CHEMICAL ATTACK

A chemical attack and its effects

A chemical attack involves the release of poisonous gases, liquids, or solids that have negative effects on people, animals, plants, and the ecosystem as a whole. These chemical toxins can be released in a variety of methods, including explosives and sprays from moving vehicles. By inhaling it or exposing their skin and eyes to it, they have an impact on individuals. Its effects can happen right away or after a few hours or days. Since most chemical toxins have no smell, color, or flavor, identifying them can be difficult. Chemical attacks can occur both indoors and outside. The location will dictate the next step. Chemical weapons act fast, some seconds after being released the symptoms, however, may take long to be noticeable more so if there were minimal concentrations (Laurent, Richter & Michel, 1999). Some of the symptoms include persons with watery eyes, trouble in breathing, sick or dead animals, unnormal liquids vapors, strange odors or unsanctioned spraying in a location.

Response units and measures

There is a unit that is designated for response to these types of attacks. The first thing the official do is to determine the location of the attack if is in an indoor or an outdoor setting. For indoor attack, the spread of the toxin in the building shall take place in minutes while in outdoor, the effect will be instant. When the area affected has been detected, an announcement can be made to warn other to avoid the contaminated area as well as give additional warning and measures to take for those affected (Wein, Craft & Kaplan, 2003). Officials advise access clean air, also offer medical care and attempt to decontaminate the patients.

Dispatch of emergency medical services

There shall be dispatch of emergency medical services. The official also shall have to offer any information the responding units. There shall be response on the safe travel routes as well as weather updates. The officials shall announce the number of victims as well as the symptoms they are exhibiting so that unaccounted area could be easily discerned and casualty may know. Since the officials have the machinery to now the exact weapon of attack, they shall furnish the heath department with the needed information on the nature of toxins so that they can quickly know the course of medication (Laurent, Richter & Michel, 1999). There might also be a consideration of a site treatment center. The official shall also be required to give notice the local environment protection agency as well as the department of public works so that they can seal the affected area if it is a highway.

First responder protocol

Whether warned of a probable attack or identifying it upon arrival on the site, the response units first take measures to protect themselves. This way they can efficiently carry out rescue operations and manage the area properly (Stopford, 2001). The first responders often stop and collect the information then notify the oncoming colleagues. Some of the things they look at are that there might be secondary devices and also the person responsible might still be around. Being a crime scene, they normally limit entry. They might then ask for emergency medical supplies, bomb squad or other necessary resources.

Fire department response

Fire department on arriving shall encounter vast casualties from trauma, chemically contaminated along with site control problems. The fire response and incident command system (ICS) have a challenge with depending on the magnitude of the attack. Swift application of the elements of the chemical occurrence response is vital in protecting life. First is to institute incident command and correspondences (US Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM), & United States of America, 2000). Create safety regions. Identify if live victims are still in the area. Rescue them if any and then create casualty collection locations. The fire officials work together with chemical, and bioweapon specialty units shall decontaminate the area. The fire department shall also contain the contaminated run off water.

Importance of the unified command

The choices that incident command makes in the first few minutes are crucial to safeguarding the response units and saving the victims’ lives. The capacity to identify the vital needs and prioritize the constrained resources present to carry out those needs a concise comprehension of chemical occurrence response methods as well as the dangers of the prospective agents (Laurent, Richter & Michel, 1999). It is also crucial to the safety of everybody on the scene and the overall success of the incident response that all entities work as a unified command and not a group of individual entity command posts.

Establishment of a unified command post

A unified command post is then established. Precise information about the incident such as the weather conditions and a number of victims is communicated. There is also the need for a direct phone line with emergency dispatch and communication center. Decontamination location for civilian victims and another for responders, machinery and evidence collection is created. There is the consideration of the secondary devices (Stopford, 2001). communications to hospitals of numerous casualties and likelihood of contaminated persons coming to the facilities. There is the preservation of the evidence. Incident command shall ascertain accountability of all response units. IC coordinates rescue activities with law enforcement and ascertains that law official advises on actions being carried out in the area. They shall search for secondary devices, assess and perform render safe procedures. The key to quick and effective response is having all the agencies working as one. However, a unified command is vital for this to take place. Constant monitoring of the place shall take place for the next few weeks.

References

Laurent, J. F., Richter, F., & Michel, A. (1999). Management of victims of urban chemical attack: the French approach. Resuscitation, 42(2), 141-149.

Stopford, B. M. (2001). Responding to the threat of bioterrorism: practical resources and references, and the importance of preparation. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 27(5), 471-475.

US Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM), & United States of America. (2000). Guidelines for Responding to a Chemical Weapons Incident.

Wein, L. M., Craft, D. L., & Kaplan, E. H. (2003). Emergency response to an anthrax attack. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(7), 4346-4351.