If disaster strikes involving hazardous and potentially explosive materials, you want someone who knows what they’re doing in the lead.

Thankfully, Milton has Fire Chief Gabe Benmoussa. Not only is he our own emergency expert, he’s taught the topic to fellow First Responders from around the world – including earlier this month at a World Health Organization conference in the United Arab Emirates.

Benmoussa served as a Workshop Director at the 6th Emergency Medical Teams Global Meeting run by the WHO, a United Nations agency focused on promoting the health, well-being, and safety of people worldwide. This is not the first time that he’s been an instructor and leader on the world stage. Among other credentials, Benmoussa is affiliated with the Harvard-associated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with a Fellowship in Internal Medicine.

In Abu Dhabi, Benmoussa helped lead a course on the potential impacts of different chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents – both through weapons and more everyday use. His session referenced establishing an Incident Command System (much like Milton might do when dealing with various emergencies), using the appropriate personal protection equipment, as well as triaging, evaluating, treating, and transporting casualties.

This three-day workshop culminated in an exercise that Benmoussa helped coordinate. And it was part of the larger, more extensive “Global Meeting” involving members of national and international EMT organizations, government leaders, and other partners to foster collaboration and support.

We’re proud to have one of our own, in Chief Benmoussa, both participate in a conference like this one and also be a leader in it. The City didn’t pay for his attendance or travel some 7,500 miles away, but we’re the ones who can reap benefits from what he learns and teaches others.