Specialist Rescue Strategy in Urban Areas and Underground Tunnels - Literature review Example

Specialist rescue strategy in urban areas and underground tunnels Introduction The United Kingdom is made up of four countries and it is a constitutional monarchy. It is an island nation surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish and North Sea as well as the English Channel (Angle, 2004). The country is a developed country and it is the world’s sixth largest economy (Beard & Carvel, 2005). A risk and disaster management strategy in the United Kingdom just like in other developed countries is important because it mitigates against the loss of lives, livelihoods and even property (Great Britain Ministry of Defence, 2005). Cities in the United Kingdom have had a rapid increase in populations, which pose a serious challenge to the city rescue strategy coupled with the ethnic, and youth diversity, wealth, infrastructure and community safety. Aspects such as fire and accidents, floods, traffic collisions, water rescues and now the risk of terror in the urban centres of the United Kingdom have also increased. The strategy Just like any other country in Europe, the UK is not immune to disasters and emergencies in its urban areas especially the large cities. London a few years ago was attacked by terrorists who had targeted the public transport system. Though the damage was huge, the country had to adjust its plans according to the realities of today and the possible threats of tomorrow (Angle, 2004). Underground tunnels in the UK are used for rail transport with major subways having been constructed underground for this purpose. These underground tunnels serve as train stations with the majority of people using this form of public transport. Urban settings have different dynamics from the rural settings and so this fact makes it unique in how the government deals with certain issues (Beard & Carvel, 2005). The rescue strategy is for three years because the situation may not be the same as it is right now in couple more years. Events such as the coming Olympics to be held in the city of London in the year 2012 will change the dynamics a bit because of the infrastructure improvements that have to be made to accommodate this event. The vision of the national government is to ensure that emergencies are dealt with expeditiously to avert a national crisis if such situations were to get out of hand. Risk management plans in the UK are therefore sound financial management plans that help to balance the risk while creating flexibility to achieve outcomes that are beneficial to all (Angle, 2004). Urban areas have a diverse population that consists of both the young and old and this presents a unique mix of variables that specialist rescue plans have to be made. For instance, when an accident occurs in a home for the elderly special care will have to be taken because of the various pre conditions that such populations normally have. Emergency services such as rescue teams in the UK have been positioned in a way that they are able to serve the various counties present in each urban area. Fire rescue services together with emergency response such as ambulances are managed locally through funding from the taxpayer in each community. The strategic plans are made in UK are in collaboration with the local counties based on the confines of the global challenges as well as responding to the impacts of the changes in the climatic conditions (Beard & Carvel, 2005). These plans aim to deliver on the expectations of the public while adapting new technologies. The plans ensure community safety and by having regular safety drills and exercises that aim to prepare the public in when such cases occur in reality. Rescue strategies also include the necessary legislation that ensures the success of rescue plans by striking a balance between the costs and the needs of the plan (Cooper, 2005). The strategy ensures that the fire brigade is actively involved in the improvement of safety and fire protection in the underground tunnels and other technical installations in the city by ensuring the accessibility of these areas. Underground city centre tunnels infrastructure may prove challenging when in emergency and so such situations pose challenges in the evacuation of passengers (Beard and Carvel 2005). Many city dwellers use the underground trains for public transport and these numbers are said to increase because of the number of people moving into urban areas and immigration. In such cases, the strategy aims to: Analyse the design of the underground stations and tunnels to ensure that the emergency exits are capable of handling evacuations of people at fast rate (Angle, 2004). This will be achieved by using the case studies of other older tunnels and this helps in determining fire safety and emergency standards upgrades, which is sometimes restricted by the design structure of the tunnel. Define the safety procedure for trains and infrastructure that aims at minimizing the risks in the urban tunnels. The urban rail networks are assessed for the risk of fire and this ensures the safety in their operation. Explore the influence of international standards on the maintenance of these tunnels together with the operational costs of these underground stations and tunnels because of the high costs in constructing underground tunnels (Cooper, 2005). For the rescue strategies for urban underground strategies to work it is important to look at human behaviour as an important aspect in ensuring safety in the underground tunnels and stations (Veasey et al., 2005). This includes: Establishing educational materials that provide safety information for the tunnel users. This may be posted in the trains where the passengers can read while on transit in the trains (Beard & Carvel, 2005). Revealing crucial safety measures such as tunnel design and signalling to ensure that the risk to humans is significantly reduced. Underground tunnels are risky in the event of earthquakes and so it is important for people to be made aware of the fact the tunnel may collapse (Angle, 2004). Ensuring that tunnel users have an understanding of the emergency services needs and limitations to so that help is effective in the event of an emergency situation. Analysing human behaviour tests to understand tunnel user behaviour in emergency and normal cases. The strategy aims at tackling the tunnel infrastructure such as tunnel safety lights to help in improving safety in the underground tunnels (Cooper, 2005). Proper functioning tunnel safety lights systems helps in improving the overall safety conditions in the underground tunnels. Also, tailor made lighting and guiding solutions help in this respect. Operations in the tunnels should be done by conducting fire safety analysis and having effective ventilation systems that minimize the risk of smoke propagation within the tunnels (Angle 2004). This can be effectively managed by choosing the right fire model for the best ventilation for a specific tunnel. The installation of active fire protection devices such as the water sprinkler systems and water mist that suppress fire alongside the ventilation systems in the underground tunnels