As part of the unified national response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, EMSI is deploying subject-matter experts to support our clients. One EMSI Team is supporting the Area Command of Fulton County, Georgia.  This EMSI Incident Management Team (IMT) is providing detailed Situation Unit capabilities and spearheading the “forward” planning function.

Since mid-March, EMSI has provided four members of our seasoned cadre to assist Fulton County, which includes the greater Atlanta area. Managing the response and responsibility for over 1 million residents is a major undertaking, requiring a forward planning thought process that allows the client to lean forward past the normal 24hr planning cycle. As the response has lengthened, EMSI has been able to scale back our on-site personnel, shifting to virtual support that works remotely in support of an on-site team leader, assisting the Area Command in their decision making.

As part of the Planning Section, the team is providing expertise in the Long Range Planning Cell and the Situation Unit, as well as assisting in Critical Resource management. In these roles, EMSI cadre is aiding in a myriad of tasks:

• Development of multiple supporting plans, to include
  • Area Command Management Plan
  • Mass Fatality Plan
  • Vaccination Plan
  • Back to Work Plan
  • PPE Tracking and Planning tool
  • Stakeholder Plan
  • Volunteer Management Plan
  • Long Range COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, (2^nd Wave & beyond)
• Data mining to determine capacities of hospitals, funeral homes, testing capabilities, and morgues
• Use of the Specimen Point of Collection (SPOC) Planning Tool to track specimen collections; determine PPE burn rates; storage needs; personnel and qualifications required; and testing media needs.
• Management and tracking of critical resources, including medical equipment (N95 and surgical masks, gowns, gloves), hospital beds, ICU beds, and ventilators.

In addition to compiling data points, the team is developing products to help decision-makers forge a path forward in these challenging times. Through the employment of the same projection tools used by federal and state agencies, EMSI has been able to drill down and provide county-specific forecasts and projections coupled with recommendations to mitigate any identified issues. Through daily briefings and presentations, County leadership is made aware of local facilities’ capacities and better able to anticipate future needs for the county, such as the daunting task of testing over one million residents as they prepare for a projected second wave of COVID-19.

Recognizing that a majority of workforces have shifted to telework during this global pandemic, there remains a need for critical personnel to report in person to manage the response. Through the blend of providing an on-site leader and multiple remote positions coordinating through virtual meetings, EMSI is able to contribute to Fulton County’s efforts while also being mindful of social distancing. Leveraging this technology ensures our client’s and cadre’s safety and welfare while preserving our ability to deliver our services; we cannot support our clients if we ourselves are sick.

Beyond Atlanta-Fulton County, EMSI has provided IMT members to:

• Denver, CO: EMSI worked with the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment, specifically working with the Operations and Command functions of the EOC.
• Washington, DC: EMSI is assisting with the establishment of an Alternate Care Site.
• Charlottesville, VA: EMSI is supporting the Planning Section, specifically with contingency and strategic planning for a sustained response. We have also assisted with the establishment of a donations center for critical PPE supplies and the inventory and distribution process of these supplies.
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): EMSI provided support to the DOE EOC for department-wide continuity operations and situational awareness, and continues to ensure continuity of operations for the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST), of which EMSI contributes valuable incident management resources for nuclear and radiological incident response.

Additionally, EMSI’s IMT Gear store has been providing incident management supplies to the government, private sector, hospital, and non-profit organizations involved in the COVID-19 response.

A U.S. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) founded in 2000, EMSI is a premier all-hazards, full-service, multi-discipline incident management, and emergency management services and solutions provider, specializing in multiple aspects of incident management and emergency management, including all-hazards ICS and IMT training, exercises, development, and program support.  A global leader in the training and application of the ICS, EMSI has been serving the government and private sector all-hazards incident management community for two decades, celebrating our 20^th Anniversary this year!