17 East Texas Counties Join Together for Regional Preparedness

EAST TEXAS – The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG), in partnership with 46 agencies across East Texas, will host a three-day Mass Fatality Exercise April 7th through April 9th. The Tyler and Longview areas will be just two of the communities involved. This exercise will incorporate local and regional hospitals, volunteer agencies, cities, counties, school districts, and various state/federal agencies. The exercise will simulate a widespread influenza outbreak causing mass fatalities. The purpose of the full-scale exercise is to test mass fatality preparedness, to practice use of the mobile medical unit, and to train on techniques such as medication disbursement and agency coordination, according to information from ETCOG.

In the fall of 2013, ETCOG received $84,161.78 from the State Administrative Agency for mass fatality preparedness and training. Partnering with the Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council in Tyler (RAC-G), these two agencies began laying the framework to bolster the region’s response capabilities. To prepare for this week’s event, planners and regional partners met for a tabletop exercise in Palestine in April 2014. The exercise allowed ETCOG/RAC-G to obtain a base level review of regional mass fatality preparedness, according to ETCOG. The Texas Division of Emergency Management also conducted a Mass Fatality Incident Response Course in the fall of 2014, which was attended by regional partners. You can go to “News and Events” at http://www.etcog.org for more information about ETCOG and about this week’s exercise.