scholarly journals (A233) Preparedness For A Mega Mass-Casualty Event (MMCE)

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s63-s64
Author(s):  
A. Blumenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Mass Casualty Event ◽  
Future Events ◽  
National Headquarters ◽  
And Control

A Mega Mass-Casualty Event (MMCE) is a unique and exceptional event, that results in a very large number of casualties (500–5000) needing emergency care in the prehospital and hospital settings. This type of event usually goes beyond the capabilities of a certain region and requires reinforcement of resources from adjacent and remote regions. Due to its exceptional nature, a MMCE dictates a different organization of all emergency services and agencies involved. As a result of the recent experience, and in order to adequately prepare for such future events, a novel MMCE doctrine was developed by a committee of diverse emergency professionals. This doctrine was transferred to guidelines referring to MMCE recognition and the following series of actions that need to taken at all levels. It holds organizational, operational, and clinical aspects, as well as command and control elements. In November 2009, a large-scale drill of 1,000 mock casualties was performed in order to validate and evaluate the MMCE plan. This drill emphasized the need for the involvement of all pertinent emergency services and agencies, and their optimal collaboration and coordination, subjected to regional and national headquarters' command and control. In addition, the need for dedicated educational programs and o-going training was recognized. It was accepted that adequate planning is obligatory for better outcomes in the future.

scholarly journals Leading in a VUCA World

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-111
Author(s):  
R Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Critical Period ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Insufficient Information ◽  
Control Structures ◽  
The Future ◽  
Entire World ◽  
To Come ◽  
And Control ◽  
Crisis Leaders

The current COVID-19 virus has put the entire world in lockdown, creating one of the worst times of a VUCA world. The changes that are happening because of the pandemic are large scale and occur suddenly. There is a shortage of leadership everywhere. Leaders are unprepared to lead effectively. In this fast-changing and disruptive environment, command and control structures fail. Leaders are expected to act on incomplete or insufficient information. They do not know where to start to drive change as increased complexity makes it difficult. Leaders lack time to reflect and end up acting too quickly or acting too late as they get stuck in analysis paralysis. They are far removed from the source and are forced to act with a limited understanding of events and their meanings. The role and type of leadership are being tested as we are trying to come out of this crisis. Leaders cannot predict the future but need to make sense of it in order to thrive. This paper would analyse challenges that are being faced by leaders in this critical period and how these can be converted into opportunities like a vaccine for the virus.

Analysis of Emergency Health Care Workforce and Service Readiness for a Mass Casualty Event in the Republic of Ireland

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 243-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tener Goodwin Veenema ◽  
Fiona Boland ◽  
Declan Patton ◽  
Tom O’Connor ◽  
Zena Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Republic Of Ireland ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
Mass Casualty Event ◽  
Service Readiness ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Professional Disciplines

ABSTRACTObjectiveUltimately, a country’s capacity for a large-scale major emergency response will be directly related to the competence of its health care provider (HCP) workforce and communication between emergency responders and hospitals. The purpose of this study was to assess HCP preparedness and service readiness for a major emergency involving mass casualties (mass casualty event or MCE) in Ireland.MethodsA cross-sectional study using a 53-item survey was administered to a purposive sample of emergency responders and HCPs in the Republic of Ireland. Data collection was achieved using the Qualtrics® Research Suite. Descriptive statistics and appropriate tests of comparison between professional disciplines were conducted using Stata 13.ResultsA total of 385 respondents, registered nurses (43.4%), paramedics (37.9%), medical doctors (10.1%), and administrators/managers (8.6%), participated in the study. In general, a level of knowledge of MCEs and knowledge of clinical response activities and self-assessed clinical competence varied drastically across many aspects of the survey. Knowledge and confidence also varied across professional disciplines (P<0.05) with nurses, in general, reporting the least knowledge and/or confidence.ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that serious deficits exist in HCP knowledge, skills, and self-perceived abilities to participate in a large-scale MCE. Results also suggest a poor knowledge base of existing major emergency response plans. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:243–255)

