By COL(MD) Robert Hastings
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
18 June 2009
BALTIMORE - Ten members of the Maryland Defense Force and Maryland National Guard have earned the Military Emergency Management Specialist (MEMS) qualification badge. The award of the MEMS badge recognizes an individual’s completion of a challenging program of study preparing them to effectively operate in a local or statewide emergency operation.
Qualification can be earned as a Basic, Senior or Master Military Emergency Management Specialist.
The following personnel earned the Master MEMS qualification:
-Col. (MD) Charles Nalls
-Lt. Col. (MD) Donald Alves
-Lt. Col. (MD) Michael Shrank
The following personnel earned the Basic MEMS qualification:
-Lt. Col. (MD) Ronald Roberts
-Lt. Col. (MDANG) Todd Melton
-Maj. (MD) Raymond Bocelli
-Cpt. (MD) Chon Gann
-Cpt. (MD) Ryan Gross
-Cpt. (MD) Michael Sheffer
-First Lt. (MD) Isadore Beattie
“We are tremendously proud of the members of the Maryland Defense Force and National Guard who have stepped up to earn this qualification,” said Brig. Gen. Courtney Wilson, commanding general of the Maryland Defense Force. “Their new skills and knowledge increase the operational competency of the Maryland Military Department and will directly benefit the citizens of our State and Nation.”
Individuals recognized with Basic MEMS qualification have an operational understanding of the principles of emergency management, including mitigation, preparedness, emergency response and recovery and have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to effectively work within a comprehensive emergency management operation.
After completion of the Senior MEMS curriculum, participants understand the principles of emergency management including the National Response Framework, National Incident Management System and Incident Command System, have completed the FEMA Emergency Management Institute Independent Study Program Professional Development Series, and have mastered the knowledge necessary to act as a manager within an incident response.
Personnel earning the Master MEMS qualification have demonstrated the knowledge necessary to teach advanced level principles of emergency management and to act as a high-level manager within a complex incident response.
The Military Emergency Management Specialist Academy was established by the State Guard Association of the United States in 1998 to promote and advance the practice of emergency management among the various State Guards (State Defense Forces, State Military Reserve, or similar terms) and other government recognized uniformed and first responder organizations.
The Academy qualification program fully complies with current U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Administration, Incident Command System, National Incident Management System, National Response Framework and Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5 requirements for training of emergency management personnel.
Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.
MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.
For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
MDDF Mass Casualty Exercise
By CPL (MD) Allison Hastings
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
10 June 2009
Towson, Md. - The Maryland Defense Force’s 10th Medical Regiment participated in a major multi-agency disaster exercise at Towson University on April 17. This was the MDDF’s second year participating in the event hosted by the university’s College of Health Professions and involved students, faculty, local emergency services, the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland State Police, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Baltimore County Medical Emergency Task and several state and community agencies.
The exercise scenario involved a powerful tornado striking the university and surrounding areas of Towson, creating hundreds of casualties which quickly overwhelmed local first responders and emergency rooms. In real life, Towson University functions as a surge site or “overflow” site in the event of a Baltimore-area mass casualty crisis. The scenario is realistic - in 2001 a tornado rolled across College Park killing two people and injuring more than 50.
The exercise involved some 700 participants, including 500 Towson University students who volunteered to be “casualties.” Among the 67 MDDF participants who provided both medical and operational support to the exercise were 32 doctors, physician’s assistants and nurses.
“One of the unique capabilities of the MDDF is our ability to deploy organized teams of doctors and nurses into an emergency field situation, as in this scenario,” said Brig. Gen. (MD) Courtney Wilson, MDDF commander.
MDDF personnel were responsible for a number of tasks to include triage instruction, medical support to injured victims and nursing students, mental health support and referrals, security, communications, and establishing an operations center and a field treatment center.
One of the primary objectives of the exercise was to train Towson’s nursing students in triage and to expose them to a realistic and demanding mass causality situation.
