Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Response System (HRMMRS)
The Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that provides funding to the 124 largest jurisdictions to assist in maintaining plans, purchasing equipment and pharmaceuticals, and conducting exercises and training to develop and sustain the capabilities to respond to a mass casualty event, whether caused by a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) terrorist act, epidemic disease outbreak, natural disaster, or HAZMAT accident, during the early hours critical to life-saving and population protection. The MMRS program is the only federal program that supports multidisciplinary mass casualty response planning at the local/regional level.
 The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Response System (HRMMRS) was developed under the direction of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) in 1999. It includes the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg and the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry and York. The HRPDC contracts with the Tidewater EMS Council to manage the activities of the HRMMRS. HRMMRS supports and enhances Hampton Roads public safety, hospital, public health, and emergency management response capabilities to manage mass casualty incidents during the first 48 hours, prior to the arrival of federal assets. Over 250 individuals from almost 90 local and state agencies and organizations are involved in continuous planning, training and exercises.
 The HRMMRS supports, equips and trains a 47-member (250 member call group) Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medical Strike Team (HRMMST) that provides on-scene expertise and resources to the Incident Commander during a disaster.
The HRMMST is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) trained medical emergency response team that maintains a redundant response capability of personnel, equipment and communications on the Peninsula and Southside. The HRMMRS maintains a pharmaceutical cache of nerve antidotes, antibiotics, antivirals and other medications that are immediately available in all EMS agencies, hospitals and public health departments in the Hampton Roads area.
The HRMMRS has purchased personnel protective equipment for public safety agency, hospital, public health and medical examiner personnel; decontamination systems for all area hospitals; radiation detectors for fire/EMS and law enforcement vehicles; CBRNE identification equipment for public health and HAZMAT teams; communication equipment for hospitals and public health; medication temperature control equipment for responder vehicles; and supplies/equipment for mass prophylaxis dispensing centers.  The HRMMRS provides funding assistance to the 6 Medical Reserve Corps programs in Hampton Roads. The HRMMRS funds ongoing training and exercises in disaster medical response and the development and operation of the Weber Emergency Response Training & Simulation Center. The HRMMRS is funded through Department of Homeland Security grants and local assessments from the 16 Hampton Roads jurisdictions.
Contact Information . . . -
Hampton Roads MMRS
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6353 Center Drive Ste 101
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Norfolk, VA 23502
Telephone: 757 963-0632 Fax 757 963-2325
Office hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm except holidays
For more information about the HRMMRS, contact Bill Ginnow, MS, RPh, Program Manager, at (757) 963-0632, ext 304 or
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or visit www.hrmmrs.org
The Hampton Roads MMRS is managed by the Tidewater EMS Council through an agreement with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.
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