July 22, 2005—DGI’s CoBRA software was used by participants at a table-top exercise for hospitals in Melville, NY to test hospital preparedness for terrorist threats.
The exercise involved a simulated outbreak of Shigella Dysenteriae bacteria, which causes severe abdominal symptoms, as a result of a deliberate terrorist attack on a local meat supply and a simulated explosion at a local mall, which severely burned fifty-five victims.
Participants in the exercise included all twenty-five hospitals in Nassau and Suffolk County and state and local emergency management agencies, such as the Nassau and Suffolk County Police and Health Departments and the New York State Department of Health.
DGI’s CoBRA software, which included tailored Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) resources, was used by 30 participating agencies to document events and activities during this simulated emergency.
CoBRA software provides medical, hazmat, fire, law enforcement, EMS and bomb squad responders and emergency management personnel with the necessary interactive tools, guides, databases, SOPs, NIMS/ICS forms, checklists and incident reporting capabilities to manage incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats, including Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).
The additional, tailored medical resources incorporated into CoBRA systems for the exercise include current data from the American Medical Association in partnership with the CDC regarding the Management of Public Health Emergencies, smallpox tracking forms, Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) documentation and forms and the CoBRA triage tool, based on START Triage.
For more information on CoBRA and DGI, visit the DGI Web site.
