Community Emergency Preparedness Paper
Community Emergency Preparedness
Disasters, whether natural or man-made can strike a community at any given time without notice. Year after year, hurricanes, earthquakes, oil spills, and other disasters make news headlines. As recent history has shown, it is critical that businesses, individuals, and organizations are prepared to respond during and after a disaster situation. Situations such as those that occurred during Hurricane Katrina, serve to highlight the need for citizens and businesses to coordinate their efforts to work toward protecting lives and property prior to an emergency situation. The scenario presented in the Pearson Health Science online community demonstrates a community with a poor emergency management plan.
The Neighborhood …show more content…
The State Office of Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are two agencies that have several resources available to assist residents, organizations, and medical systems prepare for and respond to situations, which might overwhelm local resources. The New Jersey State Office of Emergency Management website contains a registry for residents with special needs so that emergency responders can easily identify, locate, and coordinate plans to serve them in a disaster or other emergency (State of New Jersey, 2008). Registration with such an agency would have made it possible for officials to have advance information regarding Jimmy Bley’s medical conditions, needs for assistance and location in the event of an evacuation. A federal agency responsible for coordinating responses to disasters that overwhelm state and local resources is FEMA. Operating under the auspices of FEMA, exists the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) that can be activated should the medical system in the local area of a disaster become overwhelmed and require diversion of patients to another area for treatment (Force Health Protection and Readiness Policy, 2010). Activating this system would have been beneficial for the Neighborhood hospital as not only could the NDMS provide additional personnel if necessary but also assist in transferring patients to nearby hospitals …show more content…
Nurses should also have a nursing specific disaster kit in an easily accessible location. Disaster plans should be developed and discussed with other family member, confirming that each member understands what is expected. To prevent panic in an emergency situation, prior preparation in the form of fire or evacuation drills should be practiced to ensure each member knows how to exit the building. Also every capable member should know how to shut off the utilities, use a fire extinguisher, and practice first aid. Nurses should know their local area’s disaster plan, and if possible obtain volunteer training through American Red Cross or Community Emergency Response Teams. Untrained professionals arriving at disaster scenes to volunteer create added burden for first responders as they arrive unprepared and place themselves and others in danger (Stanhope & Lancaster,
Disasters, whether natural or man-made can strike a community at any given time without notice. Year after year, hurricanes, earthquakes, oil spills, and other disasters make news headlines. As recent history has shown, it is critical that businesses, individuals, and organizations are prepared to respond during and after a disaster situation. Situations such as those that occurred during Hurricane Katrina, serve to highlight the need for citizens and businesses to coordinate their efforts to work toward protecting lives and property prior to an emergency situation. The scenario presented in the Pearson Health Science online community demonstrates a community with a poor emergency management plan.
The Neighborhood …show more content…
The State Office of Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are two agencies that have several resources available to assist residents, organizations, and medical systems prepare for and respond to situations, which might overwhelm local resources. The New Jersey State Office of Emergency Management website contains a registry for residents with special needs so that emergency responders can easily identify, locate, and coordinate plans to serve them in a disaster or other emergency (State of New Jersey, 2008). Registration with such an agency would have made it possible for officials to have advance information regarding Jimmy Bley’s medical conditions, needs for assistance and location in the event of an evacuation. A federal agency responsible for coordinating responses to disasters that overwhelm state and local resources is FEMA. Operating under the auspices of FEMA, exists the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) that can be activated should the medical system in the local area of a disaster become overwhelmed and require diversion of patients to another area for treatment (Force Health Protection and Readiness Policy, 2010). Activating this system would have been beneficial for the Neighborhood hospital as not only could the NDMS provide additional personnel if necessary but also assist in transferring patients to nearby hospitals …show more content…
Nurses should also have a nursing specific disaster kit in an easily accessible location. Disaster plans should be developed and discussed with other family member, confirming that each member understands what is expected. To prevent panic in an emergency situation, prior preparation in the form of fire or evacuation drills should be practiced to ensure each member knows how to exit the building. Also every capable member should know how to shut off the utilities, use a fire extinguisher, and practice first aid. Nurses should know their local area’s disaster plan, and if possible obtain volunteer training through American Red Cross or Community Emergency Response Teams. Untrained professionals arriving at disaster scenes to volunteer create added burden for first responders as they arrive unprepared and place themselves and others in danger (Stanhope & Lancaster,