Interrelation of Correspondents and Disasters - Essay Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Disaster Management Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Disaster Management Qn. 1 Command Structure that would be put in Place to Deal with the Incidences Local operations are managed and controlled by the Emergency Response and Recovery department which is organised in a framework that has three levels charged with different functions. The first level is the Bronze level which deals with the immediate and first hand operations at the site of an incidence and other areas that gets affected by the incidence. The responders at the bronze level takes the initial steps in handling the emergency and doing the specific task assignments that are involved. The second level is the silver level. In the silver level, the responders ensure that there is a maximum efficiency in all the actions involved. They also make sure that the roles played by the Bronze responders are organized and incorporated. The commanders in a silver level set up their command sites close to the point of the incident. The third level is the Gold level. The commanders at this level are brought together by the Strategic Coordinating Groups (SCG) from various associations and agencies. These commanders formulate a framework and strategy from which those in the silver level will work. The SCG is led by the police body but other agencies may come in depending on the form and the level of the disaster (Ministry of Home Affairs 1988). The Strategic Coordinating Group is made up of the superior agents and the executive members of the local organizations. SCG works its activities together with the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR). During the Blackpool disaster in the UK, the Bronze responders were the first to arrive in the area where they immediately started saving the children and other people who were in the affected. The silver responders came with the facilities that could help in the process while the Gold responders came and set up a camp from where food and other requirement will be delivered to the affected people (Haque 2005). The other arm of responders is the Regional Civil Contingency Committees (RCCC). This committee has the role of organizing for responses to emergencies and helping those affected to recover from the disaster. The committee also organizes for a strategic figure of the happenings in the scene of the incident focusing on how the consequences are being managed and what is needed to aid in recovery. They also identify any issue that cannot be handled locally. The committee also ensures that information on the happenings at the site of incidence flows to all levels of the government and also making sure that the common aid that is directed to the site reaches the destined people. The Lead Government Departments are selected depending on the number and the class of the emergency condition. The Civil Contingency Secretariat keeps updating the order of the Lead Governments Departments depending on their duties and responsibilities. For example where there is a vague situation arising in an emergency, the head of the CCS decides which Lead Government Department to take place in the situation. During the Blackpool disaster, the SCG and the RCCC were in the fore front with the police ensuring that there is safety in all the operations and the RCCC briefing the government and the members of the public on the daily happenings in the scene. The Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBRA) is a facility in the United Kingdom that is committed to managing crisis and is only active in the cases of those incidents that are of national importance. This is also in cases that leave several businesses and departments in the government meetings of the COBRA are always attended by the prime minister, senior officials in the government and in the ministry of defense. Others include the mayor and the top officials in the big ministries. It holds meetings continuously until the site of the emergency is considered to be safe. During their meetings, the issues of concern regarding the incident are identified and solutions discussed. The COBRA held several meetings during the Blackpool incident to decide on extent of the disaster, that is, the number of business and government bodies that were affected and the next course of action (Wilkinson 2007). Qn. 2 Responsibilities of the Category One Responders I would expect to be involved. In emergency response, there is the Category One Responders which consists of the police, the fire and rescue, ambulance, environmental agencies and the local authorities. The police organize the operations of those people who are offering response in the emergency site. They ensure that they are operating in a safe environment and guarding the area for collection of evidence. Where there are people who died during the incidence, the police also ensure that their bodies are removed and taken to the appropriate place. In disasters that are suspected of terrorist, the police have the role of placing a barrier to guard the site. In the Blackpool incidence site, the police were at guard ensuring that the revealed plan will not take place (Davies 2007). It was also the role of the police to identify the chemical substances to be taken for testing and being provided as the evidence. The roe of the fire and rescue service was to ensure that site was free from any harmful chemicals that may explode further. In Blackpool, the fire services ensured that the recognized chemicals are not consumed or used by the resident. This service also looks at the health and safety measures of all the people working on the disaster scene. It ensures that they do not take in harmful components that may affect their health status. In cases where some people have been affected, the fire service ensures that they are taken to where they could receive the necessary attention. The