On the 17th January we were involved in a reconstruction of a Road Traffic Collision (RTC) outside the main entrance at Chesterfield College. It involved two cars which had collided into each other. Our job, was marshaling different locations within the College. The tasks ranged from diverting smokers to smoking areas, directing traffic etc. This was a great opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding for the unit 'Responding to Emergency Services'.
Below are a few pictures and a video which I took, Which is evidence of the RTC.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
A few pictures of the RTC
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| This picture shows some of the students from Uniformed Public Services were doing. They are marshalling the road to stop any unauthorized traffic from passing their point. |
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| This picture shows what the Emergency Sercices were doing to deal with the incident. |
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| This is another picture of the incident, but also shows some of the crowd. |
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| This is a picture of a Poilce Car. It shows a Police Officer dealing with one of the drivers involved in the incident. |
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| This is another picture of the incient, and shows what the Emergency Services are doing to deal with it. |
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| Another picture of the incident. |
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| This picture shows the emergency service vechiles and the crowds that were at the incident. |
Evaluate the impact of health and safety legislations/regulations on services responding to an emergency incident
•The protective gear and high visibility jackets make members of the public aware the public services are there. This is important that the public services are noticed, especially in the dark because when attending an emergency incident they cannot always control the traffic. If they are not in high visibility jackets then they are at risk from the traffic that wont be able to see the public services until the last minute.
•Also if they attending an incident that is high risk, then the protective clothing is going to stop them from getting any injuries. This could potentially save their lives.
•Some of the health and safety regulations could get in the way of the emergency services doing their job. For example, If the incident scene is too dangerous for the emergency services to go in or onto, then they have to wait for their ‘gold command’ to say it is safe. This is not very good because if there is a lack of communication and the site is safe to enter, then lives may not be saved which could have been saved if they were allowed to enter the scene straight away.
•When the first crew arrive on scene, they have to run a risk assessment which takes time. If the people involved in the incident are critically ill and may need urgent attention. They will not have time to fill out forms.
•On the other when the public services do actually assess the risks of the incident scene, they will know what safety precautions they need to take in order to save the lives of the public.
Evaluate the interagency co-operation operation of the emergency response services
The emergency services work together to overcome any situation they may face. The police are usually the first to be on any incident scene, so decide which other emergency service should attend the incident scene. All three of the emergency services work together to try and get the injured people to hospital and investigate why this incident has occurred. They would then clean the incident up. All three emergency response units have key roles and responsibilities when attending an incident.
The outcome of the three services working together is usually good because combining their knowledge and experience the three services will do what is best for that scenario. For example, if a major car crash has happened and needs all three of the emergency services to attend. The police would close off the area in which the incident, inform the close relatives about the incident, direct the traffic and investigate why this incident has occurred. The Ambulance service would treat the casualties which have been involved in the incident, and get them to hospital as soon as possible. Lastly the fire service would make sure the are no fires and hazardous chemicals, and if needed cut the casualties from the vehicle.
This shows how the three services work well as a team because they all know what they are doing in this situation, everyone has a key role within the team. Without the three emergency services working together on scenes like this, then it would be very hard for just one emergency service to overcome a situation like this.
This is because the one emergency service would not have enough experience to do everything, there would be a lack of equipment and not enough personnel on scene. This is why combining the three services gives the best outcome, because between them they can accomplish any situation which they have to encounter.
How does scene prevention and service provision contribute to an incident investigation?
•Scene preservation means the police can obtain any vital evidence which can be used in court as evidence to who’s fault the accident was. Preserving the scene means the police can collect vital evidence from the scene. This contributes to an investigation because with collect vital evidence they can then find out who’s fault it actually was.
•With the special equipment the different public services have, they can minimise contamination. This means they will be able to collect vital evidence and bring the offender to justice.
•The service provision of specialist units is vital because to preserve the evidence you will have to wear and use special equipment in order to not contaminate it. This means you will be able to investigate why the incident occurred using evidence from the scene.
•By seeing what made the incident happen (providing it was an accident) then the public services can tell the councils how to improve the safety. Scene preservation helps because they will be able to find out how the incident occurred.
Service provision of specialist units
•The emergency services have special types of clothing to protect them from anything that is harmful from different emergency incidents. These items of clothing are called personal protective equipment (PPE). To some of the emergency services the PPE is common, where as with other emergency services PPE is exclusive.
•Ambulance PPE :-
•Disposable aprons and overalls for the splattering of blood onto the body.
§Protective overalls for the risk of severe contamination.
§A face mask so the risk of transmitting a contagious disease is reduced.
§Eve protection to protect against any blood or dirt that may enter the eye.
§Ear defenders where the noise is too loud.
§Fire service PPE:-
§Suits, gloves and gloves to protect them from the fire.
§Helmets to protect them from fires and buildings collapsing.
§Self contained breathing apparatus for the use in smoky buildings.
