BOSTON — It is a moment in time that is now seared into Boston’s collective memory. The moment, ten years ago, that two terrorist bombs exploded at the Finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people, and injuring hundreds.
It is also the moment Boston was put to the test. Longtime Boston EMS Chief Richard Serino was the Deputy Administrator at FEMA based in Washington, DC but on that Marathon Monday, he was visiting Boston.
In the years leading up to the Marathon Bombings, he helped plan the inter-agency training that swung into action that April afternoon.
“Boston Strong was no accident,” Serino said. “It was no accident that Boston was prepared to respond that day, it was no accident that equipment was on site that day. It was no accident that the patients were equally distributed. It was no accident to see that lives were saved with tourniquets.”
Today, Serino is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which just held a conference on the lessons learned, ten years after the Marathon bombings.
The Panel emphasized the importance of seamless cooperation between law enforcement, government, and healthcare agencies in future emergencies.
And the need to provide care, long after the immediate emergency is over.
“Long-term recovery. There is this whole piece behind the scenes, not just human and social services piece, but disasters, the long-term recovery piece. It is critical,” said Dr. Atyia Martin, CEO of All Aces said at the Harvard University presentation.
“What is the greatest lesson that has been learned since the Boston Marathon bombing?” I asked Serino.
“I think one of the greatest lessons learned is the strength of the survivors, the strength of survivors, the strength of the city.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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