During the initial response phase of the Deepwater Horizon MC252 Incident, the US Coast Guard used a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) to request EMSI’s support for the largest spill response effort in our nation’s history. Initially, we were tasked to provide 3 Incident Commander qualified staff for ICS coaching to Area Command and the Incident Command Posts that were being activated. As the incident grew in complexity, size, and scope, our presence was requested to support Command, General Staff and Technical Specialist positions throughout the operating theater. Our staff grew to 36 individuals supporting Area Command, 3 Incident Command Posts and 18 Operational Branches. This commitment quickly exceeded EMSI’s normal staffing capability, initiating an aggressive recruiting effort.
Most individuals on our team have over 30 years experience and have called on their many past experiences to effectively complete the variety of tasks at hand. I would guess that there has never been a group of 36 individuals with more emergency response experience than the EMSI team I have had the honor of serving with. I want to personally thank you for your outstanding service and commitment in supporting this response effort. I am so proud to have served with such a professional bunch of experts and will always remember the friends we’ve made, inside the EMSI community, as well as amongst other organizations.
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