“Mission one was training and exposing the young nursing students at the department of nursing at Towson to disaster triage,” said Col. (MD) Wayne Nelson, Jr., deputy commander of the 10th Medical Regiment of the Maryland Defense Force. “They get very little exposure in school and we are one of the few programs in the country that gives them this kind of real life exposure to the five-star disaster triage process.”
MDDF medical personnel taught the nursing students the proper execution of the triage process and reviewed each student’s assessment and treatment plans for the victims. Defense force members were also responsible for carrying out open communications with National Guard members both on the ground and in the air and ensuring that the premise was safe at all times.
Although this was a training exercise, the MDDF has done it for real before. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, MDDF deployed some 250 medical volunteers to Louisiana for 18 days where they established six treatment centers and treated more than 7000 patients.
Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.
MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.
For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
10 June 2009
Towson, Md. - The Maryland Defense Force’s 10th Medical Regiment participated in a major multi-agency disaster exercise at Towson University on April 17. This was the MDDF’s second year participating in the event hosted by the university’s College of Health Professions and involved students, faculty, local emergency services, the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland State Police, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Baltimore County Medical Emergency Task and several state and community agencies.
The exercise scenario involved a powerful tornado striking the university and surrounding areas of Towson, creating hundreds of casualties which quickly overwhelmed local first responders and emergency rooms. In real life, Towson University functions as a surge site or “overflow” site in the event of a Baltimore-area mass casualty crisis. The scenario is realistic - in 2001 a tornado rolled across College Park killing two people and injuring more than 50.
The exercise involved some 700 participants, including 500 Towson University students who volunteered to be “casualties.” Among the 67 MDDF participants who provided both medical and operational support to the exercise were 32 doctors, physician’s assistants and nurses.
“One of the unique capabilities of the MDDF is our ability to deploy organized teams of doctors and nurses into an emergency field situation, as in this scenario,” said Brig. Gen. (MD) Courtney Wilson, MDDF commander.
MDDF personnel were responsible for a number of tasks to include triage instruction, medical support to injured victims and nursing students, mental health support and referrals, security, communications, and establishing an operations center and a field treatment center.
One of the primary objectives of the exercise was to train Towson’s nursing students in triage and to expose them to a realistic and demanding mass causality situation.
“Mission one was training and exposing the young nursing students at the department of nursing at Towson to disaster triage,” said Col. (MD) Wayne Nelson, Jr., deputy commander of the 10th Medical Regiment of the Maryland Defense Force. “They get very little exposure in school and we are one of the few programs in the country that gives them this kind of real life exposure to the five-star disaster triage process.”
MDDF medical personnel taught the nursing students the proper execution of the triage process and reviewed each student’s assessment and treatment plans for the victims. Defense force members were also responsible for carrying out open communications with National Guard members both on the ground and in the air and ensuring that the premise was safe at all times.
Although this was a training exercise, the MDDF has done it for real before. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, MDDF deployed some 250 medical volunteers to Louisiana for 18 days where they established six treatment centers and treated more than 7000 patients.
Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.
MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.
For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
MDDF Band Honors Veterans
By CPL (MD) Allison Hastings
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
1 June 2009
BALTIMORE - The newly formed Maryland Defense Force (MMDF) Band played in two events honoring America’s veterans this Memorial Day weekend. The Band provided ceremonial support for the dedication of Patriots Plaza in Towson and for the 20th Anniversary of the Maryland Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Baltimore.
In Towson on May 22nd the band played at the dedication and renaming of the Towson Court Plaza; now known as Patriots Plaza. The dedication brought out many top officials, to include Brig. Gen. James Adkins, the adjutant general of Maryland, James Smith, the county executive for Baltimore County, as well as a number of veterans of the 29th Infantry Division.
