Every day across the nation, emergencies occur that threaten our
lives, well-being, property, peace, and security. Every day, we
rely upon our local police officers, firefighters, emergency
medical technicians, public health professionals, and others to
arrive quickly and do what needs to be done to restore the safety,
the security, the peace, and the routine to our lives. These
emergency responders are trained to handle such emergencies that
occur day by day in our cities, towns, villages, and countrysides.
On rare occasions, emergencies occur that are so large in scale and
so severe that local responders may not have the resources-people,
equipment, expertise, funds-to effectively and safely respond. Even
in such cases, local responders do not hesitate to do what they
have been trained to do-go to the site prepared to save lives,
protect property, and remove the threat. When a disaster, whether
natural or manmade, overwhelms the resources and capabilities of
local organizations, responders come in from other cities,
counties, and states-jurisdictions near and far-as well as from
federal agencies, to assist those with local responsibility.
Skilled support workers are engaged for specialized activities,
such as removing debris and restoring utilities and transportation.
Neighbors and other volunteers may travel to the disaster site to
try to do their part. Other concerned individuals and organizations
send food, supplies, and equipment. Journalists press in to the
closest possible vantage points to get the pictures and stories.
Public officials arrive to examine the damage and consult with the
responders. One characteristic of these large, rare, dynamic events
is the rapidly evolving complexity that faces individuals trying to
effectively manage all of the organizations and people, operations
and tasks, equipment and supplies, communications, and the safety
and health of all involved. Another characteristic is that all
disasters present risks to emergency response workers-risks that
may be familiar or unfamiliar, and that may vary widely depending
on the nature of the event or the phase of the response. This
report addresses the protection of emergency responders against
injury, illness, and death on just such rare occasions, when
emergencies become disasters. It builds on a broad base of National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health programs and RAND
Corporation research on protecting emergency responders. This
report focuses on preparedness (especially planning and training)
and management as means of controlling and reducing the hazards
emergency responders face. It provides a set of recommendations on
how disaster site safety and health management might be improved.
Much of the information contained herein is based upon the
firsthand experience and suggestions of emergency responders who
were there at the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon on and
after September 11, as well as those who responded to the
Northridge earthquake (in California) and Hurricane Andrew (in
Florida). This report builds on systems and practices currently in
use and was developed primarily for use by local emergency
responders, those individuals and organizations who have been
tasked with disaster site safety and health responsibilities.
Additionally, the report should prove useful to legislators and
other federal, state, county, and municipal officials; trade union
officials; industry executives; safety and health professionals;
and researchers who are engaged in and committed to efforts to make
our nation more secure, to respond effectively and safely to
disaster, and to protect a critically important resource-the
community of emergency responders.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
