The Role of Emergency Medical Services in Earthquake Response: Integrating the ABC Approach of Israel’s Magen David Adom

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Eli Jaffe ◽  
Yehuda Skornik ◽  
Joseph Offenbacher ◽  
Evan Avraham Alpert
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Earthquake Response ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Salaried Workers ◽  
Surrounding Areas

ABSTRACT Throughout history, earthquakes have caused devastation and loss of life. Emergency medical services (EMS) plays a vital role in the response to any mass-casualty incident or disaster. Magen David Adom, Israel’s premier EMS organization, has a unique strategy known as the ABC approach to earthquake response. It involves thousands of salaried workers and trained volunteers who are prepared to respond to an earthquake based on the extent of the disaster. Depending on the amount of destruction, they will be working locally or available to help in other areas. A Level A earthquake causes local destruction and minimal casualties. Any EMS responders in that area as well as in surrounding areas will be available to help. Furthermore, all responders will need to work automatically and autonomously. A Level B earthquake causes extensive destruction, and all responders in the region will be busy caring for the victims. Anyone available outside of the region will come and help. A Level C earthquake is completely devastating, and all workers nationwide will be involved in responding to the catastrophe. The role of EMS responders using the ABC approach to earthquake response, as described here, may be integrated in part or whole in other EMS systems.

A case study of the law enforcement/emergency medical services response to the Virginia Tech mass casualty incident on April 16, 2007

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Matthew Lloyd Collins, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Virginia Tech ◽  
Mass Casualty Incident ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Management Literature

The April 16, 2007, shooting rampage on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) campus, carried out by Seung-Hui Cho, was the worst gun-related massacre in the history of the United States. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it examines the emergency management literature on interagency communication, collaboration, and coordination as it relates to the Virginia Tech mass casualty incident (MCI). Second, the article presents a single instrumental case study that focuses on the bounded case of the Virginia Tech MCI. Through multiple sources of data collection to include observations, interviews, and document analysis, this study found that 14 law enforcement agencies and 13 emergency medical services agencies responded to the Virginia Tech MCI. With only two exceptions, the law enforcement agencies involved in the response to this MCI responded informally or self-deployed (arrived without being dispatched). However, all of the emergency medical services agencies that responded were formally dispatched. Lessons learned from the emergency management literature review and the case study will be discussed. In conclusion, policy recommendations, which will be generalizable to other rural university campuses and rural organizational settings, will be made.

Guidelines for Pediatric Emergency Care Facilities

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 526-537
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Pediatric Emergency ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Trained Personnel ◽  
Pediatric Emergency Care

Emergency care for life-threatening pediatric illness and injury requires specialized resources including equipment, drugs, trained personnel, and facilities. The American Medical Association Commission on Emergency Medical Services has provided guidelines for the categorization of hospital pediatric emergency facilities that have been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).1 This document was used as the basis for these revised guidelines, which define: 1. The desirable characteristics of a system of Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) that may help achieve a reduction in mortality and morbidity, including long-term disability. 2. The role of health care facilities in identifying and organizing the resources necessary to provide the best possible pediatric emergency care within a region. 3. An integrated system of facilities that provides timely access and appropriate levels of care for all critically ill or injured children. 4. The responsibility of the health cane facility for support of medical control of pre-hospital activities and the pediatric emergency care and education of pre-hospital providers, nurses, and physicians. 5. The role of pediatric centers in providing outreach education and consultation to community facilities. 6. The role of health cane facilities for maintaining communication with the medical home of the patient. Children have their emergency care needs met in a variety of settings, from small community hospitals to large medical centers. Resources available to these health care sites vary, and they may not always have the necessary equipment, supplies, and trained personnel required to meet the special needs of pediatric patients during emergency situations.

Optical Head-Mounted Displays in Mass Casualty Incidents

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Berndt ◽  
Tilo Mentler ◽  
Michael Herczeg
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Mass Casualty Incidents ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Optical Head ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Free Interaction

Optical head-mounted displays (OHMDs) could support members of emergency medical services in responding to and managing mass casualty incidents. In this contribution, the authors describe the human-centered design of two applications for supporting the triage process as well as the identification of hazardous materials. They were evaluated with members of emergency medical services and civil protection units. In this regard, challenges and approaches to human-computer interaction with OHMDs in crisis response and management are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that often mentioned advantages of OHMDs like hands-free interaction alone will not lead to usable solutions for safety-critical domains. Interaction design needs to be carefully considered right down to the last detail.

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