 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
News
Blagojevich Administration and Rush University Medical Center conduct pilot exercise demonstrating groundbreaking homeland security technology
CHICAGO – Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today highlighted a pandemic flu exercise conducted by Rush University Medical Center, along with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), which demonstrated the viability of a new, groundbreaking homeland security technology testbed. The interagency exercise tested the functionality of the Previstar Continual Preparedness System (CPS), a new emergency management software program that provides total situational awareness for first responders during a disaster, which is part of a new program being developed by the state of Illinois and partners like Rush, called the Illinois First Responder Technology Testbed. IDPH provided a $24,000 grant to assist with the pandemic flu exercise and software testing. “Illinois has been a national leader in our efforts to heighten homeland security preparedness and response by advancing new, cutting-edge technologies and supporting the training and development of special response capabilities. We are encouraged by this partnership with Rush University and Previstar to test and develop new technologies that are protecting our country and, ultimately, expanding our economy,” said Governor Blagojevich. The exercise took place in the Rush University Medical Center Emergency Department, both inside the building and within its perimeter. Participants included hospital personnel, IDPH employees, representatives from other public safety entities, and volunteers from the community who acted as patients to test ER surge in the event of a pandemic flu, many of which came from the Great Lakes “Rush University Medical Center is proud to collaborate with the Blagojevich Administration to explore new technology that will aid hospitals in mitigation, planning, response and recovery to disasters and public health emergencies. As a designated Center of Excellence for Bioterrorism Preparedness, Rush continues to work closely with public health agencies, government entities and area hospitals to address key issues through work groups, educational programs, drills, and sharing of resources and ideas,” said David Esterquest, BSN, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Rush University Medical Center. The demonstration exercise also provided an opportunity to practice the hospital’s incident command structure and the prioritization of treatment and mass care for a sudden influx of patients beyond normal daily operations. The pilot involved multiple phases which spanned yesterday and today, including training on the use of force during security operations, conducted by Jeff Chudwin, Chief of Police of the Olympia Fields Police Department, utilizing police officers from Olympia Fields and security officers from Rush University Medical Center. “We are excited to be working together with the state of Illinois to demonstrate our emergency management software. Illinois is a leader in the homeland security industry and is home to a great base of emergency management professionals who can test and prove the value of products like ours that have an impact when lives are at stake,” said Sandy Johnson, Vice President of Sales for Previstar, Inc. This exercise and product test demonstrate Illinois’ growing place as a center of the $45 billion per year homeland security industry, and the state’s ability to test and prove critical new homeland security technology, while providing a real-world training environment for first responders through new service offerings like the First Responder Technology Testbed. The Testbed will be a first of its kind testing and evaluation center that will help set product standards for homeland security products, prove new homeland security technology, and provide real-world training opportunities for homeland security professionals. When fully operational, the Testbed will offer homeland security integrators and entrepreneurs with a new service which will put new homeland security products through the paces, compare them to other technologies, and help advance the product’s ultimate commercialization. This exercise also helped demonstrate that the Illinois Medical District (IMD) is an optimal environment for technology testing and cross-disciplinary training due to the active collaboration of agencies and organizations within the IMD and Illinois responder community. In May 2006, Illinois became the first state to conduct a large-scale pandemic flu exercise. The three-day exercise tested the state's ability to respond to two simultaneous major emergencies, a pandemic flu outbreak and a terrorist attack, and involved more than 2,000 responders at several venues in the state. The state’s commitment to preparedness, training and development of special response capabilities enabled Illinois to successfully tackle the exercise’s challenging scenarios. Through DCEO’s Homeland Security Market Development (HSMD) Bureau, the state administers the Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program to accelerate the commercialization of homeland security products. IPG is the nation’s first state-funded grant program focused on developing products to meet homeland security needs. To date, almost $4.4 million in IPG funds have been invested in 36 private companies to bring new homeland security products to market. These investments have leveraged almost $14 million in additional public and private capital and will create 525 new Illinois jobs over the next 24 months. For more information on HSMD visit www.hsmd.illinois.gov. For more information on Previstar visit www.previstar.com
|
|
|||||||
