The Special Operations Unit is the response arm of the Office of Health Services. The mission of the Unit along with our partners throughout Middlesex County is a common goal of helping Middlesex County prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, pressing public health needs, and emergencies of all kinds.

When major health even occurs in the County, the Special Operations Unit is responsible for the activation of the Public Health Emergency Plan (PHEP), and coordination with all of the Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF8) partner organizations. The Unit also provides a 'boots on the ground' response that reports back information to the Office of Health Services and the Emergency Operations Center from the scene of the incident.

The Unity operates following the deployment, response, and outfitting guidance of the National Disaster Medical Service (NDMS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS) team typing, and maintains Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) Mission Ready Packages Teams.

The Special Operations Unit works with the Newark/Jersey City Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), the Strategic National Stockpile, and the Receive Storage Staging support services. They also work closely with our sister Offices, Local Health Departments and Emergency Management, New Jersey Department of Health, Homeland Security, Environmental Protection, National Guard, State Police Emergency Management, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and others.

The unit has several response vehicles and trailers that are outfitted for specific emergency situations and maintain a significant inventory of materials, supplies, and equipment that can be utilized during major events.

Special Operations Resource Request Form

The Special Operations Unit has three primary functional areas:

• Deployment Teams
• Medical Reserve Corps
• Disaster Planning and Preparedness