Protecting Emergency Responders

Volume 3: Safety Management in Disaster and Terrorism Response

Brian A. JacksonJohn C. Baker

M. Susan RidgelyJames T. BartisHerbert I. Linn

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 2 - April 2006

Emergency Responders are a Vital Part of U.S. Homeland Security, and Must be Protected

• The United States faces a two-pronged threat of a major crisis

- Natural disasters have always been a risk

- The risk of terrorist violence has increased in the past five years

• Emergency responders play a critical role in protecting the public in

situations of this magnitude

• When emergency responders are injured or killed, it impairs the

nation’s ability to respond

• National disasters almost always begin locally

- A crisis can hit any community

- Federal action can make local responders safer—and more effective

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 3 - April 2006

Policy Question

How do we bring together and employ all the capabilities and resources needed

to protect responders during major disasters?

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 4 - April 2006

RAND and NIOSH Undertook a Study to Answer this Question

• Defined “responders” broadly for the purposes of the study

- the full range of organizations involved in disaster response

• Conducted a comprehensive review of the existing literature

• Gathered extensive input from the responder community

- interviews with leadership- in-depth studies of four major incidents- workshop with key representatives of the community

• Subjected recommendations to rigorous quality review

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 5 - April 2006

Managing the Safety of Emergency Responders Involves Three Main Functions

• Gather information on:

- hazards- responders- safety capabilities

GatherInformation

• Analyze available data & make decisions about safety

Analyze Options & Make Decisions

• Communicate safety information and implement decisions

Take Action

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 6 - April 2006

During “Routine” Operations, Response Agencies Follow Established Safety Practices

• In “routine” operations, individual organizations are responsible for the safety of their own personnel

• The hazards they face and the activities they perform are relatively familiar and predictable

• They use established procedures—designed for these familiar situations—to carry out the three safety-management functions

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 7 - April 2006

But Major Disasters are Far from Routine...• They impose unfamiliar conditions

- cover large geographic areas

- last for extended periods of time

- involve unusual or intense hazards

- damage or destroy needed infrastructures

Photos: Andrea Booher, FEMA; FEMA News Photo

As a result, responders face greater risks.

• They exceed the capability of any individual response organization

- require capabilities that individual organizations do not normally maintain

- involve many different types of response organizations

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 8 - April 2006

Disaster Situations Can Break Down the Safety Management Cycle at Every Stage

Unfamiliar & extreme

conditions make it hard

to collect data on

hazards & responders

Lack of needed expertise &

resources creates problems

assessing safety threats

GatherInformation

Take Action

Scale of the event &

involvement of

multiple

organizations

impede efforts to

implement safety

decisions Analyze Options & Make Decisions

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 9 - April 2006

The Report by RAND & NIOSH Focuses on Two Key Strategies to Address Management Shortfalls

• Approach safety management from an integrated perspective

- protects the safety of all responders

- makes the specialized safety resources of different organizations available to all

- provides ways of addressing safety issues that are inherently interagency

• Establish the capabilities to perform the safety-management functions under disaster conditions

CHSWC Forum on Catastrophe Preparedness - 10 - April 2006

Study Identified a Range of Recommendations to Improve Safety Management

• Preparedness for:

• Hazard monitoring, workforce data management, and injury reporting

• Risk assessment and management• Safety equipment planning and logistics• Risk communication, safety enforcement,

medical interventions, and resource management

• The safety capabilities of all responding organizations must be integrated effectively

• NIMS/NRP adopts this perspective, but implementation is still an issue.

GatherInformation

Analyze Options & Make Decisions

Take Action