January 20th was a day of celebration in Washington, DC, as thousands of people attended the ceremony, parade, and evening galas held to commemorate George W. Bush's second presidential inauguration. For many, though, it was an extra day of work, ending four months of preparation for any emergencies that might arise, from first aid for the 500,000 attendees to a more sinister event resulting in mass casualties.

Commander Angela Martinelli, DNSc, RN, CNOR, of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), Office of Force Readiness and Deployment, and colleague Lieutenant John Mallos, BSN, RN, worked with other federal and local agencies to coordinate emergency preparedness on behalf of the USPHS. They assigned more than 160 public health officers to a variety of response teams, including first-aid teams at stations along parade routes and at the swearing-in ceremony and mobile teams attending inaugural balls; food safety officers were assigned to venues at which the president might eat, and medical strike teams were ready to be activated if there were a mass-casualty event. According to Martinelli, security for the inauguration was "the tightest [she'd] ever seen." Indeed, some trucks carrying first-aid equipment were unable to make it through security checkpoints, leaving some aid stations with few supplies. Fortunately, the day was quiet and all most people needed was a place to get warm.

FIGURE. U.S. Public Health Service officers readying supplies in one of the four first-aid tents along the inaugural parade route. There were 18 first-aid stations, including mobile vans.

FIGURE. The inauguration at the U.S. Capitol amid tight security. This photo was taken in front of one of the first-aid tents inside the security perimeter.

FIGURE. Clockwise from top left:The command center at the Department of Health and Human Services, where representatives from various agencies monitored the inaugural events.Inside the command center at the Department of Health and Human Services, Commander Angela Martinelli of the U.S. Public Health Service (at left) confers with Nancy McKelvey, chief nurse of the American Red Cross. One of several teams of U.S. Public Health Service officers staffing first-aid tents along the inaugural parade route. The teams treated very little in the way of real emergencies.Abandoned tubas wait for musicians who were keeping warm inside tents. Most people sought first aid because of the below-freezing temperature (and resulting near frostbite).First-aid teams weren't the only groups prepared for emergencies. Here, police in riot gear stand behind parade floats.