Mass Casualty Incidents and Disasters - Essay Example

? Mass Casualty Incidents and Disasters Question Critical accidents such as earthquakes are commonly associated with a number of hazards posed to both humans and their surrounding environment. Referred to as hot zones, these areas have a series of incidents that the residents of the locale may be exposed to. In the event of an earthquake in Papua Guinea’s capital Party Moresby, a declaration of a state of disaster would be deemed fit taking into consideration of a wide range of health issues and the possible mass casualty incidents that would subsequently call for making of critical clinical decisions to avert the problem. One of the main dangers likely to face the people within the capital includes chemical incidences. According to Byers, Russell and Lockey (2007, pg. 108), chemical incidents are likely to occur in a critical accident either deliberately or unintentional. During earthquakes, common chemical incidents may include oil spills and emission of fumes such as cyanide from car accidents and industry crashes. These components may cause damage to the lungs and the nervous system. With some cases having effective antidotes, Byers et.al (2007, pg. 109) presents that the most practical procedure of for averting the incidence first entails extraction of the casualties to a safer environment. This should be followed by the administration of the apt antidotes such as anticonvulsants and other primary procedures before and after decontamination. Another category of hazards likely to face people in the earthquake-hit capital of Port Moresby include biological hazards. Biological hazards are likely to occur as a result of contamination of various important resources such as drainage systems and water supply systems. Common biological hazardous agents include bacteria, fungi and viruses that may cause a variety of serious infections. The effects arising from these agents commonly manifest themselves with time. In the event of an eruption of biological hazards, Byers et.al (2007, pg. 109) warns that there are no specific emergency measures required before the decontamination, instead, the most appropriate immediate measure includes good airway management among other available general supportive measures. The tremors and demolitions associated with earthquakes have also been associated with the destruction of certain nuclear emitting structures and nuclear energy generator plants. This destruction can possibly lead to mass radiological contamination hazard that may lead irradiation. Radiological contamination tends to be highly dangerous particularly due to the fact that it is mitigated by aspects such as distance, time and shielding and if not well handled it may destroy the whole capital city. Radiological contaminations are normally associated with high incidents of cancer that may be transmitted to successive generations. Following the breakout of a radiological accident, the first steps should entail identifying contaminated causalities and quarantine them to avoid further contamination. This should be followed by the provision of standard care for trauma cases. Question two Major incident declared A crash involving a truck that has rammed into a bus resulting in 14 fatalities along the Princess avenue near the Tailem Bend Golf Course was declared as a major incident. Exact location An accident involving a crash between a bus and truck took place on a junction of Princes and Dukes highway. I was the first car to arrive at the crash scene. The impact of the accident extended to the Tailem bend, near the Tailem Bend Gold course that resulted in the bus blocking the Duke Highway lane heading southwards. Type of incident The incident involved a crash between two vehicles, a truck and a bus. Both heading northwards, the truck rammed into the right side of the bus. As a result, the crush resulted in a mass damage on the bus’s entire right side that was completely torn off. A number of passengers were trapped in the bus following the accident. Subsequently, following the impact, the bus overturned coming to a rest on its left hand side. The incident saw the bus blocking the Duke’s Highway southbound lanes. The accident also resulted in mass oil spill on the Princess highway to the Tailem Bend at the Gold course. Hazards The incident resulted in the culmination of a number of hazards both to the other motorists and organism in the near water body. To begin with, the accident resulted in biological hazard arising from the blood spill and injuries that occurred during the accident. Blood and open wounds of the casualties can be regarded as some of the sources of biological hazards particularly biological pathogens such as viruses, bacteria or fungi, among other disease-causing substances. This problem mainly extends to the untrained rescuers and well-wishers giving a hand at the scene of the accident. Similarly, the accident also caused a traffic hazard, especially following the bus’s blockage of the southbound motorists. Moreover, there was an oil spill form the two vehicles involved in the accident, particularly the truck that was heading northwards from Princess Highway. Not only was this an environmental hazard, but was also a potential source of fire that would have affected other road users. The situation was worsened by the wind direction that was flowing westwards from the mainland to the nearby harbor. Access and Egress Taking into consideration of the exact location of the accident, the nearest hospital for treatment of the casualties would be the Tailem Bend District hospital. The hospital is situated northwards from the scene of the accident along the main road off the Princess Highway. As such, this means that access and exit by ground ambulances to the accident scene would be northwards. Owing to the nature of geographical plan and the transport system in the area, there is a likelihood of buildup in traffic that would likely interfere with the rescue process. Ambulances can approach the scene directly via the main road that leads from Tailem Bend District Hospital that is the nearest and more direct. On the other hand, crews with patients with minor injuries can be redirected to use the Gold Course Road off Dukes Highway that directly connects to Karoonda Road and the hospital (Government of South Australia, 2010). This will pave the way for ambulances transferring urgent casualty cases. The ambulances arriving at the scene of the accident to pick up patients can be parked on the off the highway side heading northwards to the hospital to ease congestion. At the hospital, emergency treatment teams can be situated at the entrance to the hospital in order to avoid further congestion in the hospital surrounding. On the contrary, motorist using Princess highway to the main road should be redirected to use the Golf Course road that is a much longer route to pave the way for ambulance easy access to the accident scene and the hospital. A mobile care center can be positioned at the nearby Tailem Bend Gold course where victims suffering from trauma can be given fast aid as they await patients with most serious injuries to be transported to hospital before their turn (Government of southern Australia, 2012). Number of casualties Initial investigation of the accident pointed out 14 fatalities with unknown degrees of injuries. Most of the victims were those travelling in the bus that was crashed by the truck. Most of them were trapped in the bus wreckage and required referrals to the nearest Tailem Bend District hospital. The injuries could most likely be as a result of the hit-impact. Some patients who were physically uninjured were quite likely to be victims of trauma. Extra Resources required The location of the scene of the accident would call for extra resources to aid towards efficient management of the evacuation process. The presence of policemen would be significantly important, particularly in controlling the crowd gathering at the scene. They will play an important role in directing traffic to allow for free flowing of rescue ambulances into and out of the scene. Moreover, owing to the significant extent of the bus crash, a crash rescue team will be highly important in the retrieval of casualties from the wreckage without aggravating the degree of the injuries. Additionally, environmental disaster management and fire service teams will also be required to deal with oil spills at the accident scene (Government of South Australia, 2010). The media will also play a crucial role in improving the flow of rescue efforts at the scene. They can be used to inform the general public regarding the details of the accident and advice motorists using the road that leads into and out of the scene to use alternative routes that will allow for efficient movement of ambulances. References Australian Government, 1997. AUSTRALIAN EMERGENCY Manual Series; Skills for Emergency Services Personnel. Melbourne: Australian Government. Byers, M., Russel, M. & Lockey, D. J., 2008. Clinical care in the ‘‘Hot Zone’’. Emerg Medical Journal, Volume 25, pp. 108-112. Dunn, M., 2011. Kerang ambos were exceptional - Ambulance Victoria's Paul Holman. Herald sun, 20 July. Government of South Australia, 2010. Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI) and SMART Tag Triage, Melbourne: s.n. Government of southern Australia, 2012. Operational Plan for Pandemic Influenza 2012, Melborune: Government of southern Australia. Read More