§Goggles to protect the eyes.
§Decontamination suits.
§Police PPE :-
§Fire suits for some special units.
§Riot gear.
§Protective headwear and goggles.
§All of the three services have to wear high visibility jackets when on any scene, as part of the health and safety.
Types of emergency Incidents
•There are 4 different types of emergency incidents :-
–Dangers to life – Most incidents have people involved who are seriously ill. These could range from a heart attack, strokes etc to incidents such as hurricanes etc.
–Dangers to health – Some emergency incidents are not life threatening, but will still need to be taken to hospital as the person involved may be ill or wounded.
–Danger to property - Not all emergency incidents involve people, but some involve people’s property. If their is a house fire and everyone evacuated, then their main focus would be to put the fire out.
–Danger to environment – Some emergencies main focus is on the environment, if for instance a liquid that is hazards has spilled, then they will want to clean it up to prevent it from harming the wildlife.
The health and safety measures, to be taken, to ensure personal safety
•Each officer must carry a mobile phone ensuring it is fully charged. This is because they will need to be in contact at all times, in case of any emergencies involving the officer.
•PPE (personnel protective equipment) that has been issued to the officers must be worn when they are doing operational tasks that may involve harmful substances, and anything that may threaten the emergency services.
•Everyone involved in dealing with the emergency incident has to know what safety precautions to take. These are very important because they will have to avoid any hazardous chemicals if they have not got the appropriate equipment on. They should also identify any other things which may cause personnel injury.
•The emergency services have to handle and store hazardous chemicals safely, to prevent the chemical from spilling causing more problems.
•The safe conduct of those who are involved in dealing with the emergency incident. They have to be careful with the people who are involved in the incident, because depending on their injury’s, one sudden movement may kill them.
•Ensure risk assessments are done or updated to the current situation. These are essential because it shows all the risks and possible dangers on that incident.
•The emergency service communications skills must be established prior to the incident, to ensure the incident is dealt with effectively. If the radios are not used effectively then it could result in someone's life being lost. The communications are an essential piece of equipment and without them the incident may not be dealt as effectively.
•Dress appropriately to the situation. Most of the time, the emergency services will have to wear a high visibility jacket. These are light green jackets with reflectors on which stand out, even in the dark. This will make drivers aware of them, so there will not be a another incident.
•All of these health and safety regulations al come under the health and safety policy statement.
The statutory and voluntary agencies who may work together at the scene of a emergency incident
Statutory agencies
Statutory agencies are responsible for the applying the law within their local community. This means local authorities, health services and the police have legal obligation to provide for the community.
Voluntary agencies
These types of agencies can assist in responding to emergency incidents. They can also provide support for any person who was involved in a incident.
Some of the voluntary agencies :-
• British Red Cross
• St John’s Ambulance
• RAYNET - The Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network
• Victim Support
• And many more.
Why do the Public services have to preserve the scene?
§It is important for the emergency services to preserve a incident scene for many reasons:-
§So an investigation can be carried out into why the incident has taken place.
§If evidence is lost, then the police will not be able to prosecute the person who was at fault in the incident.
§You don’t want the emergency services touching the scene because, if it is a crime scene and people from the emergency services are touching the evidence then their DNA will be on the crime scene., and the forensic scientists will not be able to investigate who committed the crime.
§The way the police preserve a incident scene :-
§They close of the area in which the accident has occurred.
§They preserve any vital evidence which they may be able to use as evidence in court. They may do this by putting the evidence into special bags.
The importance of responding to an emergency safely as a emergency service driver.
As an emergency service driver it is very important that you respond to an emergency. The emergency service driver must make sure he responds to the emergency as quick as he can, but must also do this safely.
When the emergency service driver wants to get to the scene quickly he puts his blue flashing lights. This makes the drivers move over to the side of the road, so he can get to the destination quickly. An emergency response driver can only use his blue flashing lights when:
–When they are responding to a emergency call with a grade of 1.
–When they want to let member of the public know there is a hazard on the road.
–When they need to get through busy traffic to an emergency scene.
Every emergency response driver must have zero percentage of alcohol level in his blood system. This is because any amount of alcohol can affect your reactions. You cannot have this because it is your job to transport the patience as quickly as possible but safely.
This is one of the most important jobs because without the transportation between the incident and the hospital, how would the emergency services do their job ?
Roles and Responsibilities of first crew on scene
•When the first emergency crew arrives on the scene of an accident, is to provide a CHALETS report to the other emergency services. It is vital they do this because it will provide information for other emergency services
•The CHALETS report :-
– C – Casualties – Have to approximate how many are injured, uninjured and the number of fatalities.
–H – Hazards – Have to identify if there are any major hazards which could be very dangerous.
–A – Access – Have to provide the best route for the other emergency services.
–L – Location – Have to provide the location if it is not easily identifiable.
