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By Martin Hill, BA, CHS-III; Mike Galarneau, MA; Gerry Pang, MA; & Paula Konoske, PhD
The Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) was established in 1996 in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to outline the nation’s plan for responding to terrorist acts at home and abroad. CBIRF’s mission subsequently expanded from biochemical response to the full scope of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive responses. The objective of this study was to determine the medical supply requirements for CBIRF’s expanded mission.
In November 2003, preliminary research on injury types and medical interventions seen at previous terrorist incidents was presented by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to a subject-matter-expert (SME) panel consisting of military medical and logistical experts. The SME panel identified the clinical tasks that CBIRF needed the capability to perform. NHRC’s method of modeling supply requirements was then applied to those tasks, establishing the clinical requirements for CBIRF’s Authorized Medical Allowance Lists (AMAL). This study was able to identify weaknesses in the existing CBIRF AMALs and strengthen the unit’s field medical capabilities with the addition of new technologies and modularization that allows greater flexibility in responding to terrorist disasters.
Introduction
The massive terrorist bombings that struck the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 proved that the United States was not immune to the kind of terrorism often seen abroad. The 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway also raised the specter of terrorism to a new level of mass horror, one in which weapons of mass destruction (WMD) such as chemical and biological agents could be used to spread death and terror. In response to these attacks and others, then-President Bill Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 39 (PDD-39), the United States Policy on Terrorism, in 1995. PDD-39 laid down the strategy for combating both domestic and international terrorism in all its forms (U.S. Department of Defense [DoD], 2001).
In response to PDD-39, then-Marine Corps Commandant General James Jones ordered the establishment of a self-contained unit that could respond to chemical and biological terrorist attacks within the United States and its territories, as well as abroad. This unit would provide agent identification, rescue response, and consequence management, including medical treatment to victims. On April 4, 1996, the Marine Corps established the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) as an immediate terrorism response force capable of deploying anywhere in the world on short notice and remaining deployed for up to 3 weeks if responding outside the Continental United States (CBIRF, 2003). Under the U.S. Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan, CBIRF can be deployed domestically if requested by the lead federal agency overseeing an incident and if the request is approved by the Secretary of Defense (U.S. DoD, 2001). The unit is currently attached to the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism).
Since its inception, CBIRF’s mission has continued to evolve, adding responsibilities for responding to toxic industrial materials, as in a massive chemical accident; high-yield explosive incidents, such as the Oklahoma City bombing; and radiological incidents, such as the detonation of a “dirty bomb” containing radioactive elements (also known as a radiation dispersal device) or a nuclear device. Its original operational requirements document was canceled, and a new one was developed calling for the additional capabilities (C. E. Puckett, personal communication, November 4, 2003). CBIRF’s original complement doubled in size to nearly 500 Marines and sailors by the summer of 2004. CBIRF now operates as two 200-person incident response forces (IRFs) capable of responding independently to two simultaneous terrorist events covering the full-range of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) events (Temerlin, 2003).
What does the CFN program do for me?
The Certified Forensic Nurse (CFN) title can demonstrate to your colleagues, patients, clients, employers, and the healthcare community that you have extensive knowledge and education, personal experience, and that you are committed to furthering your education in the forensic nursing profession. CFN also helps to contribute to the weight and relevance of your testimony and how applicable the evidence is that you must present to a court of law.
Forensic nursing is an exciting and rapidly growing specialty field that offers great opportunities and rewarding career options for nursing professionals. However, it can be challenging to set yourself apart from your peers to get the recognition and respect you deserve, both in the medical community and the legal arena.
Click here to find out more and to enroll
Want to know more about the American College of Forensic Examiners? Read the definitive history of the world's foremost association for foresnic experts, mental health professionals, and homeland security experts. If you want to understand the rise of ACFEI, this is the only book you'll ever need.
You can access United for Truth here.
Aside from our many strategic alliances and accreditations, here are some more things to keep in mind before choosing a credentialing program, and why the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute and its sister associations are a good choice to make:
For more information about credentials, the associations, or our journals, please visit us:
The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute: www.acfei.com
The American Psychotherapy Association: www.americanpsychotherapy.com
The American Association of Integrative Medicine: www.aaimedicine.com
The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security: www.abchs.com
Membership. Some of The American College of Forensic Examiners’ well-known members and Board members include; Dr. Henry Lee, Dr. Greg Vecchi, Dr. Zhaoming Chen, Dr. Marc Rabinoff, Congressmen Billy Long and Steven King, and Governor Tom Ridge. These individuals, as well as many other not listed here, have helped mold and guide ACFEI to be the prestigious, online, interactive, multimedia publisher that it is today. They have contributed their knowledge and expertise to ACFEI’s online credentialing programs such as the Certified Forensic Physician®, CFP program; the Registered Investigator®, RI®, program; and the Certified Forensic Consultant, CFC® program; to name a few.
ACFEI and all of its associations are continually seeking further validations, alliances, and accreditations in order to offer maximum continuing education benefits to its thousands of members. Sometimes it is our very members who foster these relationships; we encourage you to get involved and share your ideas for future alliances! This is a group of associations that recognize themselves as yours. We invite you to add your expertise to the pool and make it even greater.
Call (800) 423-9737 for more information, or visit acfei.com.
