Enhancing Emergency Preparedness: VA Fayetteville's Commitment to Resilience After Lessons from Hurricane Helene
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the need for meticulous preparation for emergencies and natural disasters has become more apparent than ever. Despite the extensive preparations, the situation escalated beyond the anticipated impact, highlighting the importance of a well-structured response plan.
The VA Fayetteville Coastal Health Care System (FVACHCS) has recognized this need and is committed to playing an instrumental role in the handling of such incidents.
Nicki Fryar, Executive Director of the Fayetteville VA, emphasized the necessity of enhanced training by stating, "Understanding the importance of having personnel prepared to respond to emergencies at a moment's notice is crucial for the success of this organization in serving Veterans and the community. This training equips staff with a comprehensive understanding of their roles and responsibilities during a real-life crisis."
This recognition led to our staff participating in Incident Command System (ICS) training. This training prepares our staff to organize and operate with first responders and law enforcement officials from different agencies across every level of government. It's an initiative that not only bridges communication gaps during emergencies but also ensures smooth collaboration among various organizations.
“By far the biggest benefit of an event like this with our community partners is the interaction between the different agencies represented here,” said Marc Baker, Emergency Management Specialist for the Fayetteville VA.
Developed by FEMA, this framework touches on multiple aspects of emergency preparedness, such as communication, planning, logistics, recovery, and more. It has the additional benefit of being applicable to large-scale planned events, where multiple agencies overlap, and coordination is essential. After a chain of command is established and authority is delegated, each group is assigned their roles and responsibilities, mitigating potential setbacks in the response plan.
Peter M. Coffey, Emergency Management Specialist for the Fayetteville VA, explains, “Hurricane Helene is the most recent example. We had staff deploy to support Asheville VAMC, and other VAMCs outside of VISN 6 provided resources, staff, and support. This was only possible because we had staff trained and willing to deploy to help those in need.”
The priority of VHA is to provide unmatched health care services to Veterans. In the occurrence of an unfortunate event such as a natural disaster, that mission becomes even more pivotal. The goal of Fayetteville VA is to respond readily and have trained and available staff who can ensure the delivery of essential services during challenging circumstances. Therefore, when those times arrive, preparation is the surest form of defense, and the Fayetteville VA is committed to rising to the occasion.