Leveraging Volunteers During Emergent Events

Professional responders who are first to arrive at a mass casualty incident (MCI) face a complex and potentially overwhelming challenge. It’s possible the first to arrive may be an inexperienced responder who will have to make decisions quickly and may lack mental models to help drive their behaviors. Even in a well-coordinated response, the professional responders may not be able to treat all the injured at the same time, and so they must triage and prioritize the victims. Spontaneous volunteers often heroically step in to fill the gap without being asked, but their courage and commitment often adds complexity to an already chaotic and challenging situation. Recent MCIs demonstrate that volunteers are often willing to help in a variety of ways. The additional support can make a significant difference in the response, and can help saves lives. Current policy and training don’t encourage professional responders to engage and leverage the public in this manner.1 The initial professional responder (IPR) is defined as “the initial professionally trained and legally recognized responder to arrive at the scene of an event.” It is usually a member of the police, fire or EMS. An IPR arriving on scene at any complex event is often the immediate center of attention for volunteers and victims. The IPR is seen as the legitimate authority and expert to turn to. This can create a significant amount of stress on the IPR, as well as providing the IPR with an important amount of infor...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents Terrorism & Active Shooter Mass Casualty Incidents Exclusive Articles Operations Source Type: news