Graduate level Final and Journal
student2006
PhaseIV.DOCXRunning head: IAP Phase IV 1
IAP Phase IV 2
IAP Phase IV
Letia Beale
Columbia Southern University
The severe acute respiratory syndrome is an infection that has rocked little Columbia Island leading to the death of twelve individuals. The infection is fast spreading through contact with an infected person, treatment and prevention of further spreading are the major objectives of the fire and emergency services department. The situation has been contained so far with the processes of quarantining infected individuals and treating them almost completely. The assignments which are coordinated by the chief of the emergency services and fire department seems to cover the outlines objectives as stated in the incidence action plan phase 1. The activities include taking the infected people in a secluded place near the shore of the island and treat them from that point where there is minimal contact with the healthy individuals. The treatment process is going well as planned with help from the little Columbia county hospital. The county hospital provided paramedics who are taking care of the infected individuals.
The major hazard in the containment of the incidence is prevention for further spreading of the infection to the healthy individuals. The necessary safety measure is being observed in approaching and helping the infected people to prevent the medics and the volunteers from contracting the infection, therefore, derailing the response process. Reviewing the response process is also being conducted so as to ensure that all the activities outlined and assigned are followed to the latter. The process of reviewing is helping in reducing incidences of duplication and also in identifying gaps in the action plan. The process is also aimed at helping in planning future responses of such incidences given that it is one of its kind to ever happen in little Columbia island.
Effect of emergency incidents on the emergency personnel
The emergency personnel is also human beings who are built of flesh and blood just like any other person. Most people think of the emergency personnel as heroes who are resistant to emotions and even sometimes physical injuries. But the truth is that fire and emergency services personnel are just human beings who can suffer just like any other person. They are vulnerable to suffer from physical and emotional injuries and therefore the necessary precautions are needed to be taken. Some emergency personnel’s are known to have suffered from physical injuries that affect their lives completely. There are accidents in any line of work and when these accidents are in fire and emergency response, they are lethal. The personnel put themselves in the harm’s way as they try to fight it and therefore, they are bound to be affected. For instance, a person might be responding to a fire incidence when the whole building collapses with the fire personnel inside it, the damage is great with death and casualties experienced by the fire and emergency department personnel. Response to infectious incidents have been known to affect emergency services personnel, the condition is most common when dealing with an airborne disease.
Apart from physical injuries, the fire and emergency personnel suffer from emotional injuries which may become traumatic disorders if not taken care of at the right time. The sight of seeing other people suffer raise emotions which might lead to traumatic disorders dealt with early. Most of the fire and emergency personnel are known to be empathetic rather than being sympathetic with the affected individuals so as to be emotionally strong to help them from the incidence (Smeby, 2014). Acute emotional disorders cause stress on the medical personnel and might lead to depression which might end up becoming schizophrenia. For instance, a site where people have been greatly burnt in a fire incidence, the responders might be affected by the sight which if not treated early might affect them negatively, their perception of fire will be greatly affected and their reaction to small fire like candles become so exaggerated which might end up hurting them. It is therefore very important to have constant counseling sessions for fire and emergency personnel.
Program evaluation is the process of taking all the details and information regarding a certain activity or undertaking so that better means of doing it or achieving similar results are devised. Program evaluation involves calculating the financial costs involved, the accrued benefits and the impacts of the program on the society (Walsh, 2012). In national incident management services, program evaluation is of great importance. The process of systematically gathering information, analyzing and identifying the strength and weaknesses of a program or a project in national incident management services helps in identifying the effectiveness and efficiency of a program in incidence management. NIMs uses program evaluation to obtain information on the available programs to respond to incidences on their efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the desired results (Newcomer, 2015). Program evaluation has also been important in evaluating new methods of responding to an incidence and identifying the most effective and appropriate means to deal with the situation. Finally, program evaluation has been used in reviewing a response of a past event to help in identifying areas of weakness and updating the methods so as to become more effective in future.
References
Smeby, L. C., Jr. (2014). Fire and emergency services administration: Management and leadership practices (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Newcomer, K. E., Hatry, H. P., & Wholey, J. S. (2015). Handbook of practical program evaluation. John Wiley & Sons.
