Protecting Emergency Responders Volume 3: Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response Brian...
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Transcript of Protecting Emergency Responders Volume 3: Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response Brian...
Protecting Emergency Responders
Volume 3: Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response
Brian A. JacksonJohn C. Baker
M. Susan RidgelyJames T. BartisHerbert I. Linn
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 2 - April 2006
Emergency Responders are a Vital Part of U.S. Homeland Security, and Must be Protected
• The United States faces a two-pronged threat of a major crisis
- Natural disasters have always been a risk
- The risk of terrorist violence has increased in the past five years
• Emergency responders play a critical role in protecting the public in
situations of this magnitude
• When emergency responders are injured or killed, it impairs the
nation’s ability to respond
• National disasters almost always begin locally
- A crisis can hit any community
- Federal action can make local responders safer—and more effective
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 3 - April 2006
Policy Question
How do we bring together and employ all the capabilities and resources needed
to protect responders during major disasters?
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 4 - April 2006
RAND and NIOSH Undertook a Study to Answer this Question
• Defined “responders” broadly for the purposes of the study
- the full range of organizations involved in disaster response
• Conducted a comprehensive review of the existing literature
• Gathered extensive input from the responder community
- interviews with leadership- in-depth studies of four major incidents- workshop with key representatives of the community
• Subjected recommendations to rigorous quality review
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 5 - April 2006
Managing the Safety of Emergency Responders Involves Three Main Functions
• Gather information on:
- hazards- responders- safety capabilities
GatherInformation
• Analyze available data & make decisions about safety
Analyze Options & Make Decisions
• Communicate safety information and implement decisions
Take Action
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 6 - April 2006
During “Routine” Operations, Response Agencies Follow Established Safety Practices
• In “routine” operations, individual organizations are responsible for the safety of their own personnel
• The hazards they face and the activities they perform are relatively familiar and predictable
• They use established procedures—designed for these familiar situations—to carry out the three safety-management functions
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 7 - April 2006
But Major Disasters are Far from Routine...• They impose unfamiliar conditions
- cover large geographic areas
- last for extended periods of time
- involve unusual or intense hazards
- damage or destroy needed infrastructures
Photos: Andrea Booher, FEMA; FEMA News Photo
As a result, responders face greater risks.
• They exceed the capability of any individual response organization
- require capabilities that individual organizations do not normally maintain
- involve many different types of response organizations
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 8 - April 2006
Disaster Situations Can Break Down the Safety Management Cycle at Every Stage
Unfamiliar & extreme
conditions make it hard
to collect data on
hazards & responders
Lack of needed expertise &
resources creates problems
assessing safety threats
GatherInformation
Take Action
Scale of the event &
involvement of
multiple
organizations
impede efforts to
implement safety
decisions Analyze Options & Make Decisions
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 9 - April 2006
The Report by RAND & NIOSH Focuses on Two Key Strategies to Address Management Shortfalls
• Approach safety management from an integrated perspective
- protects the safety of all responders
- makes the specialized safety resources of different organizations available to all
- provides ways of addressing safety issues that are inherently interagency
• Establish the capabilities to perform the safety-management functions under disaster conditions
CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 10 - April 2006
Study Identified a Range of Recommendations to Improve Safety Management
• Preparedness for:
• Hazard monitoring, workforce data management, and injury reporting
• Risk assessment and management• Safety equipment planning and logistics• Risk communication, safety enforcement,
medical interventions, and resource management
• The safety capabilities of all responding organizations must be integrated effectively
• NIMS/NRP adopts this perspective, but implementation is still an issue.
GatherInformation
Analyze Options & Make Decisions
Take Action