Public Health as First Responders
When you think of first responders, you most likely think of firefighters, police officers or EMTs. Public health plumbers and restaurant inspectors probably don’t come to mind. You may be surprised to know that your local public health officials (nurses, health educators, sanitarians, administrators, and plumbers) are indeed first responders, and they are ready to respond to any public health emergency that may arise in our community.

What is a public health emergency?
Many emergencies involve public health. Though you may not always see us on the front lines, there are a number of situations in which public health may be called upon to respond: 

• bioterrorism 
• natural disasters and weather related emergencies 
• chemical emergencies 
• disease outbreaks 
• mass casualties 
• radiation emergencies

• Prevent & Prepare
  Many of the things we do everyday help to prevent public health crises.
• Respond
  In many cases, public health's response to an emergency will involve four key steps
• Recover
  Even when a public health emergency is coming to a close, we will continue to carry out response efforts