Presents a unique view of social problems and conflicts over urban space from the cab of an ambulance. While we imagine ambulances as a site for critical care, the reality is far more complicated. Social problems, like homelessness, substance abuse, and the health consequences of poverty, are encountered every day by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers. Written from the lens of a sociologist who speaks with the fluency of a former Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Medicine at the Margins delves deeply into the world of EMTs and paramedics in American cities, an understudied element of our health care system. Like the public hospital, the EMS system is a key but misunderstood part of our system of last resort. Medicine at the Margins presents a unique prism through which urban social problems, the health care system, and the struggling social safety net refract and intersect in largely unseen ways. Author Christopher Prener examines the forms of marginality that capture the reality of urban EMS work and showcases the unique view EMS providers have of American urban life. The rise of neighborhood stigma and the consequences it holds for patients who are assumed by providers to be malingering is critical for understanding not just the phenomenon of non- or sub-acute patient calls but also why they matter for all patients. This sense of marginality is a defining feature of the experience of EMS work and is a statement about the patient population whom urban EMS providers care for daily. Prener argues that the pre-hospital health care system needs to embrace its role in the social safety net and how EMSs' future is in community practice of paramedicine, a port of a broader mandate of pre-hospital health care. By leaning into this work, EMS providers are uniquely positioned to deliver on the promise of community medicine. At a time when we are considering how to rely less on policing, the EMS system is already tasked with treating many of the social problems we think would benefit from less involvement with law involvement. Medicine at the Margins underscores why the EMS system is so necessary and the ways in which it can be expanded.

In one enquiry after another, there has been a call for an increase in the proportion of qualified staff in residential child care services, as one of a range of solutions to the difficulties that have beset the service. Leadership in Residential Child Care compares and assesses courses available for professional social work training and explores the ways that training contributes to the quality of care in the sector. Drawing on an evaluation of the Residential Child Care Initiative, the authors examine the dilemmas concerning the provision of qualification training for residential care staff today. They address issues such as:

• the loss of qualified staff from the sector
• different models of ‘professional competence’ that qualification seeks to achieve
• the role qualification and training can play in enhancing the status of what is sometimes seen as the ‘Cinderella’ element in child care provision

In most people's minds, ambulances are best avoided-we pull over to let them pass, perhaps briefly thanking the universe that the day's events have not necessitated our own swift passage to the ER, and then we go on with business as usual. But have you ever wondered, as that siren screeches by, what it would be like to work as a paramedic, when the most dire emergency is just another day at the office? In A Paramedic's Tales, Graeme Taylor reveals all-from the humorous to the horrific. Not knowing what's around the bend makes for a fast-paced adventure every time a paramedic goes on duty. Taylor, who worked as a paramedic for twenty-one years in Vancouver's Lower Mainland, the BC Interior and Victoria, shares true stories that are both gritty and uncensored, yet the compassion and courage of co-workers, patients, strangers-and people who had previously threatened to kill our narrator-shines through the gore. The author writes that as a paramedic, to stop from crying you have to keep laughing, and readers will find themselves doing the same. From the near-daily task of deciding whether to send someone to the ER or the drunk tank, to the occasional miracle, to the just plain ridiculous, readers will gain insight into everyday life in emergency medicine. With stories set across the province, from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to down the side of a cliff, these rollicking tales explain the perils of life before GPS, what to do if a drunk mob surrounds your ambulance, and how to drive like a paramedic.

In the wake of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, many are asking what, if anything, can be done to prevent large-scale disasters. How is it that we know more about the hazards of modern American life than ever before, yet the nation faces ever-increasing losses from such events? History shows that disasters are not simply random acts. Where is the logic in creating an elaborate set of fire codes for buildings, and then allowing structures like the Twin Towers-tall, impressive, and risky-to go up as design experiments? Why prepare for terrorist attacks above all else when floods, fires, and earthquakes pose far more consistent threats to American life and prosperity? The Disaster Experts takes on these questions, offering historical context for understanding who the experts are that influence these decisions, how they became powerful, and why they are only slightly closer today than a decade ago to protecting the public from disasters. Tracing the intertwined development of disaster expertise, public policy, and urbanization over the past century, historian Scott Gabriel Knowles tells the fascinating story of how this diverse collection of professionals-insurance inspectors, engineers, scientists, journalists, public officials, civil defense planners, and emergency managers-emerged as the authorities on risk and disaster and, in the process, shaped modern America.

