contact everyone on the team rosters for team activation. Please contact Zona with any changes to your contact information.
5) Logistics:
*Group Reports:
1. Logistics (Dave Holland):  Forklift Training. Four of 8 people signed up actually showed up and were certified. We are receiving resupply items steadily and will be ready to load the trucks for the August first up. We received a new electric pallet jack with a scale. Now we can weigh our pallets for air deployments. Conference call: Our resupply base is Moffet Field. It has basic medical cache supplies plus MST trailers, cots, blankets. During future catastrophic deployments MST's can request hot meals, showers and laundry like we had during the Katrina deployment. MST Logs chief will have a Purchase Card, so we don't have to sit and wait for Resupply for items that can be purchased in the field. However, items  of need that are identified that are not in the cache, may be more problematic.. In New Orleans we requested 4  cases of IV fluids but received 4 truckloads of IV fluids. When we wouldn't accept the 4 truckloads, they wouldn't leave just 4 cases but took everything back.
IMSERT's - FEMA lawyers said foreign deployments, such as to Bam, Iran after their earthquake, were not legal. Currently there is new legislation being developed to authorize overseas deployments of NDMS teams, may not limited only to IMSERT's.. So make sure you get a passport if you don't already have one.
We will have tri-walls to put team luggage in if the trucks are going with the team. However, if the team is flying, you should at least take with you the 3 days worth of food and water. RUMOR:FEMA/NDMS agreement with TSA - if traveling on orders, with your FEMA ID, will be able to bypass x-ray and the metal detector and take prohibited items on board aircraft. IS NOT TRUE.  Issues with the trucks - they need upgraded wiring to support increased commo equipment. Truck repairs will now be done on-site.  Each team will have a pharmacy computer and printer with software chosen by Cdr. Bates. Also the pharmacy caches are approved and will be sent to the teams prior to deployment, rather than sent to the disaster site via FedEx or similar. The Hemacools' batteries are now operational. We need time clocks to be able to automatically have them on a regular recharging schedule.
2. Supply/Property Management (Ed Snyder) - Items already covered under Logistics.
3. Communications (Jay Thompson) -not preent. The monthly commo call is tomorrow. A new Commo Log book had been purchased, and is to be used  by all Commo Officers, to document maintenance and training activities, by date and signature.
4. Uniforms (Zona Wahrenbrock) - Already covered under Logistics.
6) Planning:
1. RESTRICTED INFORMATION.
2. Family Support Network (Patty Petterson, Ri Venuti) There will be a short meeting of those interested after the team meeting.
3. Respiratory PPE Questionnaires/Program - Jake will re-email the questionnaires. Give them to Zona after filling them out as they are due to NDMS. The team will eventually get the equipment to do fit-testing, or this will be done by Federal Occupational Health (FOH).
4. Veterinary Group:
a. VMAT Exercise will be held in Hawaii in August. Lorna Lanman is being considered as the new Commander for a Region IX  NVRT.
5. *Committee Reports:
1. Training (Sara Ontiveros) - It's highly recommended that team members complete the ICS on-line training courses numbered 100 - 400, and 700.
2. Web Site (John Johnson, Michael Sohmer ) - Our Web Site has group photo of all 42 members who were at Moffett for Rough and Ready.
3. CASS (Wahrenbrock, Paik) - Notify Zona of any changes to your telephone numbers.
4. DMAT San Diego CA-4 Fifteenth Anniversary - Tee shirts are being designed. Our first deployment was to the Northridge earthquake in 1994.. New Mexico-1 was the first team to ever deploy,  to the Virgin Islands for Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Seventy people were deployed and it took 7 days for them to arrive on-site. We have come a long was in NDMS..
7) Finance & Administration:
* Reports:
1) Admin. Officer (Wahrenbrock) - Nothing to report.
2) Financial Report:
a. State and Federal Budget updates (Jacoby) - The state budget of approximately $24,000 for 2005-06 was submitted and should be fully reimbursed. The federal budget is due 8/25. We have $72,000 balance in the team's  check book. The lease on our building is up in '07. with option for one yea r extension.We don't know whether we will be able to renew the lease or if the General Services Administration (GSA) of the Federal government will have to negotiate it. There will be a national meeting of team commanders in D.C. in 2 days. The agenda has been circulated. UCSD Hospital's newsletter had an article on Mark Reeves, our team chaplain, being named CA-4 DMAT Member of the Year. Michael Sohmer pointed out that "Pharmacy" was left off the Agenda, again. He reported that there was no new information on the P&T Committee of NDMS.
8) New Business:
A)  Proposal to create a Library Committee to computerize a data base of our books. Nancy Brown has been working on logging our books. Dave Holland mentioned that his wife is a librarian. She will be asked if there is a County Librarian's Society or Association where we could try to recruit a volunteer librarian, perhaps a retired one.
9) The meeting was adjourned at 1930 hours. 

Minutes submitted by Lois Ruble