ESCANABA — I do a lot of work in emergency management. My primary function is that of a paramedic, working though an advanced life support agency. Those of us licensed to provide first response medical care go through retraining every three years to maintain our licensure. Included with that is criteria developed to handle crisis and/or disasters. I have also spent time as an EMS representative in the Emergency Operations Center for disasters. Delta County, where I reside and work, has a central dispatch system and a local emergency preparedness program coordinator. They work hand-in-hand to roll out the appropriate level of response to any given situation. It is all part of what is commonly referred to as the “chain of survival.” One of the common practices of this program is the deployment of enough equipment, personnel and affiliate operations to match the need.