–E – Emergency Services – Have to state which emergency services are their at present or which are required.
–T – Type – Have to state which type of incident, and give brief details of the incident.
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Monday, 28 March 2011
The initial actions, roles and responsibilities of the key services when attending at the scene of an emergency Incident
The Police
• The priorities for the police :-
To save lives – This could be when an emergency incident has occurred as there is a life threatening situation, or one person is threatening to kill another.
Prevent escalation – This may involve dealing with someone who has previous convictions, the police may try to deal with him before it escalates into violence. Police always try to prevent escalation because when a situation does ‘heat up’ it makes it harder and more dangerous for the police to deal with the situation. The police always use violence as a last resort.
Relieve suffering – This may be for people who have been involved in an incident and are injured. They will know the basics of first aid, so may be able to assist in reliving pain.
Investigate to why the incident occurred – This is one of their main priorities. The police will carry out an investigation as to why the incident has occurred and who was at fault. They will preserve the scene and collect any vital evidence that will help to prostitute the person at fault.
Try to keep damage to the environment as minimal as possible – The police will identify any hazardous substances and make sure the appropriate emergency service cleans it up.
•Police have to inform the other emergency services about the situation – Communication between emergency services is a key part to the success because everyone who is involved so they know exactly what they are doing.
•The police have to decide which other units they need on the emergency incident scene – They will have to evaluate the situation and decide on which other emergency service should be called to assist.
The Ambulance service
•The Ambulance service is responsible for saving the lives of those involved in the incident. This is there biggest priority as this is the main part of their job. After they have dealt with the occupants involved in the incident, they will have to fill out a health service assessment for the incident.
•The ambulance have to inform other services of the incident, so they can have some assistants. This is just like what the police have to do. The ambulance service will asses the situation and will call the necessary help in order to deal with the situation.
•They have to ensure they respond to the emergency quickly, but should include qualified personnel for the incident. They have to get to the emergency scene as quick as possible, but safely. They have to get to the scene as quick as they can because the casualty may be in a life threatening situation and needs urgent treatment.
• Transport casualties to hospital. This has to be done as quickly as possible, but as safely as possible because there is an very ill patience in the back and any sudden movements may affect him/her.
•Other medical resources should be used where necessary. This could include any special medication the patience requires. Also it could be special equipment which the ambulance service use.
The Fire Service
• To put out any fire’s that are ablaze at the incident. This is their main task because other emergency services rely on the fire service to put the blaze out. The fire service will go into the building that is on fire in teams. Once the fire service puts the blaze out then the other emergency can enter the premises and accompany the fire service. With the fire service putting the blaze out they can then do their part effectively and safely.
• Advise other services of what health and safety precautions they should take. The fire service know what damage fire can make, so know exactly what precautions should be taken to avoid any injury.
• Search for any missing persons using specialist equipment. This would usually be done in where the fire has taken place. This is one big priority as it is a life threatening situation and the fire service need to act quickly to prevent any loss of life. The specialist equipment they use to search for missing persons is :
ØSpecial helmets with eye protectors – This protects your head from any falling pats which may damage your head leading to other problems.
ØGloves and special suit – This protects them from the heat which is given off in the blaze.
ØSpecial boots – These may have steel toe caps to protect the toes from any big and heavy items.
• Identify any hazardous chemicals and try to clean them up. With not doing this it would have a major impact on the environment. They have to use specialist equipment to clean up the hazardous chemicals. They have to clean up these hazardous chemicals as quickly as possible.
• Provide fist aid at the incident if the Ambulance service is not their. All of the persons in the emergency services are trained in first aid. This Is a vital and a good skill to have. They will have to perform first aid until the Ambulance service gets their.
• Investigate the cause to see if they can prevent any fire occurring. This means they will find out what the cause of the fire was and see if there is any way of preventing it in the future.
How Emergency Incidents are graded.
The emergency incidents are graded on a scale between 1 – 4 with 1 being the most priority and 4 being the least priority. These are graded by the control room where all the 999 calls are dealt with.
• Grade 1 emergency incident – This is an incident that which may be taking place and needs instant response because the person involved may be seriously injured or in a life threatening situation. Usually the Police, Ambulance or Fire service would try to respond within 15 – 20 minutes depending where the emergency is.
•Grade 2 emergency incident – This is where an incident or a crime has taken place, but does not need an instant response. An example of where this may be used is when the offender is likely to be detained or their is anti – social behaviour. Usually the emergency services would respond to this type of incident within 1 hour.
•Grade 3 emergency incident – This type of incident does not require immediate response, but does still need the police to deal with it. The type of grading would be used when the person involved is not venerable or a repeating offender. Usually the emergency service would respond within 48 hours, which would have to be agreed with the caller.
•Grade 4 emergency incident - This type of incident does not require the emergency services. It can usually be resolved with the help desk/ communications centre. Examples that may be graded as this is a domestic incident.
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