Disaster Management
Thousands of miles apart, two public safety professionals point to detailed plans as the reason for their organizations’ disaster response success
Acadian Ambulance invested in assets to assist operations in areas impacted by extreme weather and to improve morale for deployed responders
Hurricane Michael closed in on the Florida Panhandle with potentially catastrophic winds of 145 mph, the most powerful storm on record ever to menace the area
Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 35 counties, activated hundreds of Florida National Guard members and waived tolls to encourage evacuations
“Your whole concept is around speed, stop the bleeding and stop the killing,” Central Fire Department Deputy Chief Charles Mondrick said
Several responders from different Haywood County departments all gave their time and talents to aid in the hurricane preparation and response effort
“Statistics show that if someone does something, more people survive,” Youth Officer Tom Paige said in describing the deficiencies of the old plan
Responding to individual emergencies comes naturally for EMS personnel, but what about mass casualty incidents?
Dr. Allan MacIntyre spoke about his experience in the ER after the Las Vegas shooting at the California Hospital Association’s Disaster Planning Conference
Pre-plan, build, and stock equipment that can serve as a future ambulance and specialty vehicle in the event of emergency evacuation
The Pollocksville Volunteer EMS station building was gutted, an ambulance was totaled and medical supplies were ruined
About 6,000 to 8,000 people were alerted to be prepared to evacuate potential flood zones ahead of a “record event” of up to 10 feet of flooding
After unexpected mercy from Hurricane Florence, an ambulance strike team from northeastern North Carolina will travel to help with rescue efforts
The death toll attributed to Florence stands at four Saturday, all in North Carolina
The Parkland school has had one code red (active shooter) drill, two fire drills and five false alarms since school began on Aug. 15
More than 60 people had to be pulled from a collapsing motel at the height of the storm, and many more who defied evacuation orders were hoping to be rescued
The organization reminded fire departments to be “disciplined” in their response and “ready and available to local communities”
Police said an ambulance rear-ended another rig that had slowed for traffic, causing a chain reaction with three other ambulances
Responders from California, Indiana, New Hampshire and Colorado are heading to the East Coast to assist in any needed rescue efforts
As the Category 4 hurricane barrels toward the East Coast, thousands of first responders are preparing for what could be a disastrous aftermath
Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said when someone hits the button, it alerts police, paramedics, firefighters, school administrators and calls 911
Complete with a mock community and former hospital, the CDP gives responders the opportunity to train on emergency and disaster response
More than 300 Anne Arundel County school nurses and health assistants were trained in the grim but necessary skills to handle a school shooting
“One of the bigger trends is EMS actually going in while the event is occurring rather than waiting until it’s all over to come in,” Capt. Andrew Winters said
Henry Ford Allegiance Health staged a full-scale emergency exercise of a mass shooting designed to test its response, and the response of several other agencies
The Department of Homeland Security is accepting applications for the School-Age Trauma Training grant
A bridge on a highway linking Italy with France collapsed in the city of Genoa during a sudden, violent storm, sending vehicles plunging
Environmental disasters can expose first responders to asbestos, putting them at risk for mesothelioma
Wall-mounted stations each contain eight bleeding control kits, giving each school 24 smaller sets of tools that can be used in the most serious of emergencies
Healthcare coalitions offer EMS a “seat at the table” for regional emergency planning
When we travel, we get a chance to see other cities, meet other emergency management professionals and discover hazards that exist for the area we’re visiting
The 106,000-square-foot, 14-bed hospital is being built to hurricane design specifications established by Miami-Dade County—some of the strictest in the country
