Disaster in Franklin County
Jennifer Wadsworth
Western Governors University

Disaster in Franklin County
Role of Major Public Health Personnel The roles of major public health personnel must be delegated properly in a disaster situation in order to facilitate effective action. In the incident presented, a chain of command was established and assignments given to the appropriate personnel based on their skills and experience. As a whole, this group reports to the Incident Commander, an individual that is responsible for managing the entire disaster operation and various teams involved in every level of disaster management.
In the first few hours following a disaster there are many things that need to be addressed. In the
Mental health issues may also arise as a result of the disaster and proving information on resources, as well as referrals, may be necessary. The Chain of Command The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Commander is the individual responsible for the entire disaster recovery. The Medical/Health Branch Director, in conjunction with the entire public health group, would report to the Commander and the EOC team regarding pertinent health issues that may arise. Those issues may require immediate action, or may be something that could arise during and after the clean-up from the storm. The public health group is a system unto itself known as the Incident Command System. The Deputy Director served as the Incident Commander and the remainder of the system was made up of individuals from the local health department. The lead role of Operations Section Chief is responsible for developing and implementing a plan, as well as ways in which to achieve the goals they establish. All other members of the Public Health Incident Command System will report to the Chief. The Operations Chief will also help to organize, assign, and supervise other outside resources necessary for the success of the plan. Other roles that the Operations Chief assigns to members of the department include: Public Information Officer, Finance/Administration Chief, Planning Chief, Liaison Officer, and Logistics Chief.
The Public Information Officer is responsible for