ACFEI is also an approved provider of training by the following professional organizations:
The outside bodies listed above, as well as the many other attest to the fact that the ACFEI has met or exceeded their regulations and standards to be approved providers of training. Organizations that represent medical doctors, accountants, psychologists, attorneys, law enforcement officers, dentists, military personnel, and numerous other professions and specialties would never approve an lesser, unregulated institution to provide training to these important persons.
Please contact either the American College of Forensic Examiners International, The American Board for Certifcation in Homeland Security, The American Association of Integrative Medicine, or the American Psychotherapy Association for more information about their respective programs, accrediting organizations, and educational opportunities:
www.acfei.com; (800) 423-9737
www.abchs.com; (877) 219-2519
www.aaimedicine.com; (877) 718-3053
www.americanpsycotherapy.com; (800) 205-9165
As the editor in chief of The Forensic Examiner, Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, and Inside Homeland Security (all peer-reviewed and available on newsstands); and for the associations themselves (The American College of Forensic Examiners International, The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Psychotherapy Association, and the American Association of Integrative Medicine), I have the privilege of working not only with individuals with remarkable talent, credentials, experience, and professionalism here at the ACFEI Headquarters, but also with the thousands of members who renew their memberships year after year to learn, network, and even teach one another.
I am proud to work with the courses and articles conceived and written by dedicated professionals who have made it their living to help heal, defend, serve, protect, and save their fellow citizens from terrorism, criminals, mental illness, disease, and so many other world problems and pandemics. I have reviewed dozens of resumes and curriculum vitae for my peer reviewers and course authors. Their degrees, credentials, and experience speak for themselves of the excellence embraced and exuded by the associations.
Under the umbrella of the American College of Forensic Examiners International, I have reviewed and edited articles that discuss cutting-edge research written with government agents I interviewed in person at Quantico; I have met forensic legends Dr. Cyril Wecht and Dr. Henry Lee (both long-time ACFEI members); and I get to see to completion the modules and coursework that are born of the passion of many prominent individuals from an array of important fields. I know for a fact that the continuing education curricula individuals like these and others help create are forged from impeccable research, training, and consultation. These people are far too intelligent, prestigious, and philanthropic to waste their time with lesser organizations; Dr. Robert O’Block’s ACFEI stands only for legitimacy and professionalism.
What is it that draws so many—nurses, physicians, soldiers, investigators, government employees, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and a sheer multitude of other honorable professions—into the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute fold? Decide for yourself, as thousands wisely did before you:
www.acfei.com
www.abchs.com
www.americanpsychotherapy.com
www.aaimedicine.com
The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute began in 1992; it is still here. Most membership associations rise and fall in less than a decade, but the passion of ACFEI’s founder, Dr. Robert O’Block, and the thousands of reputable people his associations help each year, has fueled continued growth since ACFEI’s inception nearly two decades ago.
As we continually improve our continuing education coursework, Web presence, and printed publications, that growth is bound to continue. The fields in which our members work, study, and fight—homeland security, all areas of forensics, integrative medicine, and psychotherapy—are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are dynamic and ever evolving. When you join the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Association for Integrative Medicine, the American Psychotherapy Association, or the tried-and-true American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you will see that we rise above the competition in offering continuing education excellence. Dr. Robert O’Block has created a unique opportunity for you to meet like-minded professionals to network, learn, and teach one another and the world at large.
To learn more about each of these associations, please come see us:
The American College of Forensic Examiners: www.acfei.com
The American Board for Certification in Homeland Security: www.abchs.com
The American Association of Integrative Medicine: www.aaim.com
The American Psychotherapy Association: www.americanpsychotherapy.com
The American College of Forensic Examiners International began in 1992; it is still here. Most membership associations rise and fall in less than a decade, but the passion of ACFEI’s founder, Dr. Robert O’Block, and the thousands of reputable people his associations help each year, has fueled continued growth since ACFEI’s inception nearly two decades ago.
As we continually improve our continuing education coursework, Web presence, and printed publications, that growth is bound to continue. The fields in which our members work, study, and fight are not going anywhere anytime soon, and are dynamic and ever evolving. When you join the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, the American Association for Integrative Medicine, the American Psychotherapy Association, or the tried-and-true American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you will see that we rise above the competition in offering continuing education excellence. Dr. Robert O’Block has created a unique opportunity for you to meet like-minded professionals to network, learn, and teach one another and the world at large.
To learn more, please visit www.acfei.com.
What is it that draws so many—nurses, physicians, soldiers, investigators, government employees, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, forensic examiners, and a sheer multitude of other honorable professions—into the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute fold? Let me share with you just a few of the numerous reasons so you can better decide for yourself, as thousands wisely did before you:
Accreditation. The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute is an approved provider of continuing education by the following:
Continuing education alignments. In addition to the several accreditations above, we are also proud to inform you that:
To learn more, visit www.acfei.com
By Leann Long, BS
A Tragedy Unfolds
On the morning of February 2, 2002, the parents of Danielle van Dam were forced to face their worst nightmare when they discovered the empty bed of their 7-year-old daughter. Danielle was last seen the night before when Damon van Dam put his beautiful blue-eyed daughter to bed. The distraught parents immediately reported Danielle as missing, and an extensive search involving hundreds of volunteers began. Authorities assumed that the innocent young child was abducted from her bed while she slept on the night of February 1, 2002.
Copyright ©2009
ABFE,
ACFEI,
and ABCHS. All rights reserved. Dr. Robert O'Block, Founder, CEO, and Publisher.
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