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09-01-2009 Fire/Rescue Newsletter |
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Fire Rescue Newsletter - September '09
After the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, it became clear that properly preparing for a large scale disaster was absolutely critical. Establishing and practicing standard operating procedures makes dealing with these situations much easier and safer.
However, contrary to what has been practiced in the past, many experts now believe that evacuation should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, because it comes with a plethora of risks. Exposure to fire, toxic chemicals, dangerous weather, or any other type of threat increases risk. Large scale evacuations are chaotic and can lead to increases in crime and disease.
Perhaps the biggest dilemma is dealing with all the people and their needs – food, water (and water purification), shelter, medical care, communication, keeping families together, keeping prison / jail inmates supervised, making accommodations for the disabled, and so forth. One must be prepared for these kinds of things well in advance so when / if the time comes, everyone is ready.
When evacuation is decided upon, major preparation must be undertaken. Notifying the population what is happening, how to deal with it, where to go, what to bring, and how long the danger will last is crucial, and all possible methods of contacting people should be used.
At least two host areas need to be identified, in case one is blocked or affected by the disaster. These places should be accessible via roads large enough to cope with the traffic from an evacuation, and they should have enough resources to deal with the surge of people.
Once the plan is in place, it's worthless if it's not followed when the time comes. This may seem obvious, but New Orleans actually did have a plan that they had prepared and practiced, but when they were actually put to the test, they simply ignored it. |
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