Mobilising helpers in the event of a flood or letting friends know that you are okay in the event of a terrorist attack - more and more people are using social media in emergency, crisis or disaster situations. Storms, floods, attacks or pandemics (esp. COVID-19) show that citizens use social media to inform themselves or to coordinate. This book presents qualitative and quantitative studies on the attitudes of emergency services and citizens in Europe towards social media in emergencies. Across the individual sub-studies, almost 10,000 people are surveyed including representative studies in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and Italy. The work empirically shows that social media is increasingly important for emergency services, both for prevention and during crises; that private use of social media is a driving force in shaping opinions for organisational use; and that citizens have high expectations towards authorities, especially monitoring social media is expected, and sometimes responses within one hour. Depending on the risk culture, the data show further differences, e.g. whether the state (Germany) or the individual (Netherlands) is seen as primarily responsible for coping with the situation.

This practical guide about what first responders should do after a suicide, offers advice on identifying and recording a death as suicide, breaking the bad news and dealing with the impact of suicide in the short, middle and long term. Drawing on her own experience as a first responder and trainer, the author provides guidance and tips for best practice when responding to a suicide. These include what can happen to the body in the immediate aftermath, how to talk to the bereaved to limit or prevent secondary trauma, and how to manage suicide in public arenas such as schools. The scenarios covered include detailed scripts of how to deal with difficult situations. There are also sections that tackle complex issues such as religious or cultural customs, and unusual cases of suicide which can pose extra challenges. Straightforward and full of sage advice, each chapter includes real-world examples from the author's many years working as a first responder which highlight how suicide postvention techniques can be applied.

Since 1945, a broad array of health care technologies have come into use, including antibiotics, anti-hypertensive drugs, oral diuretics, oral contraceptives, psycho-pharmaceuticals, corticosteroids, vaccines, open-heart surgery, genetics screening, automated clinical laboratories, renal dialysis, and cardiac pacemakers. Unquestionably, these technologies have brought benefits to millions. However, as costs of health care have risen rapidly, governments have increasingly singled out expensive technology as the culprit. The result has been changes in the methods of paying for health care in most countries to control cost rises. This has led to a slowing of technological change in some countries and increasing necessities to choose in all countries. This timely work describes how technology assessment critically evaluates the benefits, costs, and social implications of technology. The book presents an international perspective on health care technology's development and diffusion, and explains how health care technology can enlighten difficult choices faced by policy-makers, clinicians, and patients.

In 1983 The Economics of Health in Devloping Countries was published. This was a basic text, designed to illuminate ways in which economic concepts and techniques can be applied to health and health services, each chapter reviewing the state of the art' in a particular area. Since 1983, there has been a rapidly growing interest in this field. One striking feature has been considerably increased research effort, providing the basis for this publication which presents a number of empirical studies in order both to clarify research methodologies and report research results that are of key importance to policy-makers. Those economists most active in researching the health sector in developing countries were invited to contribute chapters: all have direct experience of working in developing countries, whether for governments, educational institutions, or international agencies.
This book will be of use to all those interested (as policy-makers, managers, academics, and students) in economic issues concerning the health sector, and in the application of the concepts and techniques of health economics to improve the efficiency and equity of resource use in the developing world.

This book explores the methods and approach necessary to investigate the setting up and running of a health system. It will enable the reader to begin to investigate his own health system, and compare and contrast it with other systems. The continual monitoring of change allows for the detection and identification of longitudinal trends within and across systems, and evolution in systems can then occur. Looking at systems can furnish alternative ideas, and help to establish new models of care. The book presents a modular approach to analysing health care systems, and the author explains how this can be put to practical use. Topics are discussed at both conceptual and operational levels, and methods of applying the approach are outlined. Case histories illustrate the use of the modular approach in `real life' situations. An appendix of terms and concepts is provided to facilitate use.

