Mod 7 EMS response to terrorism Flashcards
Terrorism
-The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government the civilian, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives (U.S. department of justice, FBI, definition)
Domestic terrorism
-Terrorism directed against ones own government or population without foreign direction
International terrorism
-Terrorism that is purely foreign based or directed
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
-Weapons, devices, or agents intended to cause widespread harm and/or fear among a population
The CBRNE agents
- Often called weapons of mass destruction
- Chemical
- Biological
- Radiological
- Nuclear
- Explosive
Multiple devices
-Destructive devices, such as bombs, including both those used in the initial and those placed to be activated after the initial attack and timed to injury emergency responder’s and others who rush in to help care for those targeted by an initial attack
Secondary devices
- Destructive devices to be activated after an initial attack and timed to injure emergency responders.
- Emergency response planners prefer the term multiple devices because it is more likely to make first responders aware of and prepared for the possibility of more than one destructive event following the first.
OTTO
- Clues that may indicate terrorism
- Occupancy or location
- Type of event
- Timing of the event
- On-scene warning signs
Types occupancy or location that are sometimes targeted by terrorists
- Symbolic and historical agents (Government buildings, statue of liberty, liberty bell ect.)
- Public buildings or assembly areas (Shopping malls, convention centers ect.)
- Controversial businesses (Family planning clinics, nuclear facilities ect.)
- Infrastructure systems (bridges, power plants, water treatment plants ect.)
Type of event
- Explosions and/or incendiaries
- Incidents involving firearms
- Nontrauma mass-casualty incidents such as the spread of illness
Timing of event
-Specific days of the week and times of the day are worth treating with suspicion
TRACEM-P
- Types of harm I can be exposed to
- Thermal Harm
- Radiological harm
- Asphyxia (caused by lack of oxygen in the atmosphere)
- Chemical harm
- Etiological harm (concerns the cause of disease)
- Mechanical harm (bombs, guns ect.)
- Psychological harm (result of any traumatic event causing panic and terror.
Principles of protection for the responder to minimize exposure
- Time (Send shortest amount of time at the scene as possible)
- Distance (Maximizing distance from scene)
- Shielding (Use of Hazmat suits, positive pressure self contained breathing apparatus, and PPE. also consider vaccinations)
Types of chemical incidents and whether it is primary or secondary harm
- Thermal harm is secondary harm
- Asphyxia is secondary harm because some chemical reactions may deplete oxygen or create gases
- Chemical harms are primary harms and include wide variety of effects such as corrosivity and reactivity
- Mechanical harm is a secondary harm. Must be taken into consideration because corrosive chemicals can weaken structural elements
- Psychological harm is secondary harm because many individuals will react emotionally to a possible chemical exposure.
Agents that may cause harm by being inhaled or ingested into the body
- Bacteria: single celled organisms that can grow in a variety of environments
- Viruses: smallest know entity that is capable of reproduction. Grow inside of living cells and cause those cells to produce additional viruses
- Toxins: Poisons produced by living organisms. (bacteria, fungi, insects ect.)
Exposure
-The dose or concentration of an agent multiplied by the time, or duration
Chemical doses
- Generally measured in milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
- Biological doses are measured in fractions of micrograms per kilogram of body weight
Concentration
- The concentration of an agent is measured in parts per million
- If you reduce does, concentration, or time near the agent you will reduce exposure
Routes of entry
-Pathways into the body, generally by absortion, ingestion, injection, or inhalation
Absortion
-Skin contact
Ingestion
-Mouth
Injection
-Needles or projectiles
Inhalation
-Breathing
Items that affect skin absortion
- Injury to skin
- Skin tempreture/blood flow
- Higher concentration=greater exposure
- Area with more hair=more exposure
- Length of exposure
- Type of agent