JOPLIN, Mo. - Missouri National Guard medics have been assigned to the Disaster Recovery Jobs Program here to ensure the safety and well being of civilians, Soldiers and Airmen who have joined in the tornado recovery effort.
After the May 22 tornado that devastated Joplin and Duquesne, the Guard was designated the state's point agency on debris removal and clearance.
Along with the Missouri Department of Workforce Development and the Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri, the Guard contingent, known as Task Force Phoenix, has been providing crew leader supervision and assistance to the cities through the program.
Approximately 500 men and women have joined the program since it was implemented in July. With that many people employed through the program, keeping everyone safe on the job has been an important objective for the Guard – especially as temperatures in southwestern Missouri have been reaching beyond 100 degrees for several weeks now.
Army Staff Sgt. Luke McCorkel and Army Spc. Mark Lopez are among the Missouri National Guard medics that have been assigned to Task Force Phoenix. The Soldiers bring valuable experience, not only with their training as Army National Guard medics, but from their civilian jobs as well. McCorkel is a nursing assistant at Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, while Lopez serves as a firefighter with the Kansas City Fire Department.
One way the Guard medics have been evaluating civilian and Guard members' safety has been through the implementation of a marking system in which several colors of tape are used to distinguish various known medical conditions and placed on the hard hats of workers.
Lopez explained the system. Black and white tape are used to designate heat related injuries, while yellow indicates that an individual is allergic to certain insects and red is used to designate other pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.
"Effectively, it reminds us and their leaders of certain individuals that should be watched more closely throughout the day," McCorkel said. "It also keeps other workers around the job site mindful of their partners as they work."
The medics also walk around the job sites making sure that Soldiers and Airmen, as well as civilians and supervisors, are taking regular breaks and staying hydrated.