On May 25th the band performed at the 20th Anniversary of the Maryland Vietnam Veterans Memorial ceremony which was attended by many veterans and their families as well as current political and military officials. Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley spoke at the event honoring veterans along with Brig. Gen. (MD) Courtney Wilson, commander of the Maryland Defense Force and Brig. Gen. Allyson Solomon, Maryland’s assistant adjutant general-Air.
“The men and women of the Maryland Defense Force are all tremendously proud to be part of these events honoring our fallen veterans and their families,” said Brig. Gen. Wilson. “Our nation is indebted to those who have given the full measure in defense of our freedom.”
The Defense Force Band is directed by Maj. (MD) Jari Villanueva. The band was first authorize late last year and was fully operational in March for their first performance at the Annual MDDF Muster. Currently the band has 24 members and is seeking to expand to 40 members total in the coming months. Opportunities exist for any qualified MDDF members especially within the woodwind section.
“The Maryland Defense Force Band is honored to be part of the many ceremonies that recognize the great accomplishments of this nation’s veterans,” said Maj. Villanueva. “We stand ready to support the citizens of Maryland and our partners the Maryland National Guard wherever and whenever needed.”
Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.
MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.
For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org
For more information about the MDDF band go to www.mddfband.org
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
1 June 2009
BALTIMORE - The newly formed Maryland Defense Force (MMDF) Band played in two events honoring America’s veterans this Memorial Day weekend. The Band provided ceremonial support for the dedication of Patriots Plaza in Towson and for the 20th Anniversary of the Maryland Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Baltimore.
In Towson on May 22nd the band played at the dedication and renaming of the Towson Court Plaza; now known as Patriots Plaza. The dedication brought out many top officials, to include Brig. Gen. James Adkins, the adjutant general of Maryland, James Smith, the county executive for Baltimore County, as well as a number of veterans of the 29th Infantry Division.
On May 25th the band performed at the 20th Anniversary of the Maryland Vietnam Veterans Memorial ceremony which was attended by many veterans and their families as well as current political and military officials. Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley spoke at the event honoring veterans along with Brig. Gen. (MD) Courtney Wilson, commander of the Maryland Defense Force and Brig. Gen. Allyson Solomon, Maryland’s assistant adjutant general-Air.
“The men and women of the Maryland Defense Force are all tremendously proud to be part of these events honoring our fallen veterans and their families,” said Brig. Gen. Wilson. “Our nation is indebted to those who have given the full measure in defense of our freedom.”
The Defense Force Band is directed by Maj. (MD) Jari Villanueva. The band was first authorize late last year and was fully operational in March for their first performance at the Annual MDDF Muster. Currently the band has 24 members and is seeking to expand to 40 members total in the coming months. Opportunities exist for any qualified MDDF members especially within the woodwind section.
“The Maryland Defense Force Band is honored to be part of the many ceremonies that recognize the great accomplishments of this nation’s veterans,” said Maj. Villanueva. “We stand ready to support the citizens of Maryland and our partners the Maryland National Guard wherever and whenever needed.”
Headquartered at the Pikesville Military Reservation in Baltimore, the Maryland Defense Force is a volunteer uniformed state military agency organized under the Maryland Military Department. Formally established by the Maryland legislature in 1917, the unit's heritage and traditions trace back to the 17th century.
MDDF is one of a number of State Defense Forces authorized by the U.S. Congress under Title 32 and the respective state legislatures. While specific missions vary from state to state, State Defense Forces exist primarily to augment the capabilities of the National Guard. Employing volunteers who bring military experience and/or civilian professional skills, they supplement the capabilities of the National Guard, assist in National Guard mobilization for federal service, replace National Guard assets deployed out-of-state, and support state homeland security missions. State Defense Forces operate under the command of the Governor, as state Commander-in-Chief, and fall under the operational control of the state Adjutant General. State Defense Forces receive no federal funds and are supported entirely by the state.
For more information about the Maryland Defense Force, go to www.mddefenseforce.org
For more information about the MDDF band go to www.mddfband.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
