Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to John Ashcroft, June 14, 2002

ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR. 315 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225-3061 NERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE ASSISTANT DEPUTY MAJORITY WHIP Congress of tt)c Uniteb States $)o use of ftepretfentatibes MlaSfjington, ЭС 205X5-2002 June 14, 2002 Attorney General John Ashcroft U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20530-0001 Attn: C.H. “Butch” Straub Dear Attorney General Ashcroft: I am writing to introduce to you an innovative plan to train America’s First Responders for the very real scenario of a bioterrorist attack on U.S. civilian and military populations. The task of preparing First Responders for such an attack is daunting and immediate. Accordingly, Dr. Bill Sacco, President of Thinksharp, Inc., and a constituent of Maryland’s Second Congressional District, has identified opportunities to extend and enhance existing protocols so as to maximize the saving of human life in a mass casualty situation. Dr. Sacco’s expertise in the field of triage is second to none. He is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities in triage and trauma scoring and has published more than 65 papers and 10 book chapters on the subject. His trauma decision trees were en route to the Persian Gulf for implementation by U.S. forces just as Desert Storm concluded. He has provided expert training and triage protocols to the Navy SEALs, the Department of the Army, and the Department of the Navy. Finally, his work culminated in a lifetime achievement award when he was named the 1999 Honorary Fellow of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Specifically, ThinkSharp is proposing to combine its unique training methodology with Dr. Sacco’s expertise in the field to deliver an efficient training regimen to First Responders nationwide. Thinksharp provides case study-based learning on the internet, via video, and in the classroom. Real world problems, in this case mass casualty situations, are simulated through high-quality video and animation and presented to trainees as open-ended challenges. Using “best practice” training methods provided by Thinksharp, First Responders will gain unique triage experience as they learn triage protocol. Thinksharp is in a unique position to establish a triage standard and begin to roll out a training program in the next few months. Thinksharp’s online training delivery technology has two distinct advantages: it provides a cost effective method for training and refreshing 2 million or more First Responders; and the modularity of ThinkSharp’s case studies and tutorials allow cost effective updates and enhancements. They can also provide automated Training Certifications to those successfully learning to apply the protocols. 1 ON RECYCLED PAPER