About MMRSThe geographic area covered by the MMRS includes the Albuquerque metropolitan area, which includes communities within approximately 20 miles of the I-25 and I-40 interchange. The greater Albuquerque area has an estimated resident population of more than 512,000. Albuquerque is host to annual events that mark attendance in the millions. The New Mexico State Fair averages an attendance of 1.75 million over its seventeen-day run, and the International Balloon Fiesta attracts 1.5 million visitors and international attention for its two-week run.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security MMRS program assists the City of Albuquerque with funding to write plans, develop training, purchase equipment and pharmaceuticals, and conduct exercises related to catastrophic incidents, whether terrorist or natural disaster. The MMRS program enables the City of Albuquerque to achieve an enhanced local capability to respond to mass casualty events during the first 12 hours of a response until significant external resources can arrive. Through the MMRS program, the City of Albuquerque is prepared to respond to the range of mass casualty incidents—from weapons of mass destruction, epidemic outbreaks, natural disasters, and large-scale hazardous materials events. MMRS establishes linkages among first responders, medical treatment resources, public health officials, emergency management offices, volunteer organizations and other local elements working together to reduce the mortality and morbidity that would result from a catastrophic incident. Many activities are underway as part of the Albuquerque MMRS.
Advanced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is in place for response personnel. The barrels shown above contain PPE that will allow responders to remain safe during a weapons of mass destruction event and have been strategically located across the city. Albuquerque’s local pharmaceutical cache is also in place, ready for deployment in response to an act of terrorism involving chemical or biological weapons. Cooperative partnerships exist between Albuquerque’s hospitals, EMS, fire, and law enforcement personnel, the State Department of Health, the American Red Cross and many others. The trailer pictured above is one of two trailers purchased for the Albuquerque Fire Department with MMRS funds. The trailer contains various medical supplies that can be mobilized in an emergency. MMRS Members
The Albuquerque MMRS program enhances local health and medical response to a terrorist incident or other public health incidents. As such, MMRS consists of various partnerships including Albuquerque’s hospitals, Albuquerque Ambulance Service, AFD, APD, other city departments, Bernalillo County, New Mexico Department of Health, Kirtland Air Force Base, the Middle Rio Grande Red Cross, and many others. |
||||||||||||||
The City of Albuquerque is responsible for planning, developing, purchasing special pharmaceuticals, initiating the equipping and identifying of training requirements for the MMRS as the principal source in responding to the Medical consequences of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive Weapons of Mass Destruction (CBRNE/WMD) incident within the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
