Group items tagged

Prior to a disaster, public safety officials try to equip residents with the proper information and resources to survive catastrophe. Some communities are cultivating a volunteer-driven response by training citizens how to act during an emergency. These initiatives-such as the Citizen Preparedness Corps in New York, Operation Rescue Ready in Virginia and FEMA's Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)-are intended to help communities withstand the interim between disaster and the arrival of first responders.

The responsibilities of a fire department span a wide range of tasks, but patrolling streets and acting as a deterrent to crime are not typically among them. That is exactly what firefighters in our nation's capital were told to do, however, igniting a debate that could spread to other areas around the country.

Free, over-the-air terrestrial television and radio broadcasting is a key element of disaster response, the International Telecommunication Union says in a draft report released in late November. The one-to-many nature of broadcasting means that so long as transmission capabilities exist, victims with access to receivers will have access to updated information. Unlike communications networks, which may fail after a disaster due to sudden and rushed demand to bandwidth or due to power loss, broadcast transmission is often robust and characterized by multiple local providers.

"A chief of police has two important and sometimes conflicting responsibilities - his or her own officers and members of the community. He or she must, on one hand, be the leader of the police  and, at the same time, the chief of and for the community. It is in the use of deadly force that these responsibilities come into conflict. If the chief, in a questionable shooting, decides in favor of the officer, the chief must be able to demonstrate to the community and convince them that the shooting was both lawful, within the stated policy of the department, morally defensible, and consistent with training."--David Couper

When you dial 911, you expect to be connected with someone who is able to provide emergency services to you in your time of need. But what do you really know about who is answering that emergency line? Telecommunicators are often thought of as the "first, first responder." They collect sufficient information from calls in order to get the proper response to the emergency at hand. One might presume there is a great deal of training and education that precedes procuring a job as a telecommunicator. While that may be true, a standard level of training is rarely required for employment.

An active shooter incident, where someone with a gun is actively attempting to kill or harm people in a confined area, merits the swift action of law enforcement. Such an event is typically over in less than 15 minutes, which means immediate and effective measures must be taken to prevent deaths.

In an emergency situation, the location of fire stations plays a large role in how quickly first responders can reach a scene. For victims, however, this distance determines how much delay must be endured before receiving care. The city of San Diego is exploring a way to reduce the distance first responders have to travel to reach victims.

In a crisis, the difference between life and death is often having knowledgeable people on the scene with quick access to accurate information. With smartphone penetration in the U.S. up to 56 percent, mobile technology is an increasingly effective pathway to these facts. Mobile applications are now making it easier to find and share essential information during emergencies.

Record levels of terrorist attacks and fatalities occurred worldwide in 2012, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism says. START released data for 2012 in its Global Terrorism Database, which now contains data on more than 113,000 attacks since 1970. 2012 saw 8,441 terrorist incidents, up from 5,009 the year before, which at the time was the most on record.

During the summer and early fall, hurricanes become a major threat to a significant portion of the U.S. The combination of high winds, heavy rain and potential impact on coastlines can have far-reaching implications for communities, as was evident during storms like Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. Many agencies look to scientific forecasts to help prepare for natural disasters, but regardless of what these reports say, first responders must formulate plans and protocols to prepare for the worst.

Difficulty measuring the effects of disaster preparedness has prevented a proper accounting of its benefits, says a paper published by the Institute of Medicine. "In principle, we could evaluate the effectiveness of an investment in preparedness with appropriate measures of outcomes such as response times, property saved, etc.," the paper (.pdf) says. But because emergencies are relatively rare and so different from each other, researchers rely on case studies or other qualitative methods, instead of empirical studies. The authors of the paper, dated Jan. 7, are two emergency medicine professors--Jesse Pines of George Washington University and Seth Seabury of the University of Southern California--and William Pilkington, the public health director for Cabarrus County, N.C.

A tactical medical team consists of first responders who are trained in special operations and basic EMT skills. Being trained in both areas allows tactical medics to attend to the wounded as quickly as possible, even when a scene is not secure. By outfitting a crisis response team with at least one of these multifunctional individuals, agencies can save precious time and, as a result, lives.

In today's world, firefighters do much more than quell blazes. They are frequently called upon to serve in emergency response situations ranging from active shooters to natural disasters. For these first responders to be prepared to meet the challenges faced in these scenarios, firefighter training throughout the U.S. must expand.

Since it takes just a few minutes for active shooters to do a significant amount of damage, an effective first wave of emergency response is critical. In a school setting, teachers are often forced to provide that first line of protection before law enforcement arrives on the scene.

May there never ever be another Sandy Hook. However, if the situation arises where first responders need to address an active shooter, we want them to be ready. After taking part in Urban Shield, the hope is all tactical teams will use radio communications effectively - allowing connected teachers and tactical teams to enable the fastest response possible to keep students safe.

When disaster strikes, agencies spring into action to provide aid, rescue services, medical care and other forms of emergency response. More and more, first responders are looking for help from new technology to improve their ability to save lives. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)-commonly known as drones-could become an important innovation for disaster preparedness and relief.

For those living in remote or heavily wooded areas, wildfires threaten homes where it is difficult to fight and contain the inferno. The high temperatures and dry weather characteristic of the summer season are conditions ideal for fires to start and spread. Many emergency response organizations are embracing end-to-end disaster preparedness to ensure they are ready for wildfires well in advance of an outbreak.

During emergency response, the ability to access information in a timely manner can be critical for survival. Recent incidents with active shooters have underscored the importance of relaying accurate information quickly, and first responders are beginning to leverage these technologies more frequently.

Already tasked with many responsibilities, firefighter duties are expanding in a few cities to include more medical care. Unlike tactical medical teams, where EMTs are given tactical skills to use on the scene, this medical attention occurs after an individual has been discharged from the hospital.

By aiding first responders in their efforts and providing care for disaster victims, medical centers play a vital role in the success of emergency response. All agencies, including medical institutions, must examine how they act before, during and after an emergency to improve their end-to-end disaster preparedness.