Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response – Introductory Level
Condensed Version
This introductory level training addresses a range of environmental health topics commonly faced in response to emergency events. The training helps prepare practitioners with the skills and knowledge to effectively respond to environmental health issues. The training includes a combination of lecture, hands-on, and demonstration components. You will learn about emergency response aspects such as assessing shelter operations, food, water, wastewater, building environments, and vector control. This training is sponsored by the Environmental Health Services Branch of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
The training is intended for environmental health, safety, or industrial hygiene professionals from federal, state, and local programs with the responsibility to perform one or a combination of the following functions in an emergency response:
Speakers:
(in alphabetical order)
Matthew Coleman - Wastewater
Matthew Coleman graduated from the University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. In 1999, Matthew started working with the Florida Department of Health, Walton CHD, as an Environmental Aide. Matthew worked the front office and in the Rabies prevention program. In 1999, he received a promotion and became an Environmental Specialist I working in OSTDS, Rabies, Food, Group Care, Tanning, Limited Use Well, Pool, and Mobile home park programs. In 2002 he was promoted to Environmental Specialist II working in the same programs. Matthew received his REHS 2005.
Living and working in Florida Matthew has experienced and responded to many hurricane and disaster events involving wastewater issues. He had the opportunity to deploy with a Florida Department of Health Strike team to the lower 6 counties in Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina response. Matthew is currently working in the onsite system and sanitary nuisance investigation program areas and is very happy to be in the field 80% of the workday. The rest of his time is spent building and establishing working relationships with local utilities and other partners to prevent, mitigate and/or lessen wastewater issues during times of disaster.
T. Wayne Gale - Vector Control and Pest Management
Wayne grew up in south and central Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in 1977 with a Master of Science degree in medical/veterinary entomology. Wayne also earned a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management from Chapman University in Orange California. He was commissioned in 1977 as a Lieutenant Junior grade in the United States Navy Medical Service Corps where he served for 21 years and retired with the rank of Commander. He is a veteran of the first Gulf War where he served with the First Marine Expeditionary Force in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He also served as Office in Charge of the Navy Disease Vector Ecology and Control Center in Alameda California.
Upon retirement from the Navy, Wayne moved to Tallahassee and became the Mosquito Control Administrator for the State of Florida. He was later promoted to Chief of the Bureau of Entomology and Pest Control where he served for four years regulating commercial pest control and mosquito control state-wide. In 2004 Wayne moved to Ft. Myers to become the Operations Manager for Lee County Mosquito Control District and was appointed as the Director by the Board of Commissioners in December 2006.
CDR William Greim, MS, MPH, REHS/RS, RHSP - Special Health Concerns
Regional Emergency Coordinator – Region IV, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response. CDR Greim recently joined Region IV, ASPR, to enhance federal, tribal, state, and local disaster preparedness through joint planning, assessment, exercise, and response actions. The regional office has primary responsibility of the Secretary’s Incident Response Coordination Team and operational lead of federalized assets such as NDMS and Medical Reserve Corps. Prior to this, CDR Greim was an Emergency Coordinator with CDC’s Division of Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response providing first response capability on bioterrorism and infectious disease emergencies.
As a Public Health Service Commissioned Officer, CDR Greim is the Executive Office of PHS Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) 3 medical response team. CDR Greim and has deployed to natural disasters (Indonesian tsunami, multiple hurricanes), emerging infectious diseases (monkeypox, SARS), and terrorism (anthrax postal attack, bioterrorism threats). Prior to the bioterrorism program, CDR Greim worked as an environmental toxicologist for fifteen years with ATSDR, US Coast Guard, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
CAPT Michael E. Herring, REHS, MPH - Vector Control and Pest Management and Water
Captain Herring received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health from East Carolina University in 1980 and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1993. He began his career in 1980 as an environmental health specialist with the Durham County Health Department in Durham, North Carolina. He was promoted to Environmental Health Supervisor in 1983 and served in that role through 1988, when he accepted a commission with the United States Public Health Service.
During his Public Health Service career, Captain Herring has been assigned to various positions throughout North America while serving in the Indian Health Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has been the recipient of numerous awards from various federal, state, regional and local agencies and professional organizations.
