Service Response Force

Level IV The Chemical Casualty Site Team (CCST) is provided by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. This team provides clinical consultation and subject-matter experts in chemical casualty care. In addition, a veterinarian may be a designated member of this team. During the initial phases of an exercise, concern is primarily for casualties. In previous service response force exercises, however, many questions have also been asked about the safety of livestock, pets, and wildlife. The veterinarian has proven to be an extremely valuable source of information and an asset to this team. 

The installation commander looks initially to the IMA for medical support and advice. If the chemical accident or incident exceeds the capability of the installation, a Service Response Force (SRF) is provided to assume control of the situation. The SRF surgeon assumes operational control of the MRT,... 

DOD Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, EPA Environmental Response Team, EPA Emergency Response Team, EPA Emergency Response Contract Services, DOE Radiological Assistance Program. 

It is an unfortunate fact that many students and indeed design engineers are reluctant to get involved with plastics because they have an image of complicated materials with structures described by complex chemical formulae. In fact it is not necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the structure of plastics in order to make good use of them. Perfectly acceptable designs are achieved provided one is familiar with their perfonnance characteristics in relation to the proposed service conditions. An awareness of the structure of plastics can assist in understanding why they exhibit a time-dependent response to an applied force, why acrylic is transparent and stiff whereas polyethylene is opaque and flexible, etc., but it is not necessary for one to be an expert... 

A Category 2 incident is one clearly recognizable from the outset as beyond the capability of the forces to hand. The emergency services should be informed immediately of the magnitude of the incident and the specific location. The resources sent in response, e.g. the number of fire appliances, ambulances, police, need to be predetermined by good pre-planning. 

Allparties should be active and take responsibility. The producer is not the only player in a relationship. Indeed, in many business-to-business relationships, the customers initiate innovation and force suppliers to change their products or services. With respect to services, customers are often involved in the production of the service, suggesting a critical interactive role, depending on the situation. 

The MRC response to the 2005 hurricanes highlights the broad range of services that MRCs can provide in emergencies. An estimated 6,000 MRC volunteers supported the response and recovery efforts in their local communities in the hardest-hit areas. As the storm forced hundreds of thousands of Americans to flee the affected areas, MRC volunteers were ready and able to help when needed and were there to assist as evacuees were welcomed into their communities. These volunteers spent countless hours helping people whose lives had been upended by these disastrous events by ... 

Samuel S. Mills is a staff engineer in the Technical Marketing Services, Boiler Group, at BETZ Laboratories, Somerton Rd., Trevose, PA 19047, tel (215)355-3300. His responsibilities include providing technical and marketing backup and simport and training of the field sales forces. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton. 

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