Conclusion: Or, Enjoy the Fruit

Paranoia ◽  
2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Freeman ◽  
Jason Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Vegetable Oil ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Fire Brigade ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Breathing Apparatus ◽  
Palm Sugar

October 1, 2007 and London is in the grip of another terrorism alert. Shoppers in Soho are sparked into panic by a strange noxious-smelling cloud. Suspecting the capital is under chemical attack, the emergency services cordon off roads and evacuate the area. Meanwhile, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus begin a three-hour search for the source of the stench. This eventually turns out to be the Thai Cottage restaurant where, until he’d been asked to leave his kitchen, chef Chalemchai Tangjariyapoon had been midway through preparing a batch of nam prik pao. ‘We only cook it once a year—it’s a spicy dip with extra hot chillies that are deliberately burned’, he said later. ‘To us it smells like burned chilli and it is slightly unusual. I can understand why people who weren’t Thai would not know what it was but it doesn’t smell like chemicals. I’m a bit confused. ...When we came back at 7.30 p.m. we saw the door had been smashed and there were fire brigade and police waiting outside. I was a bit scared but they were very nice about it.’ Should you wish to have a go at making the abovementioned Thai dip, you will need charred chillies, garlic flakes, dried shrimps, palm sugar, shrimp paste, tamarind, and vegetable oil. But then again, given Mr Tangjariyapoon’s experience, you might prefer to let the experts handle it. Provided they still dare. Because, as the staff of the Thai Cottage know only too well, right now we’re more than a little jumpy. Threats seem to loom at us from all quarters. And of course sometimes it’s right to be cautious. Lurking within the kitchen of the Thai Cottage was nothing more sinister than a superspicy savoury dip, but Londoners are well aware of the havoc terrorists can wreak. Muggers, vandals, delinquent teenagers, paedophiles, rapists, corrupt officials, malicious colleagues, gossips, spies, and blackmailers—none of these are entirely the figment of our fevered imaginations. The trick, of course, is to keep a sense of perspective, recognizing that these kinds of dangers are rare and taking that on into a calm and measured assessment of risk.

Evaluating the impact of decontamination interventions performed in sequence for mass casualty chemical incidents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Collins ◽  
Natalie Williams ◽  
Felicity Southworth ◽  
Thomas James ◽  
Louise Davidson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetable Oil ◽  
Methyl Salicylate ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Human Volunteer ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Uv Photography ◽  
Chemical Incidents ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Skin

Abstract The Initial Operational Response (IOR) to chemical incidents is a suite of rapid strategies including evacuation, disrobe and improvised and interim decontamination. IOR and Specialist Operational Response (SOR) decontamination protocols involving mass decontamination units would be conducted in sequence by UK emergency services following a chemical incident, to allow for safe onward transfer of casualties. As part of a series of human volunteer studies, we examined the effectiveness of IOR and SOR decontamination procedures alone and in sequence. Specifically, we evaluated the additional contribution of SOR, when following improvised and interim decontamination. Two simulants, methyl salicylate (MeS) with vegetable oil and benzyl salicylate (BeS), were applied to participants’ skin. Participants underwent improvised dry, improvised wet, interim wet, specialist decontamination and a no decontamination control. Skin analysis and UV photography indicated significantly lower levels of both simulants remaining following decontamination compared to controls. There were no significant differences in MeS levels recovered between decontamination conditions. Analysis of BeS, a more persistent simulant than MeS, showed that recovery from skin was significantly reduced following combined IOR with SOR than IOR alone. These results show modest additional benefits of decontamination interventions conducted in sequence, particularly for persistent chemicals, supporting current UK operational procedures.

UNIFORMED SERVICES AND EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM COOPERATION

2021 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-287
Author(s):  
RENATA OSTROWSKA
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Services ◽  
Emergency Call ◽  
Alert System ◽  
Fire Brigade ◽  
Call System ◽  
Emergency Alert System

The study contains the most important information regarding the functioning of uniformed services in the emergency alert system. The matter of the utmost importance is to provide operation and cooperation of the Police and State Fire Brigade with emergency alert system centres. Smooth coordination in terms of sending emergency services units, emergency aid units and extensive cooperation with uniformed services in case of major disasters, are the advantages of the 112 alert system implemented by Poland.

