Disaster Management of Animals
The management of animals is an important part of any field response to disasters. Whether it is the management of displaced, injured, or ill animals after a natural disaster or…
Geographic Information Systems in Crises
The technical term geographic information system (GIS) describes a relational computer system that captures, stores, manages, retrieves, analyzes, and displays geographic data. Practically understood, a GIS allows users to understand…
Role of Bystanders in Disasters
Disasters occur with or without warning, and they can be “sudden” or “sustained.” With respect to disaster response, the terms volunteer and bystander are often used together, though they are…
Surveillance
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines surveillance as “the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data in order to plan, implement and evaluate public health interventions.” There are three…
Personal Protective Equipment
PPE, for personal protective equipment, has become a rather common acronym in the lexicon of health care providers. The acronym has been common in fire services, emergency medical services (EMS),…
The Incident Command System
On a day-to-day basis most organizations function independently of one another. They are able to carry on with their routine activities and operate without the assistance of other agencies, jurisdictions,…
Operations and Logistics
Disaster management is most effective when responding agencies are well trained, well practiced, and familiar with the hierarchy needed for disaster response. Before a major incident, responding organizations and personnel…
Patient Surge
One of the fundamental objectives of any emergency preparedness program is the ability to respond to surges in demand for health care. Within the realm of health care, proactive emergency…
Mutual Aid
When disaster strikes suddenly, first responders gather their resources, move to the scene, and begin to execute a well-rehearsed response. Personnel, supplies, and equipment arrive at the scene and meet…
Scene Safety and Situational Awareness in Disaster Response
Emergency medical service(s) (EMS) personnel receive training in scene operations and safety during the didactic portion of their training. The training covers the events and concerns in normal EMS response,…
