A full-scale drill of a Hazmat recovery operation

In keeping with federal guidelines for disaster-resistant communities, and in light of current threats of terrorism, the Suffolk County (New York) Medical Examiner (ME), in conjunction with the Nassau County ME, conducted a joint drill involving hazardous materials (Hazmat) and mass fatalities on October 11, 2002. The purpose of the drill was to evaluate the response to the forensic aspects of a Hazmat or WMD (weapons of mass destruction) incident (i.e., recovery and identification of the deceased). The drill provided an opportunity for training and evaluating the shortcomings pertaining to care of the deceased and other components of disaster scene management. The drill defined the roles and re sponsibilities of the members of a forensic response team, and provided details on the preparation of an emergency area, victim assessment, treatment of contaminated victims, and decontamination (Decon) procedures.