Thank you to the hundreds of local health departments and partners who joined our August 27, 2025, webinar, “Enhancing Public Health Preparedness for Chemical and Radiation Emergencies: A Resource Showcase.” The energy was high, the questions were sharp, and the focus was practical. If you missed it, or want a quick tour of the highlights, start here.
What Made this Webinar Different
Presenters from NACCHO and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) centered on tools you can use right away. NACCHO’s Chemical Preparedness hub pulls everything into one place so you can plan, exercise, communicate, and improve without starting from scratch. Explore the Chemical Preparedness Handbook, the Tabletop Exercise Toolkit with rural and urban modules, facilitator notes, AAR/IP templates, and ready-to-adapt communications materials. Click here to get started.
Radiation Readiness, Simplified
Radiation planning can feel complex, so presenters showcased resources that turn plans into practice. Visit NACCHO’s Radiation Preparedness Resource Library for Community Reception Center (CRC) planning aids, training modules, and curated guidance that teams can plug into drills and tabletop exercises.
Build Capability Through Community
Preparedness improves when jurisdictions learn together. Join ChemPrep Connect, NACCHO’s virtual community where LHDs, healthcare, and emergency management partners share templates, pose questions, and compare approaches that work. The platform helps you move faster while tailoring solutions to local realities. Click here for more on ChemPrep Connect.
Connect with National Partners
The National Alliance for Radiation Readiness (NARR) links public health, healthcare, and emergency management with federal partners. If you are new to NARR, it is a direct path to training, updates, and communities of practice that complement local efforts. Click here to learn more and browse toolkits, webinars, and guidance.
From Questions to Next Steps
Your questions during the session highlighted what matters most right now. Teams asked about CRC staffing and coordination, how to engage federal partners, medical countermeasures for both chemical and radiation events, GIS for plume modeling, and integrating access and functional needs into planning and decontamination workflows. The takeaway is clear. Start small, exercise often, and use shared playbooks so you can align with hospitals, EMS, and emergency management before an incident.
Quick Actions You Can Take this Month
- Run a short tabletop using the Chemical Preparedness toolkit. Even ninety minutes is enough to clarify roles, test communications, and capture improvements in an AAR/IP.
- Preload comms templates so your Public Information Officer (PIO) team can move quickly with accurate, audience-ready messages.
- Bring hospitals and EMS into your CRC planning to align intake, decon, and data exchange.
- Join a workgroup to help shape the next set of tools and trainings for the field.
Watch and Share
Stay Connected
Have questions or want help choosing the right starting point for your jurisdiction
- Jerry Joseph, NACCHO Preparedness: [email protected]
- Annie Evans, ASTHO and NARR: [email protected] or [email protected]
One Last Click
Bookmark your go-to resources and share them with your team:
Preparedness is a practice. With these tools, partners, and communities, you can keep momentum high and make tangible progress before the next exercise or incident.
Sign up to receive the Preparedness Brief Digest to stay updated on resources and tools from NACCHO’s Chemical Preparedness portfolio
