In 2006 AMTA-MI Chapter Massage Emergency Response Team (MERT) was invited to participate in a mock disaster in Detroit at Cass Tech High School. Various agencies including police, fire, EMS, Homeland Security, FEMA, American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan and Salvation Army and other local agencies took part in a two day sheltering and exercise which also involved a hazmat situation.
The AMTA-MI Chapter provided chair massages to the responders both days and had the opportunity to network and promote the benefits of massage. Many of the responders had received massages when they responded to 9/11.
This mock response gave us a chance to educate and learn from the various agencies along with letting them learn more about massage and how we can be integrated into a response or post response.
We have more exercises that MERT will be invited into this coming year. If your interested in becoming a volunteer for AMTA-MI MERT contact Julie Finn, 3rd VP and MERT Chapter Coordinator mimertamta@yahoo.com
See photos of the event here.