helps in making these tunnels safe (Angle, 2004). The effective coordination of these systems ensures immediate attention when a fire breaks out because of the quick response time, which guarantees minimal smoke build up and efficient suppression of fire, which helps in the rescue operations in these tunnels. Major accidents that led to the change in strategy The major accident that led to a change in strategy was the London and Spanish terror attacks. In both incidences, the target was the transport sector. This has led to high alerts as concerns the threats of terrorism in the UK and Europe alike (Wilkinson 2007). Terrorist like causing damage in areas where a majority of the people will suffer and urban areas and underground tunnels are the targets. The London attack was the first of its kind in modern Europe and so panic and confusion is what hit the air when the attack happened. Communications in the underground tunnels was shut off and so the people that were trapped in the trains were not able to communicate with emergency providers also the train drivers were not able to communicate with the passengers and to give instruction for their evacuation (Williams 2006). This proved difficult in coordinating the emergency rescue efforts from the scene of the blasts and the hospitals and this led to more casualties (Strom and Eyerman 2008). From this the train communications were improved by updating and training their workers who in turn will train the passengers and which will help in passing of critical information in a mass casualty incident. The importance of initiating communication early on in an emergency situation helps in alleviating panic and confusion among the victims (Strom and Eyerman 2008). The problems of communication encountered in the disaster led to emergency work being impeded because radio communications to get more information could not be done because the radios were not interoperable. Cross agency communication between the traffic police of London and the train drivers was virtually impossible. A successful rescue strategy needs to be coordinated by having all state agencies working together to provide services in a manner that is well coordinated. Rescue strategy response equipment Emergency responses are judged on the following four aspects: Preparedness that looks at the development of plans and strategies. Responsiveness that is how well the emergency services are coordinated to deal with the particular emergency. Recovery that is restoration of the community to what its original state. Mitigation that is concerned with identifying the threats and reducing the impact of such threats. Urban areas present different situations that require different responses in emergency situations. Urban areas are mostly densely populated. Search and rescue operations may be hindered by infrastructure such as storied buildings which when they collapse cause much damage. Emergency situations in underground tunnels require different specialized equipment because of the nature of their design (Angle, 2004). Specialized equipment used in the emergency situations are ambulances to ferry injured people from the scene of the disaster to safety and provide those injured with first aid before being taken to hospital. Fire brigade equipment, which is used to not only fight fire but also lift heavy boulders and other debris from the scene of the disaster. Fire brigade equipment in the UK provides rescue teams with equipment that they can use to not only fight fire but also provide support to the rescue and emergency operations. The use of helicopter to aid in transportation is also necessary (Great Britain ministry of Defence, 2005). Rescue crew training In disaster situations how well a rescue team is trained determines the number of survivors that will be pulled out of such situations alive. Rescue crews provide support and are able to calm survivors down (Angle, 2004). This alleviates panic and confusion that is present in such situations. Intensive training for first aid and search and rescue operations is done. The crew is trained on how to handle mass injuries and evacuations and provide the injured with support and the needed first aid before being transferred to hospitals. Life saving skills such as swimming and diving is included in the training for rescues in water. The training that rescue teams receive is what makes a difference in emergency situations (Martinnette 2007). Urban rescue teams are provided with training ranging from fire rescue, ambulance services, water rescue and also dealing with mass injuries like what was witnessed in the London bus and underground train bombings. The hazardous area response team helps in providing ambulance response to major accidents (Martinnette, 2007). Coverage area, appliances and employees The coverage area is in every county council in the cities of the UK this because the urban populations are more densely populated and so are at more risk as compared to the rural areas. The challenges of the urban are very diverse and if the strategy is able to work in the urban areas, it will be easy for it to be rolled out to the rest of the country easily although with minor adjustments (Cooper, 2005). The strategy is a three-year strategy that will help in putting up measures in place that will enable emergency services to be well coordinated and able to respond at a fast rate (Great Britain Ministry of Defence, 2005). Emergency service employees include the police officers, the fire department and the paramedics who operate the ambulance services and are well coordinated to facilitate smooth running of the emergency responses. Rescue services require many resources for training and their operations because annually there are many emergency situations that occur such as road and fire related accidents. These services are funded by the public through the taxes they pay annually to their respective counties. References Angle, J.S. 2004. Occupational safety and health in the emergency services. London: Cengage learning. Beard, A. & Carvel, R. 2005. The handbook of tunnel fire safety. London: Thomas Telford. Cooper, D.C. 2005. Fundamentals of search and rescue. New York: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Great Britain Ministry of Defence. 2005. Defence Industrial Strategy. Defence White Paper, 669, pp. 91-93 Martinnette, V. 2007. Trench rescue: awareness, operations, and technician. New York: Jones and Bartlett learning. Strom, K.J and Eyerman, J. 2008. Interagency coordination: a case study of the 2005 London train bombings. National Institute of Justice Journal, 260, pp. 8-11. Strom, K.J. and Eyerman, J. 2008. A cross-national comparison of interagency coordination between law enforcement and public health. National Institute of Justice Journal, 261, pp. 18-24. Veasey, et al., 2005. Confined space entry and emergency response. New York: Wiley and sons publishers. Wilkinson, P. 2007. Homeland Security in the UK: Future Preparedness for Terrorist Attack since 9/11. London: Taylor and Francis Williams, E.D. 2006. The puzzle of 7/7: an in-depth Analysis of the London Bombings and Government Sponsored Terrorism in the United Kingdom. London: Lulu.com Read More