REGION 4

The Emergency Medical Service Office of the Pa. Department of Health, using funds from a Federal Health Resources Services Administration grant for public health emergency preparedness, is implementing a program for ambulance services to voluntarily participate in improving their preparedness status. This program supports improved ambulance services preparedness for response to pandemic or castastrophic casualities event that exceeds local, county, and regional resources

Robinson Emergency Medical Services is 1 of 10 EMS agencies that are taking part of the Region 4 EMS Strike Team. Each EMS agencies must commit to deploy one staff ambulance with 2 full crews for a minimum of 5 days. While the minimum requirement of 2 days travel plus 3 day duty, ambulance services may be deployed for less time or be requested for deployment for up 2 weeks

Each member of the team shall have the minimum training such as Incident Command, Unified Command, Basic Medical Response to Terrorism, Emergency Response to Terrorism, Hazmat Operation Level, Smallpoxs Training Program, EVOC, and Advance Distaster Life Support.

Friday, September 30th 2005, The Pa. Regional EMS Council Directors were notified by Mr. Joe Schmider Pa. State EMS Director, that 20 additional ambulances from Pa. had been requested by Louisiana. The request was specifially for diesel ALS ambulance s staffed by 2 paramedics and 2 EMT's each for 2 week period. The primary mission was for specialty interfacility transport of patients from the southern hospital to those further away from the devastion. Ambulance and crew were requested to be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and ready to work by Monday October 3rd

On Saturday October 1st, 9 ALS ambulances , 3 speciality vehicles that were configured to transport supplies, equipment, and communications resouces for use by the team assemble. 12 EMS agencies from Western Pa., with assistance from Regional 13 CTTF, Contributed nine ambulances 2 support vehicles, and 41 paramedics and EMT's The EMS Task Force convoy left Pittsburgh area to joined with 11 additional ambulances from the Eastern Pa. This completed to formation of the second Pennsylvania EMS Task Force requested by the state of Louisiana in less than a month.