Deborah Cushman
Deborah Cushman is currently the science officer for the 51st Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Civil Support Team (CST) out of the Michigan National Guard. She graduated from Cornerstone University with a Batchelor ’s in Environmental Biology and has completed a master’s in Disaster and Emergency Management from American Public University. She has been a part of the 51st CST for six years as the science officer working in the mobile laboratory conducting presumptive analysis for chemical and biological agents.
Presentations:
Reducing the Risk of Biological Exposure Using PPE and Decon to Reduce Contamination
The risk of biological exposure is real, and the threat is evolving due to laboratory experimentation, natural mutation, or being used as a WMD. The onset of symptoms may take days or weeks. This incubation period creates many concerns for responders who may have been exposed. What PPE is appropriate? What decon methods are practical and best? Why is doffing PPE such a critical task? This session will address these and other concerns regarding the response to a potential biological agent and avoiding contamination and the spread of the agent. This session will use a combination of instruction and classroom interaction through scenarios.