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Emergency Fire Response to the Colorado 2012 Waldo Canyon and 2013 Black Forest Fires

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory S. Marzolf ◽  
Ronald M. Sega
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Black Forest ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Key Events ◽  
And Control ◽  
And Training

Abstract This research hypothesizes that changes in command and control along with increased levels of trust and training led to a stronger response in Colorado’s 2013 Black Forest fire than that of the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire. Because the fires were categorized as the worst in the region’s history, and because they occurred in very close succession, in roughly the same area, involving many of the same responders, the fires provide valuable insights into how the response system adapted, or failed to adapt, to overcome key events under both scenarios. The study found that the ability to tailor command and control and supporting response structures to a particular event instead of using traditional rigid frameworks were instrumental to a more effective response. The study goes on to suggest that even though the Black Forest fire was met with an improved response, a systems approach is needed to better accommodate increasingly complex future events.

Factors Influencing the Prioritization of Injured Patients for Transfer to a Burn or Trauma Center Following a Mass Casualty Event

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Lancet ◽  
Wei Wei Zhang ◽  
Patricia Roblin ◽  
Bonnie Arquilla ◽  
Rachel Zeig-Owens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Community Hospital ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Patient Profile ◽  
Mass Casualty Event ◽  
Consultation Team

ABSTRACT Objectives: In New York City, a multi-disciplinary Mass Casualty Consultation team is proposed to support prioritization of patients for coordinated inter-facility transfer after a large-scale mass casualty event. This study examines factors that influence consultation team prioritization decisions. Methods: As part of a multi-hospital functional exercise, 2 teams prioritized the same set of 69 patient profiles. Prioritization decisions were compared between teams. Agreement between teams was assessed based on patient profile demographics and injury severity. An investigator interviewed team leaders to determine reasons for discordant transfer decisions. Results: The 2 teams differed significantly in the total number of transfers recommended (49 vs 36; P = 0.003). However, there was substantial agreement when recommending transfer to burn centers, with 85.5% agreement and inter-rater reliability of 0.67 (confidence interval: 0.49–0.85). There was better agreement for patients with a higher acuity of injuries. Based on interviews, the most common reason for discordance was insider knowledge of the local community hospital and its capabilities. Conclusions: A multi-disciplinary Mass Casualty Consultation team was able to rapidly prioritize patients for coordinated secondary transfer using limited clinical information. Training for consultation teams should emphasize guidelines for transfer based on existing services at sending and receiving hospitals, as knowledge of local community hospital capabilities influence physician decision-making.

Command and Control for Large-Scale Hybrid Warfare Systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Khiang Pang ◽  
Gregory R. Hudas ◽  
Dariusz G. Mikulski ◽  
Cao Vinh Le ◽  
Frank L. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Discrete Event ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Networked Computing ◽  
Discrete Event Control ◽  
Team Decision ◽  
And Control ◽  
Multiple Missions

Emerging hybrid threats in large-scale warfare systems require networked teams to perform in a reliable manner under changing mission tactics and reconfiguration of mission tasks and force resources. In this paper, a formal Command and Control (C2) structure is presented that allows for computer-aided execution of the networked team decision-making process, real-time tactic selection, and reliable mission reconfiguration. A mathematically justified networked computing environment is provided called the Augmented Discrete Event Control (ADEC) framework. ADEC is portable and has the ability to provide logical connectivity among all team participants including mission commander, field commanders, war-fighters, and robotic platforms. The proposed C2 structure is developed and demonstrated on a simulation study involving Singapore Armed Forces team with three realistic symmetrical, asymmetrical, and hybrid attack missions. Extensive simulation results show that the tasks and resources of multiple missions are fairly sequenced, mission tactics are correctly selected, and missions and resources are reliably reconfigured in real time.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document