Comparative Study Illustrating Difficulties Educating the Public to Respond to Chemical Terrorism

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hildebrand ◽  
Anthony Bleetman
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Chemical Release ◽  
Chemical Terrorism ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBackground:In recent years, the perceived threat of chemical terrorism has increased. It is hoped that teaching civilians how to behave during a chemical incident will decrease the number of “worried well” patients at hospitals, reduce secondary contamination, and increase compliance with the instructions of emergency services. The governments of the United Kingdom and Israel sent booklets to every household in their respective countries. In Israel, the civilian population was issued chemical personal protective equipment (chemical personal protective equipment).Methods:The effectiveness of these public education programs was assessed using a scenario-based questionnaire that was distributed to 100 respondents in Birmingham, UK and Jerusalem, Israel. Respondents were asked how they would behave in three deliberate chemical release scenarios and how they would seek information and help.Results:Only 33% of the UK respondents and 22% of the Israeli respondents recalled reading the government booklets. When asked what they would do after being contaminated in a deliberate release, approximately half of the respondents ranked seeking medical care at a hospital as the most appropriate action.The preferred sources of information in the wake of a chemical strike were (in descending order): radio, television, and the Internet. Approximately half of the respondents would call emergency services for information. Forty-one percent of the UK respondents and 33% of Israeli respondents stated that they either would call or go to the nearest hospital to seek information.Conclusions:The public information campaigns in both countries have had a limited impact. Many citizens claimed they would self-present to the nearest hospital following a chemical attack rather than waiting for the emergency services. A similar response was witnessed in the Sarin attacks in Tokyo and the 1991 Scud missile attacks in Israel.Current UK doctrine mandates that specialist decontamination teams be deployed to the scene of a chemical release. However, this takes >1 hour, and it requires at least 30 minutes to don hospital chemical personal protective equipment. Therefore, it is imperative that hospitals are equipped to cope with unannounced self-presenters after a chemical attack. This requires chemical personal protective equipment and protocols that are easier to use.

scholarly journals Impacts as Triggers for Weather-Related Decision Making: Observations at the Berlin Fire Brigade Control and Dispatch Center

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kox ◽  
Catharina Lüder
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Severe Weather ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
Fire Brigade ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Weather Service

AbstractThis article presents the results of a series of ethnographic observations at the Berlin fire brigade control and dispatch center during routine and severe weather situations. The weather-related challenges of a fire brigade lie between the anticipation of events and their potential consequences, and the ad hoc reactions to actual impacts of weather. The results show that decisions and actions related to high impact weather are not necessarily motivated by weather warnings alone. Instead, they are reactions to the experience of impacts, for example, an increased number of missions or emergency calls. Impacts are the main trigger for the decision making. Weather is one additional external factor that influences the operational capability of a fire brigade. While commanding officers in a fire brigade control and dispatch center experience weather primarily through technical equipment, verified by ground truth, observations showed that direct personal contact with the regional weather service and colleagues on the ground takes on a greater role in actual severe weather situations. The observations point to the need for increased interagency communication between the emergency services, the weather service, and other organizations to integrate weather information, impacts, and non-weather-related tasks into coherent weather-related decision making.

scholarly journals Evaluating the impact of decontamination interventions performed in sequence for mass casualty chemical incidents

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Collins ◽  
Natalie Williams ◽  
Felicity Southworth ◽  
Thomas James ◽  
Louise Davidson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetable Oil ◽  
Methyl Salicylate ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Mass Casualty ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Uv Photography ◽  
Chemical Incidents ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Control Skin

AbstractThe Initial Operational Response (IOR) to chemical incidents is a suite of rapid strategies including evacuation, disrobe and improvised and interim decontamination. IOR and Specialist Operational Response (SOR) decontamination protocols involving mass decontamination units would be conducted in sequence by UK emergency services following a chemical incident, to allow for safe onward transfer of casualties. As part of a series of human volunteer studies, we examined for the first time, the effectiveness of UK IOR and SOR decontamination procedures alone and in sequence. Specifically, we evaluated the additional contribution of SOR, when following improvised and interim decontamination. Two simulants, methyl salicylate (MeS) with vegetable oil and benzyl salicylate (BeS), were applied to participants’ skin. Participants underwent improvised dry, improvised wet, interim wet, specialist decontamination and a no decontamination control. Skin analysis and UV photography indicated significantly lower levels of both simulants remaining following decontamination compared to controls. There were no significant differences in MeS levels recovered between decontamination conditions. Analysis of BeS, a more persistent simulant than MeS, showed that recovery from skin was significantly reduced following combined IOR with SOR than IOR alone. These results show modest additional benefits of decontamination interventions conducted in sequence, particularly for persistent chemicals, supporting current UK operational procedures.