Clinical Audit in Mental Health Towards a Multidisciplinary Approach John Riordan Central Psychology Service, Thorpe Combe Hospital, Walthamstow, UK and Darren Mockler Neuropsychology Department, King's College Hospital, London, UK Clinical audit is central to current health care reforms. Although the concept of audit is now well accepted, the key challenge is its implementation in different specialities. In the field of mental health care a highly collaborative, team-based approach is essential, and audit practice must take into account the activities of the full range of multidisciplinary professional groups in hospital and community settings. The content of this book reflects the growing need to extend the principles of medical audit to encompass clinical audit in order to meet the demands of purchasers, providers, clinicians, carers and patients. An evaluation of key areas of care such as delivery, timeliness and outcome, with an emphasis on quality, is provided. The approach to clinical audit, here, is essentially practical and case-oriented and this book will appeal to a wide audience including psychiatric services managers, consultant psychiatrists, social services care managers and community care teams, and quality assurance professionals.

In Command of Guardians: Executive Servant Leadership for the Community of Responders, Second Edition spotlights the philosophy of servant leadership and offers a pathway for strengthening first responder organizations. Responders work in high-risk, critical situations under the pressure of time and consequence. Being a responder means one must become an active player in the tragedies of others. Because these situations can change the responder over time, a special type of leader is needed to walk beside them while they navigate the realities of public safety and emergency service operations. This book illustrates how being a servant leader to these guardians allows the community of responders to strengthen their resiliency, foster individual growth, and perform at peak levels. "The book spans a wide breadth and depth, and is written in a way that engages the reader immediately. It is packed with sensitive and wise insights, as well as eminently practical advice for today's emergency services leaders, as well as those of tomorrow." - Emily Hough, Editor-In-Chief, Crisis Response Journal "Emotionally moving, research-based, and a compelling case for why any organization can benefit from a servant leadership organizational culture. Eric debunks the myth that servant leadership is "soft" and shows how the hard work of skilled servant-leaders is exactly what is needed in the alpha worlds of public safety and emergency services." - Duane Trammell, President, Trammell McGee-Cooper & Associates, Inc"Eric Russell is a pioneer in applying the principles of servant leadership to the communities of brave police, fire, and emergency services responders. This book is destined to be a classic reference work for the field." -Don M. Frick, PhD, Authorized Robert Greenleaf biographer and co-author of Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: The Wisdom of Leading by Serving. "In Command of Guardian speaks great leadership truths to first responder communities throughout the world. This is an important work for those in command of the men and woman who put their lives on the line to save others." - Christophe Libeau, Lieutenant Colonel, Brigade de Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris

Shannon McQuaide's book explores the benefits and practical application of yoga and its benefit to first responders.

Originating in the armed forces of the early 20th century, weapons based on chemical, biological or nuclear agents have become an everpresent threat that has not vanished after the end of the cold war. Since the technology to produce these agents is nowadays available to
many countries and organizations, including those with terrorist aims, civil authorities across the world need to prepare against incidents involving these agents and train their personnel accordingly.
As an introductory text on NBC CBRN weapons and agents, this book leads the reader from the scientific basics to the current threats and strategies to prepare against them. After an introductory part on the history of NBC CBRN weapons and their international control, the three classes of nuclear/radiological, biological, and chemical weapons are introduced, focusing on agents and delivery vehicles. Current methods
for the rapid detection of NBC CBRN agents are introduced, and the principles of physical protection of humans and structures are explained.
The final parts addresses more general issues of risk management, preparedness and response management, as the set of tools that authorities and civil services will be needed in a future CBRN scenario as well as the likely future scenarios that authorities and civil services will be faced with in the coming years.
This book is a must-have for Health Officers, Public Health Agencies, and Military Authorities.

Disasters and the American State offers a thesis about the trajectory of federal government involvement in preparing for disaster shaped by contingent events. Politicians and bureaucrats claim credit for the government's successes in preparing for and responding to disaster, and they are also blamed for failures outside of government's control. New interventions have created precedents and established organizations and administrative cultures that accumulated over time and produced a general trend in which citizens, politicians and bureaucrats expect the government to provide more security from more kinds of disasters. The trend reached its peak when the Federal Emergency Management Agency adopted the idea of preparing for 'all hazards' as its mantra. Despite the rhetoric, however, the federal government's increasingly bold claims and heightened public expectations are disproportionate to the ability of the federal government to prevent or reduce the damage caused by disaster.