ambulance services are charged with the responsibility of organizing the response of the National Health Services. This includes decisions on the hospitals to which the affected persons will be taken for treatment. The ambulance also offers fist treatment to the effected people to sustain their lives before they reach the hospital. At the Blackpool, the ambulance services helped to fly those persons who had been affected by the chemicals and the explosion to hospitals. The Environmental Agency (EA) has the role of ensuring that water bodies, air and the land are protected from harmful substances. In the Black pool incident, the agency had the role of alleviating the effects of the incidence to the environment and giving advice on its effects to the environment. The agency also investigates the cause of such an incidence and assesses the environmental impacts it caused. The Local Authority is charged with the duty to ensure that the affected community responds well to the emergency and are able to recover from its impacts. The authority helps them to cope with the impacts after the emergency and recover their normal lives. They use the available resources to alleviate the effects of the disaster to the members of the community and other community resources such as the infrastructure and people’s property. During the Blackpool disaster, the local authority was left behind to ensure that the affected people have other facilities to substitute those destructed. The authority ensured that members of the community have recovered from the impacts and are back to their normal lives (Wilkinson 2007). Qn.3 Issues Arising with Respect to Treatment and Identification of Casualties Several issues arise when dealing with the casualties of the emergency. The dead had to be identified and taken to the mortuary. However, there arises a problem of identifying the dead especially those who die from explosions such as in the Blackpool since fire destroys all the parts of the body that could help in identification of the dead. The injured are also dealt with in immediate effects to help them survive the disaster. Some may bleed due to injuries resulting from the incidence and therefore needs immediate attention to prevent blood loss. In cases of explosion like in Blackpool, several people were injured by the explosion and had to be rushed for treatment with the aid of the ambulance services. If not well attended to, some die due to internal injuries. The first priority in all the operations is given to the injured people. A station is set for casualty clearing from where the injured are loaded into the ambulance to be taken to hospital. The present medical personnel sort out the injured people into various treatment rooms after ensuring that the rooms have the required expatriate for the treatment required. There is an ambulance incident officer who is also responsible for ensuring there is proper medical communication and transport of the medical personnel. Some of the injured are found in very critical conditions that may require them to be taken to the intensive care unit (Garlake & Sudworth 2000). The other group of casualties are the uninjured survivor. These are left traumatised and confused. Some are worried about their relatives and therefore need to be handled carefully. These people may also need financial aid since they may survive but loose most of their properties. They should be assisted on how to settle back. These people also need a psychological welfare to support them since they may develop symptoms later. The friends and relatives of the victims are also left with shock especially where the victims have died. These people should be given psychological guidance and counselling to help them recover from the shock and anxiety. Reception centres for uniting the family and friend can be set up near the scene of incident to help unite them with the survivors. They can also The responders of the emergencies are also another group that needs a lot of attention. These people are the first to respond to the disaster when it occurs (Wisner 2004). They therefore need to be given the necessary information that they feel to be of help in helping the affected. These people usually rely on the survivor and the local authorities to guide them when on the site. Some may be strangers in the area and therefore needs to be guided. The responders who are new in emergencies can also be offered short term training that will enable them deal with the disaster. Their physical, emotional and psychological needs should also be dealt with. Security also needs to be provided to ensure their safety. Qn.4 Critical evaluation of the issues regarding warning and informing the public. In case of an emergency, the members of the also develops great interest on the incident especially one that is affecting the public safety. They therefore need to be given information regarding the emergency. The public need to be informed on the details of the causes of the incident and the action that the relevant authorities have taken (Wisner 2004). The public should also be told how they contact those at the scene to get more information. The information can be communicated through the media that should ensure that all the details are given. The information should be given immediately after the incident. The public should also be warned if they are likely to be in danger and how to protect themselves from harm. An initiative by BBC called connecting in a crisis can be used to inform the public about the happenings. This can help since there is a great demand for information by the members of the public (Garlake & Sudworth 2000). Qn.5 Critical evaluation of the issues surrounding incident communications Communication during a disaster may be difficult and may evoke several problems. There is always some confusion that arises after an incident. Communicating to the members of the public and the concerned stake holders should be taken