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.