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The Wenchuan earthquake, which measured at 8.0 Richter scale, occurred on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan Province, China. Official figures state that 69,197 were killed, 374,176 were injured, and 18,222 were listed as missing. The effectiveness of national emergency preparedness and disaster response system after the earthquake was analyzed. The experiences and lessons were gained for further improvements.
Methods:
This paper describes what and how the search-and-rescue team and other facilities of different levels performed during disaster relief and reconstruction after the earthquake. The experience and lessons from the earthquake rescue are discussed.
Results:
There were well-organized contingency plans, but we were unable to follow the contingency plans due to the lack of practice. During huge disasters, too many departments were involved, and the collaboration became a problem. How can the precise, first-hand information to the government be provided to facilitate correct decision-making? The public doesn't know how to rescue themselves when facing a disaster. How to perform the disaster rescue more effectively? What to do to prevent epidemics? How to enhance international collaborations?
Conclusions:
We should be familiar with the plans and follow them stricdy by practicing regularly. The public should be educated about what to do during a disaster. A National Disaster Assessment Team should be organized. The professional disaster medical staff should have an extensive knowledge in medicine; they should have the capability to deal with the condition of resource shortage, and to cooperate with different people with different backgrounds. The best way to have a disaster medical team is to establish education and training facilities. For enhancing international cooperation, we should have more communication and practice to be better organized, only in that way, can we deal effectively during real situations.
A newly designed, humanitarian logistic system called Disaster Inventory Management System (DIMA) has been developed by the Taiwan Society of Disaster Medicine according to the structure of the Humanitarian Supply Management System (SUMA). The applicability is to be investigated.
Methods:
After the implementation of DIMA, standard education and training programs in six regional Emergency Operations Centers (rEOC) in Taiwan were organized. From July 2007 to April 2008 (Phase 1), a standardized, eight-hour logistics training program including DIMA application was completed among the staff of the six rEOCs in Taiwan. Four scenarios were provided to test the applicability of the DIMA system compared to the conventional logistics system of each rEOC. In Phase 2, the DIMA was applied to a rescue team from Taipei that was responding to the China Sichuan Earthquake that occurred on 12 May 2008.
Results:
The error rate of information for Phase 1 was approximately 3.5% (donor = 1%; consignment = 1%; ware houses = 1%; and central feedback = 0.5%), which was significandy lower than that of the information from the indi vidual logistics systems of the six rEOCs (12%, p <0.01). A five-point scoring system concerning the satisfaction obtained from 178 trainees revealed higher satisfaction of the DIMA in transparencies (92 ±10 points vs. 66 ±12 points, p <0.001) and accountability (93 ±8 points vs. 78 ±16 points; p <0.01) compared to the conventional methods. In phase 2, the error rate of information was about 2.4% (donor = 0.6%; consignment = 0.5%; warehouses = 0.8%; and central feedback 0.5%), which was significantly lower dian that of information by conventional logistics systems (8%, p <0.01).
Conclusions:
The DIMA system is a transparent and efficient humanitarian management system. More practice may reduce the error rate in the future.
Recent studies have documented the adverse impacts of disaster exposure for emergency response personnel. Increasingly, researchers and practitioners are focusing on the role of resiliency in reducing the risk of adverse mental health impacts on first responders. To that end, a novel resiliency-building intervention program was developed and implemented by an external peer-assistance program for a large urban police department. The program includes education and debriefing components and initially was piloted in precincts and now is being implemented at the firing range. A session consists of a team of two peer support officers and a mental health clinician presenting a short psycho-educational program designed to familiarize officers to signs and symptoms of distress and promote effective coping. This is followed by an hour-long small group discussion that gives officers an opportunity to discuss events that have affected them, giving them a better opportunity to mitigate the Stressors associated with those events. To assess the feasibility of this approach, a process evaluation of the program was conducted.
Methods:
Audio-taped, in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 25 program facilitators (14 peers and 11 clinicians). A thematic analysis of the transcripts followed.
Results:
Participants reported that the program was well received by officers of all ranks. An important aspect of this program was the relative privacy afforded by offering it in a more neutral setting of the firing range as opposed to a precinct. The presence and involvement of their fellow officers was seen as significant in fostering openness and normalizing officers' experiences. Participants also reported that this support mechanism likely would help prepare officers for disasters and other critical incidents.
Conclusions:
This program is a feasible and relatively inexpensive approach to providing psycho-education to police officers. This model maybe effective for other departments.