Friday, August 23, 2013

An Incident Command System Training Course Saves Lives

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By Tara Daniels


The first thing that happens when there is an earthquake, tornado, explosion or other disaster, panic takes hold. During the first few hours of a destructive crisis there is an opportunity to minimize damage and save lives, if the community is prepared. Having the foresight to plan and train and having an Incident Command System Training Course graduate can make a huge difference.

In most societies, the general population subjugates itself to a leadership that is then responsible for aggregate safety and security. People expect a functional police force, firefighters and medical contingents to handle things when a disaster occurs. Each community makes its own choices on how much or little they wish to expend on preparation for crises, and there must be a balance between being prepared and wasting resources.

Handling emergency situations requires a structured approach, a deliberate analysis of science dealing with catastrophes, developed largely from the actions after historical efforts. What is known is that the time to make preparations is before there are signs of impending damage. The resources and energy required demand a thought process capable of understanding future crises in advance.

Those charged with responding to emergencies have learned from previous catastrophes. While every city has first responders, they often could not communicate with one another; they used different radio frequencies. Following a severe hurricane, help was immediately dispatched to an island via aircraft, who upon arrival found they could not use the runway and had to turn away.

In the effort to ensure the greatest possible safety for the community, each organization makes an analysis of the threats that are most likely to affect them in their geographic and political arena. Instead of trying to prepare for every possible disaster, the focus is on what is most likely to occur in each specific place. For the outlying problems, an awareness of the process for soliciting external assistance is the solution.

With all of the disasters that have befallen the US, there is much experience to be gained from studying past events. Following what many believe was a flawed response to hurricane Katrina, a nationwide effort to create a better process was implemented. The National Incidence Management System was developed to ensure a standardized way of tackling crisis management.

Experts from a wide range of functions, everything from medical to electrical are provided instruction in how a team would work together in the midst of a serious crisis. Knowing how and where the team would form, what resources are available and where to get that which is not stockpiled are all parts of the information such a team requires. Providing it and the most likely resources they might need is a powerful tool for when a contingency occurs.

No matter how much energy and effort is expended readying a team to handle disasters, it will seem all for naught in the early stages, as every event unfolds uniquely. The communities who embrace the notion that being ready saves lives and resources will fare best when disasters strike. A key to making it happen is having a leader who has completed incident command system training course.




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