Everything Flashcards
Define a major incident
- Complex scene
- Not routine and requires specialist skills or organisations
- May include multiple casualties, multiple agencies, protracted/complex incidents, or even just an incident attracting public interest
- Major incidents will generally be managed using an Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
What are the differences in clinical leadership at major incidences?
- Must adopt a more management role as opposed to a clinical one
- Must assume control of the situation to reduce chaos and confusion and increase efficiency and outcomes
- Ensure that appropriate resources are requested and that these are activated early
- Above all ensure scene safety for yourselves and other emergency workers on scene
What are the 3 Rs of incident management?
Recognition
o Alert and escalation phase
o Commences when initial call is received
o Activation of crews signals the beginning of the response phase
Response
o Commences when first resource arrives on scene and finishes when the last resource has left the incident
o Allows response level to be reassessed by using a windscreen sitrep
Recovery
o Where the organisation restores and replaces resources and accounts for all the actions that were taken in response to managing the incident
o Occurs concurrently with the response phase
What are the different categories of a METHANE sitrep?
M = Major incident confirmation E = Exact location T = Type of incident H = Hazards on scene A = Access and egress for resources N = Number of patients E = Emergency services required
Describe appropriate situational awareness at a multi-casualty incident
Hazard identification o Pause and plan o Defer to experts where appropriate SES, fire services, policies o Use all sense and instincts including sight, sound, smell and motion o Never put yourself in harms way
Patient identification
o May be spread over large distances
o Try to limit patient movement
o Gather info to determine likely number of patients on scene
Resource requirements o Begin resource planning early o Keep up to date with MDT o Communicate team strategy and roles o Windscreen assessment on arrival
What are the roles and responsibilities of the Triage Officer?
- Provide initial scene leadership
- Ensure patients are triaged and tagged using Smart Pac triage cards
- Provide direction for incoming resources
- Ensure timely and accurate sitreps are provide
- Establish scene layout including Casualty Clearing Point, Loading Point and Holding Point
- Reports to incoming incident health commander when established
- Direct transport officer
What are the roles and responsibilities of the Transport Officer?
- Support triage officer in management of the scene
- May undertake some patient management
- Coordinate transport vehicles to ensure appropriate transfer of patients
- Commence and maintain casualty movement log
- Ensure appropriate access and egress for responding vehicles
- Supervise Casualty Clearing Point
What is included in a casualty transport log?
o Patient name/triage card code o Brief description of injuries o Triage category o Destination o Name of transporting ambulance
What are things to consider for a casualty clearing point?
o Safe distance from scene
o Appropriate size for no. of patients
o Provides shelter
o Attempt to separate patients according to priority
What are things to consider for an Ambulance Loading Point?
o Identified and managed by the Transport Officer
o Located near CCP for efficient casualty loading
o Clear access and egress
o Crews are called from Holding Point to Loading Point by Transport Officer
What are things to consider for an Ambulance Holding Point?
o Identified and managed by Transport Officer
o Used when Loading Point has poor access
o Crews remain here until summoned by Transport Officer
What is the role of the Emergency Response Plan?
- Helps to identify and separate the management and coordination of major incidents from normal business
- Provides staged and scalable approach to incidents
- Structured processes across all types of incidents
What are the two key criteria in determining the scale of a major incident?
- Number of patients
- Severity of incident
What is the management summary for a white level of response?
- Handled as normal business
What is the management summary for a green level of response?
- Health Commander responded
- Regional HC managing
- State HC advised
What is the management summary for a orange level of response?
- Health Commander responded
- Regional HC advised
- State HC managing
- AEOC stood up
What is the management summary for a red level of response?
- Health Commander responded
- Regional HC advised
- State HC managing
- AEOC and AV regions stood up
What other resources are available to help manage a major incident?
- Urban Search and Rescue
- Aquatic and Wilderness Response
- Chemical, Biological and Radiological
- Police
- Fire services
- Rescue
- Armed forces
- Hospitals
What may be the roles of the second and subsequent crews?
- Transport of casualties to definitive care
- Sectorisation of scene if required (taking up TO/TO roles for another sector)
- Patient management (if further backup is far away and patients well outnumber the crew)
- Taking control (if initial crew is struggle/self-identify as not suitable)
- Safety officer (oversee safety of overall scene, patient management and OH&S)
What is the role of the Health Commander?
- Undertaken by the first manager on scene
- Provides regular sitreps to control centre
- Scene control
- Represents ambulance resources on scene in Emergency Management Teams (EMTs)
- Responsible for the distribution of patients
What specific challenges are faced in rural and remote settings?
o Resources may be further away/fewer for longer
o Crew configurations may be different (ACOs)
o Access to appropriate hospitals may be limited
o CFA may be volunteer service with delayed or limited response
o Locating and accessing the patients and scene
What could be described as complex locations?
o Entrapment o Unstable locations o Mountains, cliffs, mineshafts o No access by road o Bushfire affected o Flood affected
What resources are provided by DoH for major incidents?
Field Emergency Medical Coordinator (FEMC)
- Medical practitioner inside ambulance control centre
- Coordinates dispatch of VMAT
Field Emergency Medical Officer (FEMO)
- Dispatches to scene and manages VMAT
- Reports to HC
What is the purpose of the IHR?
• International Health Regulations
o Legally binding agreement
o International public health security
• To prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease commensurate with public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade
What are the aims of the SHERP?
o Reduce preventable death
o Reduce permanent disability
o Improve patient outcomes
- Match patient level of injury with treatment option
- Safely and timely manner
What are the purposes of the SHERP?
o Safe, effective, coordinated health and medical response
o Outlines arrangement for escalating the health response
o Describes how available clinical resources are organised