Captain Herring currently serves as a Senior Environmental Health Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health in Atlanta, Georgia. His duties in the Environmental Health Services Branch (EHSB) of NCEH include efforts to revitalize the Nation’s environmental health services system and developing the environmental health workforce at state and local health departments throughout the United States. CAPT Herring has responded to public health emergencies and disasters throughout his career including serving as Environmental Health Team Leader for the CDC response to Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Captain Herring is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with 27 years of professional experience in environmental health. He has been a guest speaker at over 30 national, regional and state public health and environmental health conferences speaking on various topics and issues in the field of environmental health. Captain Herring has served on or chaired numerous public health and environmental health committees at all levels of government including two recent terms as Chair of the Environmental Health Officer Professional Advisory Committee of the U.S. Public Health Service.
Robert Maglievaz, MSPH - Building Assessment
Mr. Maglievaz has over 18 years experience in the indoor environmental quality, housing inspection, property management, environmental assessment and risk communication fields. In that time, he has conducted hundreds of sick building complaint investigations including post hurricane, flood and fire disaster building assessments.
Mr. Maglievaz holds a B.S. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and an MSPH in Industrial Hygiene from the University of South Florida. Mr. Maglievaz is a registered sanitarian and a certified industrial hygienist.
CAPT Mark D. Miller, RS, MPH - Shelters and Wastewater
Capt Miller is a Senior Environmental Health Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Texas and is a Registered Sanitarian with the state of Texas.
Capt Miller’s 19 years of environmental health experience includes, water, wastewater, food safety, injury prevention and hazardous waste. He has served in positions with private industry, Indian Health Service, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and currently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CAPT Charles S. Otto, III, R.S. - Food Safety
Captain Otto is currently with CDC’s Environmental Health Services Branch as Team Leader of Training and Education – Primary EH Lead on CDC’s Healthy Swimming Collaboration including Research, Outbreak Investigation, Training, and Publication on Aquatic Health Activities
• From 1998 to 2002, completed an assignment with CDC’s cruise ship inspection program to assure USPHS construction and operation guidelines for potable water, food service, pools and spas, daycare centers and disease reporting were met for cruise ships entering U.S. ports
• From 1995 to 1998, was assigned by USPHS to the National Park Service as regional public health consultant in Washington, DC area to provide recommendations to NPS management on food safety, water, sewage, indoor air quality / radon, vector control and other public health issues
• Joined FDA Retail Food Protection Branch in 1987 and served next tour with Division of Cooperative Programs, which also covers FDA's milk, shellfish and interstate travel programs
• Prior to FDA, worked for 13 years in state and local health departments in Alabama in practically every facet of Environmental Health field and program management
• Received BS in Environmental Health from Auburn University and MPA from University of South Alabama
• Primary projects at FDA were FDA PRIME CONNECTION (system developer and manager) and FDA Electronic Inspection System (project coordinator); also provided training and technical consultation to regulatory agencies and industries on HACCP and other food safety issues
• Served on working group which developed FDA Food Code 1993 and 1995
• Honored with the ADM Jerrold M. Michael Award – National Capital Area Environmental Health Association (1997); ADM John G. Todd Award – USPHS Environmental Health Officers Professional Advisory Committee (2001); Outstanding Service Award – Conference for Food Protection (2006); One of 15 EH Leaders Profiled in NEHA’s Journal of Environmental Health (2007)
Chris Poulet, MS - Solid Waste/Hazardous Materials
Chris Poulet has an MS in Environmental Health Science from the University of Colorado, For the past 7 years he has worked as an environmental health scientist at ATSDR (the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry), an environmental health branch of the US Centers for Disease Control, in its Denver, Colorado office. The Denver office covers environmental public health work in Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. ATSDR works closely with the USEPA and applies scientific expertise in toxicology, epidemiology, environmental engineering, health education, and medicine to situations where the human health and environment might be affected by exposure to environmental contaminants. Chris’s responsibilities in Denver include coordinating contacts between ATSDR technical staff in Atlanta and EPA Region 8 scientists, project managers, and OSCs. He also works closely with state and local environmental officials in the same capacity.
