Emergency Preparedness

As I don't know the size of the emergency you're thinking of, here's a rough plan that takes into account a medium sized emergency scene -- multiple traffic collisions and such. The emphasis is on general and not specific cases, and I assume your position is first on scene as a rescuer / medical responder -- or ever a passer-by.

Obviously, some of this won't apply to all emergencies. But I'll try and keep the philosophy clear, as much as a can. In short:

• Rescuer safety is paramount. Better a slower rescue of one victim than two victims and no rescuer.
• Communications in an emergency is vital
• Stopping and thinking for even 5 or 10 seconds can make a HUGE different. Don't just react; stop, think, get control -- then act, with a plan.
• Don't take on more than you can handle, either physically, level of training, equipment, etc.
• Focus on your triage plan for multiple casualties. Make sure you use your limited resources to best effect.

Okay -- here goes:

1. First, stop and assess the situation:
2. #* At the scene of a major emergency, first take your own pulse (really -- it gives you a second to absorb things).
   • Is the area dangerous to rescuers?
   • #** If so, DO NOT ENTER -- wait until the area is secured.
   • Guess what happened. Take an extra second to double-check.
3. Contact backup, rescue and support personnel. DON'T run into an emergency with no-one knowing you or your team is there.
   • Get your team to perform a gear check on each other if you haven't already.
4. Double-check that your protective gear is in place and is sufficient for this emergency. If not, wait until someone else can SAFELY perform this rescue.
   • What happened?
   • Number of casualties invovled
   • #** DO you have sufficent resources on scene? If not, call for them.
5. Approach and evaluate the scene. Determine:
   • If electrical lines are down you'll have to coordinate with the power company before you can safely enter the scene and commence treatment.
   • Violent scene -- call police
   • Fire -- makke sure access is safe
   • Gas emergency -- contact gas company.
   • If many other agencies and resources are invovled, you should have a plan that involves assigning liasson officer(s) to coordinate with the different groups.
6. Establish liasson with other teams or groups.
   • Activate your triage plan (details of Triage plans are beyond the scope of this response).
7. Are there multiple casualities?
   • So determine a safe treatment areas.
   • With multiple casualites, this is part of your triage plan
8. If there are casualites, move them to a safe area if necessary
   • When you hand a patient over to someone else, make certain they know the patient's condition and as much of the history you can tell them. Don't ever hand over a patient without a briefing.
9. Commence treatment and evacuation as called for.
   • Make sure all patients are listed, and first reponders as well as hospitals know the lists. Your liasson officers should do this, or you can. DONT just walk away.
   • Make sure all of your team are accounted for.
10. Once the seen is under control, hand off to another authority
    • Depending on the nature of the emergency, make certain all team members undergo decontamination and clean-up protocols, as required.
    • If you are an individual, and don't have these protocols laid out, then:
    • #** Any clothing exposed to body fluids needs to be sterilized or disposed of. Trash-bag it until you know what to do.
      • If you've been exposed to body fluids:
      • #*** On your skin, bath with antibacterial soap
        • spashes in eyes. nose, mouth or other muscous membranes, report this to an authority on-scene.
        • Needle sticks -- report immediately to scene to an authority on-scene./
      • Any injuries you've received -- report to other first responders.
      • Exposure to HazMat -- report this to on-scene authorities. They'll tell you what decomtamination consists of.
11. Clean-up and Decontamination.
    • If you're a professional first responder, fill out the necessary reports (they all seem to have different names in different locations :} ).
    • If you're a civilian, it's a good idea to write down what you remember, just in case you're ever asked again.
12. Documentation.

This is a pretty rough layout, and quite general. See links for more detailed plans, and plans of wider scope.

First you should pay attention to local watches and warnings. A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been detected or a thunderstorm may soon produce one.

Conditions to watch for in a potentially tornado storm.

Rotation in the clouds, especially with a lowering of the cloud base means that a tornado may soon form. If you see a rotating, elongate or cone-shaped cloud head for cover immediately as it can rapidly develop into a tornado. If this cloud reaches ground level or produces a swirl of dust or debris it means a tornado is one the ground.

Incident commanders communicate to make joint decisions and speak as one vote.

Incident commanders do not form multiple command structures if disagreements arise.