PHS 2005 Responder of the Year
On June 9, Captain
(CAPT) Sven E. Rodenbeck, Sc.D., P.E., BCEE, was awarded the
Commissioned Officers Association of the US Public Health Service (PHS) 2005
Responder of the Year Award. The Responder of the Year Award is presented annually
to the officer who exemplifies the best characteristics of a ready and responsive
Commissioned Corps. Nominations are submitted annually by the Commissioned Corps
Chief Professional Officers, and a selection committee struggles to select the
very best representative from among the stellar nominees.
Currently stationed at the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation (DHAC), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), CAPT Rodenbeck was recognized by the Association for his actions - beginning in September 2001 and continuing through the present - in response to the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse, as well as his direction in defining and developing the role of the public health engineer in responding to disasters. He has continually provided outstanding leadership in carrying out response components of the PHS mission.
On September 11, 2001, the resulting collapse of structures at Ground Zero released massive amounts of dust and debris that covered lower Manhattan. Immediately after the planes crashed into the WTC towers, ATSDR emergency response procedures were implemented. When DHAC staff was placed on alert, CAPT Rodenbeck was asked to lead the effort. Under his leadership, the ATSDR staff assisted the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) to interpret the environmental monitoring data that was being collected. The City also requested help with developing a communication strategy and public health informational/educational material and they needed federal representatives to provide technical information to the New York City community during public meetings. The on-site technical support provided by ATSDR to NYCDOHMH continued through June 28, 2002.
The most significant accomplishment performed by CAPT Rodenbeck’s team lead was the only (at the time) federal government effort to sampling indoor residential areas in lower Manhattan. This effort combined the resources of the NYCDOHMH, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ATSDR, CDC, and the PHS Commissioned Corps to conduct Ambient and Indoor Sampling for Public Health Evaluations of Residential Areas near WTC. Sampling of residential units, conducted by Commissioned Corps engineers and environmental health officers deployed to New York City, occurred from November 4 through December 12, 2001. The final report, which documents the support and dedication of the Corps responders who were part of the effort, was released to the public on October 4, 2002. Based in part on this effort, EPA conducted a massive cleaning/sampling of residential areas (over 6,000 residential units at a cost of over $10,000,000).
Because of his leadership of the indoor sampling efforts, and his expertise
in environmental engineering and hazardous substances, CAPT Rodenbeck was specifically
named as the only Department of Health and Human Services permanent member
on the WTC Expert Technical Review Panel in 2003. This Panel is responsible
for evaluating the recent studies and current environmental status in lower
Manhattan and continues its efforts today. For more than 3 years, CAPT Sven
Rodenbeck has dedicated his expertise and a large measure of his compassion
to better the health and well being of the people affected by the World Trade
Center Collapse