Planning and Principles of Operational Tactics for Major Medical Incidents

1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-114
Author(s):  
Maximilian Puchner
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Service ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Technical Aspects ◽  
Fire Brigade ◽  
Emergency Personnel ◽  
Skilled Personnel ◽  
Service Control ◽  
Injured Patients ◽  
Operational Tactics

Major disasters require extensive activity by the fire-fighting, technical and emergency services. Simultaneously, victims have to be rescued, fires have to be fought and other technical aspects of assistance have to be employed. Ill and injured patients have to be removed from danger, prepared for transport, and taken by ambulance, under the care of skilled personnel, to hospitals. The responsibility for these actions lies in West Germany in the hands of the Fire Brigades.The Alert. Emergency calls arriving at Fire Brigade communication centers or emergency service control centers are often inaccurate. It is necessary for professional emergency personnel to give detailed information from the incident site. This should include the nature and gravity of the damage, the number of injured and their severity, and the best possible access.Exploration of the Site. In major medical incidents it is highly important to gain a full overview of the scale of the danger and damage. Often incident sites with a great number of injured are difficult to reach and to survey.Searching for the Injured. It is a matter of high priority to search all over the site for injured persons and those suffering from shock. In large areas, which are difficult to survey, this must still remain a priority. Additional personnel may have to be called in.

scholarly journals Senior ambulance officers in Swedish emergency medical services: a qualitative study of perceptions and experiences of a new management role in challenging incidents

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e042072
Author(s):  
Johan Hylander ◽  
Britt-Inger Saveman ◽  
Ulf Björnstig ◽  
Lina Gyllencreutz
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Medical Management ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Major Incident ◽  
Fire Brigade ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Road Tunnels

ObjectivesIncreased demands are placed on emergency services and their role and ability to act in incidents in challenging environments, for example, road tunnels. Collaboration between officers from emergency services (fire brigade, police and ambulance services) is important for an effective rescue effort. In Gothenburg, Sweden, a position as a senior ambulance officer (SAO) within the emergency medical services (EMS) has been introduced to support the regular force during major incidents. The aim of this paper was to explore the perceptions and experiences of the SAO’s new management role in challenging incidents, such as those occurring in road tunnels.DesignA qualitative interview study.SettingThe study was carried out from February to June 2019 in Gothenburg, Sweden, which is a municipality with several road tunnels and a population of approximately 580 000 people. SAOs collaborate with the corresponding function within the police and fire brigade, both having senior officers at major incident sites.ParticipantsTwelve SAOs.MethodsThe study used semistructured interviews. The collected data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultsAccording to SAOs’ experience, prehospital medical management included not only leadership, but also planning, training and indepth knowledge of, for example, tunnel environments. Furthermore, SAOs adopted an encouraging and teaching role for their colleagues. SAOs’ responsibilities also included proactive planning together with the fire brigade and police, which was regarded as enhancing interorganisational collaboration. An overall theme emerged which the SAOs described as ‘A new holistic approach to EMS leadership and management’.ConclusionsThe participants considered that the new SAO role not only seems to improve the prehospital medical management, but also makes the EMS command structure during challenging incidents symmetrical with the fire brigade and police command structure. The implementation of national guidelines is desirable and is requested by the SAOs.

Outreach Psychiatric Emergency Service

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 375-382
Author(s):  
Remco F. P. de Winter ◽  
Mirjam C. Hazewinkel ◽  
Roland van de Sande ◽  
Derek P. de Beurs ◽  
Marieke H. de Groot
Keyword(s):  
General Practitioner ◽  
General Hospital ◽  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Emergency Service ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Psychiatric Emergency ◽  
Psychiatric Emergency Services ◽  
Psychiatric Emergency Service ◽  
Suicidal Patients

Abstract. Background: Outreach psychiatric emergency services play an important role in all stages of a suicidal crisis; however, empirical assessment data are scarce. This study describes characteristics of patients assessed by these services and involved in suicidal crises. Method: During a 5-year period, detailed information from psychiatric emergency service assessments was recorded; 14,705 assessments were included. Characteristics of patients with/without suicidal behavior and with/without suicide attempts were compared. Outcomes were adjusted for clustering of features within individual patients. Results: Suicidal behavior was assessed in 32.2% of patients, of whom 9.2% attempted suicide. Suicidal behavior was most commonly associated with depression or adjustment disorder and these patients were referred to the service by a general practitioner or a general hospital, whereas those who attempted suicide were less likely to be referred by a general practitioner. Those who attempted suicide were more likely to be female and have had a referral by a general hospital. Self-poisoning by medication was the most common method of attempting suicide. Limitations: Bias could be due to missed or incomplete assessments. Primary diagnoses were based on clinical observation at the time of the assessment or on the primary diagnosis previously recorded. In addition, suicidal behavior or attempted suicide might have been underestimated. Conclusions: Suicidal behavior is commonplace in assessments by psychiatric emergency services. Suicidal patients with/without a suicide attempt differed with respect to demographic features, primary diagnoses, and referring entities, but not with respect to treatment policy. About 40% of the suicidal patients with/without an attempt were admitted following assessment.

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