Chris also participates in CDC and EPA emergency response teams that respond to chemical releases into the environment and to natural disasters. Most recently he led CDC’s response team in Cote d’Ivoire in Africa. The team provided assistance to the Ivoirien Ministry of Health during the toxic waste release in Abidjan in August and September of 2006. In September and October 2005 Chris provided environmental health expertise to the EPA Region 4 team in Hancock County, Mississippi responsible for locating and retrieving hazardous materials following hurricane Katrina. In February 2004, Chris provided environmental health input to EPA Region 3’s scientific support team advising the Incident Command of clean-up options during the Capitol Hill Ricin Incident in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Chris also worked in the CDC emergency operations center during the November 2001 Anthrax events, providing environmental health support to EPA OSC’s in the field. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, Chris has worked closely with the InVS (Institut de Veille Sanitaire), France’s version of the CDC, to help them adopt risk communication/community involvement practices and the standardized health consultation approach used by ATSDR to respond environmental health questions.
Clifton Salas - Shelters and Food Safety
Clifton Salas was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He has a Bachelors of Arts from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri and is currently completing a Masters of Business Administration.
Clifton has been active with the American Red Cross since 1994 as both volunteer and staff. He has provided leadership on 27 disaster relief operations from Hurricane Isabel in 2004 to the Delta/Com Air incident in 2006. Clifton currently serves as the Red Cross Disaster Response Manager in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition, he is an instructor for several advanced level courses such as Disaster Kitchen Training and Fundamentals of Disaster Relief Operations Management.
CDR John D. Smart, MPH, REHS - Building Assessment
CDR John Smart is the Institutional Environmental Health Program Manager for the Indian Health Service (IHS). He is responsible for coordinating the Occupational Safety and Environmental Health program for IHS covering 15,000 employees and hundreds of healthcare facilities in 35 states. He has worked 15 years with the IHS and has been involved with occupational safety and environmental health for 9 years. CDR Smart is a NEHA Registered Environmental Health Specialist and has a Master of Public Health degree in Health Service Administration with an emphasis in Occupational Safety and Health and from the Uniformed Services University of Health Science.
CDR Smart deployed through the Public Health Service for hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005), the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, and the Mississippi floods in 1993.
Bob Vincent - Water
Bob Vincent has worked in public environmental health since 1979 mainly with Florida's Dept. of Health (FDOH) at county, district, and state levels; a few years at Fla. Dept. of Environmental Protection; and one year as manager of EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline.
Mr. Vincent holds B.S. in Biology and M.P.A., is a Registered Sanitarian, is NEHA's Technical Section Chair for Drinking Water Quality and Water Pollution, and is active in Florida Environmental Health Association.
Currently Mr. Vincent is assistant bureau chief for FDOH Water Programs in the Division of EH with responsibility for Healthy Coastal Beaches program, Public Swimming Pools and Bathing Places, and Drinking Water Program.
Richard Wellinghurst - Special Health Concerns
Richard Wellinghurst is a Registered Sanitarian and a Graduate of the University of Louisville. He began his Public Health Career, with the Louisville Jefferson County Health Department (LJCHD), in 1976. Over the past 30 years Richard has served in many of the Department’s diverse Environmental Health programs; including Rodent Control, Community Hygiene, Radiation and Consumer Product Safety, Water pollution Control and Hazardous Materials Management. He began his work with Department’s Health Emergency Action Team (“HEAT” responds to Haz Mats and other Public Health Emergencies for the department) in 1980, advanced to Environmental Program Coordinator in 1993 and then to the Environmental Division’s Environmental Health Programs Manager in 2003. He retired from full time Public Health activities in July, 2005.
Richard was the Department’s Mosquito Control and West Nile Virus Response Coordinator as the disease moved through Kentucky, from 1996 through 2002. He chaired the Department’s Disaster Planning Workgroup from 1999 until 2004 when it was replaced by a dedicated office of Emergency Planning.
During these years he served as an instructor at the, annual, “Louisville Jefferson County Haz Mat Conference” from 1986 through 1994. He was on the instructional staff of the ATSDR “Integrated Emergency Response, Demonstration Project” from 1987 through its completion in 1992 and on the Instructional staff of the CDC\Louisville Metro Health Department’s “Community Based Emergency Response Program” Instructional staff from 2003 through 2006.
He continues his involvement in Public Health and Disaster Response as the Secretary of the Louisville Jefferson County LEPC and Vice-President of the WMD\HazMat 6 Regional Response Team.