with a lot of care. Issues such as giving wrong and inconsistent information may arise and there is a need to set an officer who will take the responsibility of communicating to the external on the happening. Late information may also arise where there is no proper communication. This may delay response to the emergency leading to further loss of lives or more injuries. Communication should be done carefully in emergencies also to avoid unnecessary panic (Else 2007). To ensure that the communication system runs smoothly, the public relations manager should ensure that all the activities of the media are working properly. He or she should arrange on the transportation of the media to the scene of incident, offer support for those who are being interviewed and manage the media centre when it is established. The media centre will aid in collecting and integrating all the information collected to prevent issues of inappropriate information. Qn.6 Formulation of a strategy to deal with the attending media representatives There is a need to set up a media center by the police from where the media personnel will be accomodated wiht their broadcasting tools. The centre will also serve as a place for media briefing and a news conference center. Since there is a cordon that is always put to enclose the incident scene, there is a need for strategy on how to deal with the media. The cordon can be extended to create space for the media or where it is not possible, a helicopter can be used by the media from where they can be taking pictures due to the restricted access. A pool of the media representatives who will be allowed to the site can also be made that will constitute one photographer, one TV reporter and one radio anchor who can be giving information at the same time to others who are at the media centre. Visit by the VIPs such as the government ministers should also be handled properly since it can raise the morale of the affected and at the same time disrupt the life saving operations. The hospital staff should be the ones to decide whether the VIPs should meet with the affected. Security can also be issues during their visit and this should be considered. A media liaison officer who should be a police officer is necessary to link the media with the happenings at the scene. The media liaison point will serve as a rendezvous point from where photography and filming will be done (Waugh 2000). During and after the response, the local authority should be left to look at the needs of the victims and their families. Some need to be resettled and therefore financial aid will be necessary. It is necessary to choose a media response unit that is headed by a person equal to public relations officer since he will arrange for a smooth running of the media activities. This can be done in advance together with preparation of standard background materials. It is also the role of the Regional Media Emergency Forum (RMEF) to link the region with the government in order to obtain services from the national emergency services. This is possible through the local government. This should be taken full advantage of in order to get full response. The geographical location of the area should be considered while arranging for response and also the resources available should be pooled together. Qn.7. Press statement for the attending media The press statement should include the site of incident and the cause of the disaster. The following statement can serve the press. “An explosion has occurred at t e base of the Blackpool tower some hours after an airplane was noted spraying chemicals along the promenade at the Blackpool tower. The chemicals had been tested earlier and found capable of causing a reaction that could release hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide in the atmosphere. The aircraft had spread the chemical leaving hundreds of people affected by the sprays. The aircraft then flew to the base of the Blackpool tower after when it exploded. This explosion left several people injured, some dead and several properties destroyed. The government and other agencies have been offering support services at the scene to aid in the recovery of the effected and their relative. Several people have volunteered at the scene to help in the extensive operations that are taking place at the scene. Police bodies are also present in the scene. Several government ministers have visited the scene and the government has released aid to the affected people. Members of the public are being warned of staying close to the scene in case of other explosion that may occur. The people have also been warned of any inconsistent information regarding the happenings at the disaster management website so as to avoid rumours and misinformation. The local authority will take over after the incident has been cleared to help those affected get back to their normal states of life and provide them with the necessary facilities. The members of the public therefore need not to worry since the government is in control.” Bibliography Ministry of Home Affairs, 1988, Management in government, California, University of California press. Davies, S., 2007, Security Supervision and Management, The Theory and Practice of Asset Protection, Butterworth, Heinemann. Else, D., 2007, England, Chicago, Lonely Planet publishers. Garlake, T., & Sudworth, R., 2000, Dealing with disasters: teaching about disasters and development, Mexico, Oxfam publishers. Wisner, B., 2004, At risk: natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters. New York, Routledge. Waugh, W., 2000, Living with hazards, dealing with disasters: an introduction to emergency management. New York, M.E. Sharpe Co. Wilkinson, P., 2007, Homeland security in the UK: future preparedness for terrorist attack since 9/11, Abingdon, Taylor & Francis publishers. Haque, E., 2005, Mitigation of natural hazards and disasters: international perspectives, New York Springer publishers. Read More