By Kandle, Kirk
Since the attacks of 9/11, law-enforcement agencies face real risks of terrorism, but Dr. Nathan Berger, 45, says the Louisville area is “blessed to have the resources we have.” Berger is specially trained to wear two hats – as a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team member and as a doctor who can help deal with unexpected medical concerns. He recently completed his second medical residency, this time in clinical forensics and tactical medicine at University Hospital.
Berger’s mentor is Dr. Bill Smock, an attending physician in the hospital’s emergency department. If the threat of a terrorist attack is a dark cloud, says Smock, “the silver lining is that we have the Dr. Bergers of the world who are committed to public safety.”
With 15 years experience as a firefighter and paramedic in suburban Washington, D.C., Burger had a keen interest in law enforcement before he went to medical school at the University of South Carolina. He sent a letter to Smock about six years ago, while he was a family-practice resident, to inquire about U of L’s program – the only one of its kind to combine clinical forensics and tactical medicine. The program equips doctors to work with law enforcement and to serve as a member of the Joint Emergency Services Unit (JESU), a local coalition of law enforcement, emergency, fire and rescue, public health, and medical agencies dedicated to keeping the community safe.
Berger’s job is to help JESU members remain healthy to do their jobs — and to be prepared for any man-made or natural disaster.
The group meets monthly to plan and train. “That’s why we’re the best-prepared in the country,” says Smock. “We’ve been doing this since 1997. The Louisville model, he says, has been taken up by the CDC and the FBI and transplanted around the country. “Attracting Nathan to Louisville to be part of this and to move to Floyd County is an example of why the Louisville model works,” says Smock.
Berger says it’s all about working as a team: “You leave your ego at the door.” He has been attached to the Floyd County’s SWAT team. He also completed the American College of Emergency Physicians’ special training for civilians to support tactical law enforcement operations.
Berger’s passion for scuba diving equips him to be a Louisville Metro Police dive team physician. “In that role, my job is to take care of the officers and make sure they stay safe from injury. You’d understand the challenge if you knew what’s at the bottom of the river,” he says. And, if necessary, Berger can take to the air, too. He holds a pilot’s license.
“The training we do covers anything that can happen in any location or tactical environment,” says Berger. “In a SWAT call- out, a hostage rescue, a high-risk warrant – these are all situations where, in case of injury to a civilian, hostage or officer, you need the highest level of medical care in the field. The public and our officers deserve nothing less.”
Copyright Louisville Magazine Inc. Aug 2008
(c) 2008 Louisville. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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