It is with deep sadness that announcement is made of the passing of a great American who over his life gave some much to help others and a member of this site since 7 Dec 2021 with ‘OEM1’ as a screen name after a long illness.
You might recognize the name of Jerome Hauer who responsible for the establishment of the first Office of Emergency Management as a separate governmental institution in New York City under the office of the mayor back in the 90’s.
I first met Jerry back in the late 80’s when he was working for the Emergency Medical Service while they were still under the control of NYC’s Health & Hospital Corp.
Jerry was employed as EMS’s Emergency Management expert. On many occasions we were both assigned to the NYPD’s Operations Division Emergency Management Command Center within One Police Plaza during different times to coordinate various disasters or events citywide. Once NYPD’s Inspector Archie Love, who commanded that unit realized that we had set up our own little area he quickly assigned the more active members of his staff to join the team. We enlisted the reps from other agencies or departments to come on board with us. All the information was quickly shared and processed. During those years there was no separate agency for emergency management in NYC and our work day was between 12 to 16 hours and then report back the next day if required.
The years that followed we kept in touch as he moved to various jobs. A few months ago, we spoke about his medical problem, but he was the type of person who did not want to stop working.
The following is what had been written about Jerome M. Hauer accomplishments prior to his passing this past Friday.
Jerome M. Hauer, has for four decades been a leader in emergency management and health and medical response in major and catastrophic incidents. Dr. Hauer’s emphasis on the capability of countries to respond to the medical and public health impact of terrorist use of an improvised nuclear device (IND) is a synthesis of his work on massive transfusion, autologous blood transfusion, and coagulopathies in trauma and cardiac surgery. As acting Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness at the Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Hauer was responsible for coordinating the country’s medical and public preparedness and response to emergencies including, chemical, biological, and nuclear terrorism. Before his appointment as Acting Assistant Secretary in June, Dr. Hauer had served as Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness. Dr. Hauer also served as senior advisor to the Secretary for National Security and Emergency Management during the events of September 11, 2001.
Dr. Hauer is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Special Operations Medicine and is a member of the Board of Director of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.
Before coming to HHS, Dr. Hauer was named by Mayor Rudolf Giuliani’s as New York City’s first Director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). New York became the first city to develop a bioterrorism response plan and to do large-scale bioterrorism exercises. New York City, under Hauer’s leadership NY, pioneered surveillance systems for detecting unusual health events and the concept of the Points of Distribution, now used worldwide for mass distribution of medication.
Dr. Hauer served as Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for the State of New York, which oversaw the Office of Emergency Management, the Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the Office of Interoperable and Emergency Communications. He also served as the Director of the Office of Counterterrorism. The Division was responsible for helping to prepare for, and respond to, terrorism and other man-made and natural disasters throughout New York State.
He was on the Congressional Fire Caucus’ Urban Search and Rescue Advisory Committee as well as the National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue Advisory Council. In 1990 and 1991, he was named Chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Earthquake Consortium.
Most recently Hauer served as Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services as well as Director of the Office of Counterterrorism.
In 1987, Hauer was named Deputy Director for Emergency Management for the City of New York’s Emergency Medical Services.
Hauer has served on the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine’s Committee to Evaluate R&D Needs for Improved Civilian Medical Response to Chemical or Biological Terrorism Incidents, and the U.S. Marine Corps’ Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force (C-BIRF
Dr. Hauer developed the first technique for re-infusing blood lost by patients following cardiac surgery while a graduate student at Johns Hopkins. Upon graduation from Hopkins, he spent time at the Maryland Shock Trauma Unit and was Associate Director of Transfusion Services and then joined Beth Israel Hospital in Boston as a Research Associate. His research focused on auto-transfusion and coagulopathies in trauma and cardiac surgery. Additionally, Dr. Hauer served on the faculty of the Northeastern University Paramedic Program He co-directed the first two postgraduate courses in Trauma Management at the Longwood Area Trauma Center of the Harvard Medical School
Dr. Hauer has also served as a volunteer firefighter in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and was a member of the Fairfield County Hazardous Materials Response Team. He was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve attached to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hauer has a Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University. Dr. Hauer did his doctoral research at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom/Cranfield University. His dissertation, Emergency Medical Preparedness for Terrorist Use of an Improved Nuclear Device, remains classified.
Dr. Hauer is the recipient of numerous honors, including Outstanding Alumni of the Year from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU.
Dr. Hauer has written or coauthored forty-six (47) publications, three (3) books, and two (2) monographs.
In recent years he was appointed by FDNY as an Honorary Fire Commissioner.
