feet as quickly as possible, but not to replace local healthcare services. The following table identifies the various types of response and response levels, from local to international. Healthcare Consideration : It is important for healthcare providers to understand how they will respond to a disaster and the agencies they may work with. All healthcare providers, at some point, may be involved in an emergency that could turn into a disaster. Providers may have to work with local, state, national, and in some cases, international disaster response teams. Volunteering with local disaster teams will help prepare for possible disaster responses.
flu shots. The CERT works with local fire departments, and the VIPS and the NW work with local police departments. The American Red Cross (2022) is a quasi-governmental volunteer agency assigned by the U.S. Congress as the lead disaster response agency for the United States. The American Red Cross works from the local to the national levels in disaster responses. Each area of a state has a chapter house that responds to disasters that range from single-family fires to natural and manmade disasters. Red Cross healthcare providers are trained to handle immediate needs that include food, shelter, and medical attention with the help of other Red Cross volunteers. Their goal is to help the victims get back on their
Table 1: Different Levels of Disaster Response (adapted from Adelman & Legg, 2009) What Geographic Area is Responding What Official Agencies Will be Responding Volunteer Groups That may be Responding
Who Asks Each Group to Respond
• City, county, township, village, and other local law enforcement. • City, county, township, village, and other local fire/EMS. • Clinics. • Hospitals. • Ambulance. • State law enforcement. • State fire and EMS. • State public health department. • State bureaus of investigation. • National Guard units. • State department of homeland security or equivalent.
• Local Red Cross Chapters • Medical Reserve Corps. • Community Emergency Response Team • Volunteers in Police Services. • Neighborhood Watch. • Social organizations. • Religious organizations. • State Red Cross. • State disaster volunteer agencies. • State social organizations. • State religious organizations.
• Who is asked depends on the agency, but may include: ○ Citizens. ○ Local EMS. ○ Local governmental agencies (city, county, township, and so on). • Who is asked depends on the agency, but may include: ○ Citizens. ○ State EMS. ○ State governmental agencies. ○ Governor. ○ Local Red Cross. ○ Local volunteer disaster response groups. • Who is asked depends on the agency, but may include: ○ Citizens. ○ State EMS. ○ State governmental agencies. ○ Governors. ○ State Red Cross chapters. ○ State public health departments. ○ State volunteer agencies. ○ State social organizations. ○ State religious organizations. • Who is asked depends on the agency, but may include: ○ Leader of the requesting nation. ○ American Red Cross.
Local response
State Response
National Response • Department of Homeland Security. • Federal Bureau of Investigation. • Central Intelligence Agency. • The United States Public Health Service. • Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• National disaster volunteer agencies. • American Red Cross. • National social organizations. • National religious organizations.
International Response
• United Nations. • World Health Organization.
• International Red Cross.
Note: Adapted from Adelman & Legg, 2009
Self-Assessment Quiz Question #1 Emergencies, disasters, and terrorist attacks can occur in any community. Which term describes a terrorist attack? a. The intent is to cause panic and fear. b. A manmade situation where an accident occurred. c. Normal emergency responders can handle the situation d. The attacks are always on a national level. To build preparedness and response capacities for countries and communities, trained healthcare providers are essential to reduce the impact of disaster events (Farra et al., 2013; Thobaity et al., 2016). Clarity of the responder’s role in a disaster has been addressed over the last several years to define the skills and knowledge needed to respond in the event of a disaster (Lavin
Self-Assessment Quiz Question #2 When the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrives after a disaster, what level of response is this? a. International. b. Federal.
c. State. d. Local. DISASTER COMPETENCIES
et. al, 2017; Thobaity et al., 2016; Veenema et al., 2016). To ensure that first responders possess the adequate knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond effectively in a disaster, they need the education and training founded in disaster competencies. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) plays an active leadership role worldwide in addressing quality nursing care
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