Mark Fischer, associate director of program operations at West Virginia Universitys Virtual Medical Campus (VMC), is one of approximately 100 non-federal employees to be certified nationally as a Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) through the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), a department of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Being MEP certified will help establish the VMC and the area as leaders in emergency management, specifically regarding terrorism preparedness.

Fischers certification, completed in October, includes several online courses and three week-long sessions broken up by proficiency assignments at FEMA s National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Md. He is the only non-federal MEP representing West Virginia in Region III ( Washington, D.C., Del., Md., Pa., Va., W.Va.).

The MEP was created by FEMA to specifically recognize those individuals who have completed prescribed training and demonstrated, through hands-on application, a high level of professionalism and capability in the arena of emergency management exercises. This entails improving the capabilities in the design, conduct, evaluation and follow-up of developing emergency management exercises and exercise programs for the respective jurisdictions agencies and/or other organizations they represent.

The VMC was established in 1999 to provide training and educational resources to ensure responders locally and nationwide are better prepared when acts of terror and other disasters arise. It has grown in significance following the terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001.

Since its inception, the VMC has been a pioneer in the field of preparedness knowledge resources and training for first respondersfirefighters, police officers, hospital administration/staff, and public health professionalsto be better prepared in the event of a terrorist attack. It currently offers three free comprehensive online courses made possible by a bioterrorism training grant from the Department of Health and

Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (DHHS/HRSA). The courses were designed to prepare public health professionals of all levelsfrom maintenance to upper level administrative staffon preparedness and mitigation in the event of a biological, nuclear, chemical or incendiary attack on a facility or in the region.

The VMC also facilitates table-top, functional and full-scale exercises with area organizations like WVU , the West Virginia Office of Emergency Response and the Department of Homeland Security/Office of Domestic Preparedness. The VMC is slated to provide five exercises in West Virginia under the DHHS /HRSA grant; Fischer will act as facilitator.

A growing focus for the VMC is what role public health workers and public health facilities will play if there is another terrorist attack on America.

Public health has not been a prime focus, until recentlyFischer said.Used to be, we looked at the situation and we saidwhat do we know?andwhats our experience?And then the world changed [on 9-11]. What we have to say now iswhat is possible?By doing these exercises, were building a general awareness, especially with non-traditional responders (i.e. public health workers). By rehearsing the plan we can begin to expect the unexpected.