Knowing the fundamentals of volunteer rescue procedure will make you extremely useful in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, when government help is yet to arrive & the casualties are rising.
The few hours immediately following a disaster are often the most crucial: it is when most lives are saved OR most die. Before expert legal responders are called in, gathered & moved in from areas far from the disaster, a lot of persons with shock, blocked airways, or any other critical injury will likely expire, and those with lesser wounds will have deteriorated too.
Why Know the Fundamentals of Volunteer Rescue Procedure?
Local volunteer responders are always welcome. They are needed, in fact, but at what cost to them? The 1985 earthquake in Mexico led to over 10 000 deaths. When the locals mobilized to help, they were able to save up to 700 persons, but 100 volunteers died while they were at it. This was one dead rescuer for every seven lives.
While this is sad, it is expected. When ordinary people with no prior training suddenly gather to move debris, operate chainsaws & evacuate people from damaged buildings, one should expect consequences despite their noble, selfless intentions.
The purpose of this article is to help you or anyone become a first responder while doing so at the least possible casualty, or none at all. Let’s see how.
Core Fundamentals of Volunteer Rescue Procedure
Training & Leadership
These days, you don’t have to perform first response operations without training, as it has become much easier to secure. There are several faith- & community-based volunteer programs available to enroll in. These are called VOADS — Volunteer Organization Active in Disasters. Apart from the training you undergo, becoming a member of any of these groups grants to access to several benefits, such as:
- Legal Protection: Generally, with or without membership of a VOAD, volunteers are under protection of the Volunteer Protection Act, 1997 & “Good Samaritan” Laws. However, belonging to one grants you immunity from any legal action that may be propagated against you in case of damages.
- Insurance: VOADS insure their volunteers, so medical bills will hardly be a difficulty if you suffer injuries while at work.
- ID: With an active VOAD membership, your ID & uniform grants you access to all checkpoints set up at the perimeter of the disaster scene. This means you do not have to worry about being unable to get home if you have to do so to get your tools & supplies for the rescue operation.
Selecting an Incident Commander
The incident commander is usually the first volunteer to reach the disaster scene, although they may transfer the responsibility to a new arrival who everyone believes will be more effective. Meanwhile, professional first responders always have the power to assume incident commander as soon as they arrive, but that may not happen for hours or days, or they may choose to leave the responsibility in the hands of the current handler if he is doing well while they proceed to somewhere else they feel there is a greater need.
The Incident Commander is charged with:
- establishing the Incident Command System, a network that allows all first responders in America to communicate when disaster strikes. After that, he sets up an Incident Command Post, which is usually located upwind & uphill from the place of disaster;
- creating & equipping LSAR teams; &
- setting up Casualty Collection Points & treatment areas where the rescue teams are to bring rescued victims and a transportation point where trucks & ambulances can park in to convey victims to hospitals.
Donning Personal Protective Gear
Before you start putting out fires & moving debris, you have to wear protective equipment as you’re exposed to dangers while you work. Put on the following before you join the operations:
- ID: The ID of a popular VOAD will reassure some victims that you’re trained & know what you’re doing and that you’re not an opportunist who could have several reasons for his help.
- Bump Helmet: Several objects may be out of position in the morning following a disaster. Streetlights, twisted metal, pipes, splintered lumber & tree limbs are often hanging from ceilings or over walkways. You can also make do with a hard hat.
- Eye Protection: Debris in your eye is always enough to make you uncomfortable & ineffective, plus diseases like hepatitis B & C and HIV are transmittable across mucous membranes, including the eyes. Put on protective eye gear & come with some saline eyewash.
- Headlamp: Power is rarely available after a disaster, and you can’t prevent an injury, or you can’t see what may cause it. So…
- Reflective Jacket: Disasters do not always occur during the day & may destroy power or streetlights. It’s essential to put on a vest that allows others to notice you quickly. This will keep you safer & hasten up your operations.
Other essential gear to put on are gloves, an N95 dust mask & appropriate footwear.
Search & Rescue Assessment
This involves a size-up to evaluate the situation & draw up a suitable plan of action. Before you attempt LSAR, find out answers to these questions:
- Are the risks to rescuers acceptable or manageable?
- Will the rescue operations be for the greater good? It would be unwise to commit 100 rescuers to death to save 20 persons.
- Are there sufficient resources & manpower to safely carry out rescue operations?
Basically, the steps to follow are:
- Gather Facts
- Assess Damage
- Consider Possibilities & Probabilities
- Evaluate Your Situation
- Establish Priorities
- Make Decisions
- Formulate a Plan of Action
- Take Action
- Evaluate Progress
- Search Operations
Search Operations
This is the systematic search for survivors ended by documenting their locations.
When this is done outside, it is safer. However, you have to conduct interior searches as well. But do so wisely. Before going into a building, evaluate the damage to the structure to determine your safety. If the damage to the structure is light, you can spend some time in it. If the damage is moderate, you have to move in & out as quickly as you can. If the damage is critical, you should never enter it under any circumstances. It’s usually a death wish.
Concluding The Core Fundamentals of Volunteer Rescue Procedure
It is pertinent to be familiar with the core fundamentals of volunteer rescue procedure before attempting any rescue. Keep in mind that while saving others’ lives is commendable, you and other rescuers have to stay safe too. You will learn more basics of volunteer rescue when you enroll in a VOAD. Make sure to keep to all instructions that you receive.