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Unit 5 DQ
TOPIC #1: Public Agencies
Public agencies support responses to emergencies at two different levels, first responders, such as police, fire and EMS and secondary responders, such as hospitals, electric companies' private companies, and local governmental agencies. Discuss how each of these entities interact during times of disasters.
Respond Kindly to Student #1
Timothy Brenneman
Public agencies play such a vital part during the entire disaster process and ultimately control how devastating the disaster may be. The first responders on scene are responsible for interacting with many victims and to help the community during the disaster. This is the immediate impact part of the disaster. The first responders then hand off these duties to hospitals, and local governmental agencies. The victims must be transported to hospitals and treated for their wounds. It is imperative that this process is planned out and is done in a timely manner. The first responders must know the routes to take and where they must go under dire circumstances. As mentioned in Introduction to Emergency Management, “a lack of adequate responder safety procedures contributed to an epic loss of life” (Haddow et. al., 2021, p.218). The public sector may contain different agencies with different responsibilities, but it is imperative that everyone involved work together for the safety of the community.
References
Canton, L. G. (2020). Emergency management: Concepts and strategies for effective programs. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2021). Introduction to Emergency
Management (7th ed.).
Respond Kindly to Student #2
Kimberly Ord
The easiest way to understand how first and secondary responders interact is to know and comprehend what each would do in times of emergencies or disasters. Haddow et al. (2020) simply define first responders as “fire, police, and emergency medical technicians” (p. 504). These are the agencies and personnel who handle the immediate impacts of an emergency or disaster, such as putting out fires, saving people’s lives, eliminating threats, treating and transporting the wounded, etc. Now, depending on what source one examines, the exact role of secondary responders can be defined in many ways, but the easiest is to simply say that they support first responders and support recovery.
For example, when a fire occurs in a building, utility companies (secondary responders) are called to shut off electricity and gas lines that could cause more issues trying to extinguish the fire. Once victims are given first aid, they may be transported to another secondary responder, a hospital that will treat their injuries.
But the interaction is supporting the first responders during the response and then some secondary responders take over to deal with the recovery phase, such as restoration of infrastructure damaged (repairing electrical lines damaged by a tornado, for example). Claussen (2011) states the second responders work to clean up after the disaster to return the area to normalcy.
References
Claussen, L. (2011). Putting safety first among second responders. Safety+Health. https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/putting-safety-first-among-second-responders-2
Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2020). Introduction to emergency management, (7th ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Respond Kindly to Student #3
William Leach
When disasters strike public agency first and secondary responders are the first if not the most important sector members to service a community in their time of need. Primary because when sudden disasters strike, state and federal agencies have yet to be notified. Let alone knowing what their needs may be. State and federal agencies rely heavily on public agency input and perspective when attempting to serve an incident. For example, let’s use the Boston Marathon bombing. In this disaster locating the bombers was of the utmost importance and its success could not be achieved with public service agents. Hospitals, Universitas, and local police worked in tandem in communicating the movements of all persons on their grounds. As well as tracking cameras, shutting down roads, etc. They primarily lead the charge in capturing the two primary bombers.
TOPIC #2: The Role of Secondary Responders
During major incidents, public agencies such as public works, hospitals, utility companies, and other municipal agencies work hand in hand with first responders. Discuss the role of secondary responders during major emergencies.
Respond Kindly to Student #1
Timothy Brenneman
As mentioned in the first discussion post, the public agencies, specifically the first responders, play a vital role during emergencies. However, the secondary responders also play an important role during the process. To start, the hospitals carry a heavy burden with having to treat the victims and allocate proper resources and manning to the correct places. This is imperative because it could mean the difference between life and death. Another great example of secondary responders working during emergencies if the utility companies and having to fix any issues that may arise. This includes electricity and water. In this era, it is hard for us to do many things, including work, if electricity is not available. Often before a disaster, stores are sold out of the essentials due to consumers overstocking, therefore, some community members may not have the necessities to make it a long time with running water and electricity. It shows that the secondary responders play as just a vital role as the first responders during a disaster.
References
Canton, L. G. (2020). Emergency management: Concepts and strategies for effective programs. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Haddow, G. D., Bullock, J. A., & Coppola, D. P. (2021). Introduction to Emergency
Management (7th ed.).
Respond Kindly to Student #2
Kenneth Battersby
Hello All,
So as we all know major disasters or incidents cause a lot of panic and rash decisions, and understanding everyone's role can be critical into life and death situations. Using the examples in the question, public works, hospitals, utility companies and even secondary fire and police teams play major roles into restoring the incident back to normal and securing the area and members affected. Consider an explosion going off and bursting water pipes or causing a gas leak, as much as most people wouldn't consider utility companies or public works to be responders they would play a key role in this type of incident and the community would need their help to shut off the lines and fix the damage. Hospitals, ambulance drivers, medics all fall in line with secondary critical response but at times may also fall in line with first responders. Saving life during and after a major disaster or incident is critical and key to recovery as well. Hospitals get filled with injured patients after major incidents and they need to be able to respond if the injured exceeds the limit of the hospital. According to healthmanagement.org (2010) "An all hazards plan is an integrated planning approach to any realistic threat to an organization including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and any other incidents that could threaten the operational capacity of a hospital" (para. 6). It is important to understand how vital secondary responders are to the impact of emergency response.
Healthmanagement.org (2010, May). Hospital disaster response: Are you really prepared?. Retrieved from https://healthmanagement.org/c/it/issuearticle/hospital-disaster-response-are-you-really-prepared
Respond Kindly to Student #3
Hector Chamo
Class,
When a tornado goes through a state, county, communities it plows through many homes, critical infrastructures leave behind mourning families with no homes and mourning over deaths. After the first responders is completed y securing the scene, picking up how wounded, deaths it is up to the secondary responders to clean up ravages of disaster areas, stabilize infrastructure.
The work of second responders is so vital that John Devlin, safety director of the Washington-based Utility Workers Union of America, objects to the term. “I look at them as first responders,” Devlin said. “They’re definitely on the scene assisting the police and the firemen and the EMTs. They are certainly a valuable asset to them as well as the communities.” (Putting
safety first among second responders, 2013).
Second responders has to worry about the risks, health of the community, for example if there is a spillage, hazard material it can have a issues for the community and the wildlife. Sharing experiences, stories can help in the mitigation process.
“I believe that working collectively, sitting down and sharing those experiences, and developing those procedures that make us as prepared as we can be benefits everyone involved. You can anticipate what to expect, but until you actually physically climb down that hole, you don’t know what is waiting for you.” .” (Putting safety first among second responders, 2013).
Reference
Safety+Health Magazine. (2013, June 12). Putting safety first among second responders.
Safety+Health Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/putting-safety-first-among-second-
responders-2.
Hector