To Tracy, his wife, and Michael, his son, we offer our prayers and deepest sympathy.
You might recognize the name of Jerome Hauer who responsible for the establishment of the first Office of Emergency Management as a separate governmental institution in New York City under the office of the mayor back in the 90’s.
I first met Jerry back in the late 80’s when he was working for the Emergency Medical Service while they were still under the control of NYC’s Health & Hospital Corp.
Jerry was employed as EMS’s Emergency Management expert. On many occasions we were both assigned to the NYPD’s Operations Division Emergency Management Command Center within One Police Plaza during different times to coordinate various disasters or events citywide. Once NYPD’s Inspector Archie Love, who commanded that unit realized that we had set up our own little area he quickly assigned the more active members of his staff to join the team. We enlisted the reps from other agencies or departments to come on board with us. All the information was quickly shared and processed. During those years there was no separate agency for emergency management in NYC and our work day was between 12 to 16 hours and then report back the next day if required.
The years that followed we kept in touch as he moved to various jobs. A few months ago, we spoke about his medical problem, but he was the type of person who did not want to stop working.
The following is what had been written about Jerome M. Hauer accomplishments prior to his passing this past Friday.
Jerome M. Hauer, has for four decades been a leader in emergency management and health and medical response in major and catastrophic incidents. Dr. Hauer’s emphasis on the capability of countries to respond to the medical and public health impact of terrorist use of an improvised nuclear device (IND) is a synthesis of his work on massive transfusion, autologous blood transfusion, and coagulopathies in trauma and cardiac surgery. As acting Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness at the Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Hauer was responsible for coordinating the country’s medical and public preparedness and response to emergencies including, chemical, biological, and nuclear terrorism. Before his appointment as Acting Assistant Secretary in June, Dr. Hauer had served as Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness. Dr. Hauer also served as senior advisor to the Secretary for National Security and Emergency Management during the events of September 11, 2001.
Dr. Hauer is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Special Operations Medicine and is a member of the Board of Director of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.
Before coming to HHS, Dr. Hauer was named by Mayor Rudolf Giuliani’s as New York City’s first Director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). New York became the first city to develop a bioterrorism response plan and to do large-scale bioterrorism exercises. New York City, under Hauer’s leadership NY, pioneered surveillance systems for detecting unusual health events and the concept of the Points of Distribution, now used worldwide for mass distribution of medication.
Dr. Hauer served as Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for the State of New York, which oversaw the Office of Emergency Management, the Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the Office of Interoperable and Emergency Communications. He also served as the Director of the Office of Counterterrorism. The Division was responsible for helping to prepare for, and respond to, terrorism and other man-made and natural disasters throughout New York State.
He was on the Congressional Fire Caucus’ Urban Search and Rescue Advisory Committee as well as the National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue Advisory Council. In 1990 and 1991, he was named Chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Earthquake Consortium.
Most recently Hauer served as Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services as well as Director of the Office of Counterterrorism.
In 1987, Hauer was named Deputy Director for Emergency Management for the City of New York’s Emergency Medical Services.
Hauer has served on the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine’s Committee to Evaluate R&D Needs for Improved Civilian Medical Response to Chemical or Biological Terrorism Incidents, and the U.S. Marine Corps’ Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force (C-BIRF
Dr. Hauer developed the first technique for re-infusing blood lost by patients following cardiac surgery while a graduate student at Johns Hopkins. Upon graduation from Hopkins, he spent time at the Maryland Shock Trauma Unit and was Associate Director of Transfusion Services and then joined Beth Israel Hospital in Boston as a Research Associate. His research focused on auto-transfusion and coagulopathies in trauma and cardiac surgery. Additionally, Dr. Hauer served on the faculty of the Northeastern University Paramedic Program He co-directed the first two postgraduate courses in Trauma Management at the Longwood Area Trauma Center of the Harvard Medical School
Dr. Hauer has also served as a volunteer firefighter in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and was a member of the Fairfield County Hazardous Materials Response Team. He was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve attached to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hauer has a Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University. Dr. Hauer did his doctoral research at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom/Cranfield University. His dissertation, Emergency Medical Preparedness for Terrorist Use of an Improved Nuclear Device, remains classified.
Dr. Hauer is the recipient of numerous honors, including Outstanding Alumni of the Year from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from NYU.
Dr. Hauer has written or coauthored forty-six (47) publications, three (3) books, and two (2) monographs.
In recent years he was appointed by FDNY as an Honorary Fire Commissioner.
To Tracy, his wife, and Michael, his son, we offer our prayers and deepest sympathy.
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