Disaster Preparedness

Children can be victims of mass casualty or illness, but their needs both physically and mentally are significantly different from adults. Emergency care providers must be prepared in order to effectively and safely manage the specific needs of pediatric patients in the event of a disaster. This is a list of national and local resources for emergency physicians, emergency managers and EMS providers to aid with their pediatric disaster planning.

• EMSC Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Toolkit
• AAP Pediatric Preparedness Resource Kit
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Caring for Children in a Disaster
• Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Information Gateway
• Be Ready D.C.
• National Pediatric Readiness Project

Education and Training

• D.C. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training
  CERT trains residents to be better prepared to respond to emergencies in their communities. The training is free and open to anyone who lives, works or congregates in the District of Columbia.
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Program
  The EMSC team is proud to endorse the PALS Program at Children’s National Hospital in an effort to educate the general public on pediatric advanced life support. This course will provide valuable information for teachers, caregivers and other personnel who work with children in order to reduce the impact of childhood medical trauma. Children’s National is a certified American Heart Association (AHA) Training Center and has offered PALS courses to the general public. Serving the Washington, D.C., metro area, we have offered classes to maximize your learning and scheduling needs.
• Commander Ready – Youth Preparedness
  Commander Ready is a specialized emergency preparedness Initiative designed to educate and engage youth ages 5-13. Commander Ready uses fun, interactive games and activities to introduce youth to emergency preparedness in a nonthreatening, safe way.