Prevention, preparedness, response and recovery--the key components of emergency planning--form the major sections of this work. The book first describes PSM (Process Safety Management) as the key to prevention, then goes on to consider the main features of a preparedness program, including recognizing credible incidents, planning practical strategy to deal with these incidents, selecting necessary physical support systems and equipment, and developing a complete emergency response plan. The Response section presents the functions implemented during an actual emergency and concludes with a section on managing cleanup and restoration of operations. The many tables and figures include Sample Incident Command System Plans for both large and small organizations, OSHA and EPA regulations affecting planning, sample Fire Emergency Action Levels, HAZMAT Responder Levels, and OSHA Emergency Training Requirements.

Today's workplace is fast-paced, highly complex, and sometimes even life-threatening. Yet it is possible to thrive in the 'pressure cooker' of modern work life. We all have the right to enjoy rather than just endure work. In the unpredictability of even the most challenging environments, the route to success and fulfilment at work is to build our resilience. This ground-breaking book provides a highly effective toolkit that will empower you to survive, thrive and flourish in the dynamic and fast-changing context of blue-light services. Discover how to: Be ready for the unexpected, feel calm and confident under pressure and avoid burnout Reduce stress and anxiety by understanding the essential components of a resilient work life Evaluate your own resilience factor with the Workplace Resilience Instrument "Jonathan Rees shows us through bright examples and actionable exercises that we, too, can thrive under pressure. Our own resilient behaviors can be modeled to match the situations we face. Although reading about what makes people resilient can be insightful, Jonathan's battery of self-assessment tools provides the reader with specific feedback to be more effective and view adverse situations as opportunities more so than danger." Dr. Larry Mallak, Western Michigan University, Author of 'The Workplace Resilience Instrument (WRI)' "This book represents the next stage of Jonathan's work and provides any senior leader in the public sector with an opportunity to learn and refresh the practical skills that will help them in these challenging roles. Whether you are a senior leader in policing, the NHS or elsewhere in the public sector I would recommend that you read this book and adopt its principles. I promise that it will help you to survive and thrive in the pressure cooker." Chief Superintendent Ian Wylie, Vice president, Police Superintendents' Association.

Research that occurs in the context of emergencies and disasters requires attention to challenging contexts and circumstances. Qualitative Disaster Research walks readers through the ways in which those contexts can be managed to produce careful, rigorous, and scholarly work. Each chapter provides an overview of approaches, methods, and techniques with illustrations from established disaster studies. Step-by-step instructions outline ways to gather, analyze, and write up qualitative field data. User-friendly examples show readers how to move from initial research ideas to final publication. Throughout the volume, readers find helpful suggestions for a range of field-based scenarios. Qualitative Disaster Research stands out of the first volume of its kind with the singular intent to serve as a guide to those new to or wanting a refresher course in disaster studies. Students and faculty will find the book approachable and ideal for use in training the next generation of disaster researchers.

This logbook is designed to allow pre-hospital and emergency care clinicians of all grades to quickly and easily maintain a record of airway skills performed in order to assist in proving competence where required. It includes checklists for essential adjuncts, bag-mask ventilation, extra-glottic devices, endotracheal intubation attempts, needle/surgical airway and other clinical skills. It is not dependent on battery life or data signal and allows for rapid after action logging of pertinent details for a number of skills performed in limited numbers.

Designed to enable practitioners and students to evaluate a variety of real-life emergencies from every angle, this new edition of Case Studies in Disaster Response and Emergency Management provides clear, thorough, step-by-step descriptions of more than 50 major disasters or emergencies. Arranged chronologically, the case studies involve incidents from around the globe, with topics including natural disasters, industrial accidents, epidemics, and terrorist attacks. A series of questions throughout each case study encourages the reader to think critically about the problem at hand, to select a course of action, and to then see the results of the decisions that were made. This hands-on approach invites practitioners and students to apply learned theoretical emergency management techniques in a safe test environment. Case Studies in Disaster Response and Emergency Management, 2e provides readers with the most modern and current case studies in disaster response and emergency management and can be used in group project settings, as individual homework assignments in training courses for first responders, law enforcement, and government employees, or to complement existing emergency management textbooks in Public Administration, Public Management, and Public Affairs programs.