Readiness
As an active duty officer of the US Public Health Service you are required to be what the
Office of Force Readiness & Deployment (OFRD) considers "Ready" or ready to deploy. All
readiness requirements and information can be found at the USPHS OFRD website
.
Failure to meet this requirement can lead to
By being a US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer you have already been granted a
userid and login password to the OFRD System. Your userid is your PHS Serial Number (this can
be found on your call to duty orders) and your password can be retrieved by clicking the "Send
Password" button on the login page (top of the CCRF website). You will need to login and update
your officer summary information to begin your first step towards deployability with OFRD. Once
you have put your information into the system it will still mark you as "Not Basic Qualified"
but do not worry as this information is manually checked at the end of each month so you may be
marked this way for some time.
Each officer is required to login to the OFRD database and update/verify their personal
information on a quarterly basis. It is the responsibility of each officer to make certain that
OFRD has accurate and current information about that officer.
Each officer is REQUIRED to insure that OFRD staff is able to contact them 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. This is accomplished by having your work phone, home phone, and email all contained
in the OFRD system.
Additionally, you must join the OFRD Listserv
.
This email listserver provides the primary mechanism that OFRD communicates with its members
Readiness Sections
Readiness Checklist [PDF]
-
Click the link for a self-guided readiness checklist
Training
Training is based upon the capabilities found to fulfill the mission and anticipated response
requirements of the OFRD, (e.g., the knowledge, skills, and preparedness of response teams).
The purpose of the training is to ensure that the qualifications of the OFRD response members
selected for deployment are appropriate to the task at hand. Sets of knowledge, skills, and
preparatory experiences are required for OFRD officers in all deployment roles; these are related
to core public health principles, health emergencies and federal response, and deployment to
field conditions.
More information on OFRD Training
Fitness
Every member of the RDF teams must meet a basic level of fitness. There are two ways an officer
can meet these fitness levels. The first being the basic fitness tests set by CCRF (Commissioned
Corps Readiness Force). The CCRF Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT) is meant to determine an
officers cardiovascular and muscular fitness and endurance. These will be measured through a
combination of exercises and events including: a 1 1/2 mile run/walk or 500-yard/450-meter swim
for cardiovascular endurance, side-bridge/sit-up for core muscle endurance and push-ups
for upper body muscular endurance. The second way is to complete the Active Lifestyle or Champions
programs of the President's Council on Physical Fitness.
See the following links for information about the
Presidents Challenge
and CCRF
Fitness Specifications
.
Immunizations
Officers are required to have immunizations/or a signed declination of services for Hepatitis A &
B, influenza, MMR, polio, tetanus and diphtheria and varicella; as well as annual PPD testing.
Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for officers who meet the definition of "high risk". Current
immunization policy for the Corps is outlined in
Manual Circular 377 [PDF]
.
Required Immunizations
| Hepatitis A (HAV) |
1.0 mL IM |
Two doses recommended at 6-12 months apart OR Positive titer. |
| Hepatitis B (HBV) |
0.5 mL IM |
Three doses recommended at: 0, 1 and 6 months OR Positive titer. |
| Influenza |
0.5 mL IM |
Annually (fall) with current vaccine. |
| Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) |
0.5 mL SQ |
Completion of basic two dose series OR Positive titers for Measles,
Mumps and Rubella |
| Poliovirus (IPV) |
1.0 mL IM |
Completion of basic childhood series AND One single lifetime "booster" dose as an adult (>18 y.o.). |
| Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) |
0.5 mL IM |
Completion of basic three dose series. Booster every 10 years. |
| Varicella |
0.5 mL SC |
Two doses 4-8 weeks apart. Completion of basic series OR medical
documentation of chicken pox illness OR positive titer. |
| Tuberculin Skin Test (PPD) |
0.1mL ID |
Annually |
More specific information on required immunizations can be found on the CCRF Website
.
Additional Items
Clinical Service Hours
In order to meet BASIC readiness standards and be placed on a Ready Roster, OFRD officers must be
current in their professional role. Officers who wish to deploy in a clinical role must practice a
minimum of 80 hours per year in that role.
Basic Life Support (BLS)
officers are required to have received current training in Basic Life Support (BLS) at the
level of healthcare provider.
Basic Life Support training is not simply Adult Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). It must
include Adult, Pediatric, and Infant CPR and Foreign Body Airway Obstruction (FBAO) as well as
training in the use of an Automatic Electric Defibrillator (AED).
The only approved courses for satisfying this requirement are:
- American Heart Association (AHA) BLS for Healthcare Providers
- American Red Cross (ARC) CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer
- First Responder
Additional information on BLS Training
back to top |
