front |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 |9 |10 |11 |12 |13 |14 |15 |16 |17 |18 |19 |20 |21 |22 |review

- Future terrorist attacks can hopefully be prevented by the work of law enforcement officials and various government agencies. Preparing to respond to this type of catastrophe is very similar to contingency planning undertaken for other types of manmade or natural disasters. Pro-active and integrated planning, coordination, training, and realistic drills will allow each community to respond to these events in an organized, efficient manner, using available Federal, State, and Local resources. - Successful disaster planning requires hospital personnel to be familiar with the ICS, standard operating procedures (SOPs), triage, and PPE. A disaster plan, however, is only as effective as the assumptions on which it is based. Unfortunately, most medical disaster planning initiatives are based on incorrect assumptions and misconceptions. As a result, many disaster plans prove to be ineffective in actual use. - In the hospital, disaster planning has traditionally been compartmentalized depending on the type of disaster. For example, one plan is created for external disasters, another for HAZMAT accidents, and a completely different plan for natural disasters. The end result is often a confusing, cumbersome, disaster-planning document that is unfamiliar to hospital personnel. Proficient disaster planning requires a unified, standardized, “all-hazards approach” to disasters that are likely to occur in the community.