Disaster Response and Recovery, 3rd Edition

6Caring for the Injured, Dead, and Distraught: Overcoming Physical and Emotional Impacts

STARTING POINT

Pretest to assess your knowledge on caring for the injured, dead, and distraught.

Determine where you need to concentrate your effort.

What You’ll Learn in This Chapter

• The need for search and rescue operations.
• Who participates in search and rescue functions.
• The importance of medical care and the ethics surrounding triage.
• The challenges of mass fatality incidents.
• The psychological impact of disasters.

After Studying This Chapter, You’ll Be Able To

• Compare and contrast types of search and rescue operations.
• Anticipate human behavior in search and rescue operations.
• Explain the need for emergency medical care after disasters.
• Identify recommendations to deal with mass fatality incidents.
• Understand the common signs of PTSD/CIS.

Goals and Outcomes

• Implement an appropriate search and rescue method.
• Ensure the safety of search and rescue personnel.
• Estimate victim needs and implement triage if necessary.
• Apply principles of mass fatality management.
• Evaluate and support those who may suffer from PTSD/CIS.

INTRODUCTION

In a disaster situation, you must understand that emergency workers and volunteers will rush to the scene and do their best to rescue those who are trapped and assist the injured in any way they can. In certain cases, these volunteers, first responders, and emergency medical personnel will be successful in extracting those who are buried under debris. ...