The scale of the problem The extent to which first responders turn out in the event of an emergency is an important concern since significant failure to turn out and commit would have wide implications for successfully dealing with an emergency. One suggestion is that turn out failure by emergency personnel is more likely under … Read more
Emergency services responding to CBRN-type incidents require personal protective clothing, or hazmat suits, and equipment including personal breathing apparatus to shield against harmful agents. However, cumbersome protective suits, gas masks, rubber gloves, and protective over-boots of the sort worn by emergency responders to protect against chemical and biological attack can interfere with individual and group … Read more
The scale of the problem There is a growing recognition that First Responders themselves can become psychological victims of a disaster (Alexander & Klein, 2003; R Wraith & Gordon, 2001?). Eighty percent of disaster workers experience emotional symptoms due to their experience of the events, and their role as help providers dealing with death and … Read more
First Responders comprise not only officials and professionals from the various emergency services, disaster agencies, local authority and health services, but also the general public (Clark, 2003). In fact some reports suggest that in many disasters, the public makes up a numerically larger proportion of first responders, assisting with rescue work and elementary disaster relief … Read more
Communication problems are pervasive in many disaster situations. Nearly all the case studies of disasters occurring in the last 30 years describe communication problems of some sort. The general issues are: 1) external communication with the public (covered in another post); 2) internal communication among emergency response personnel and their agencies, discussed here. Technical problems … Read more
