Israel is a young nation that has faced more than its fair share of emergencies resulting in mass-casualty. Consequently, Israel has developed the most comprehensive national preparedness policies to prepare for, prevent and respond to a crisis. On the other hand, the U.S. first responders are responsible for the early stages of an emergency. The first responders involve medical trauma workers, firefighters and the police who work together to protect and preservice and property. Israel and America have different approaches to emergency situations as analyzed in this comparative research paper.
Israel’s Civil Defense deals with a variety of military and terrorist threats within Israel. The Civil Defense prepares for a host of emergencies such as suicide bombings, car bombs, missiles, rockets, and hijacking planes due to Israel’s continuous conflicts with its neighbors. Consequently, the training for the Civil Defense members is more extensive and lasts longer in comparison to the preparation for the U.S. first responders. One is eligible to join the Civil Defense after high school. Recruits join different bodies of the Civil Defense forces, whether it is the Home Front Command or the National Emergency Authority after receiving basic training. Different disciplines within the Civil Defense are in charge of different emergency areas. The National Emergency Authority coordinates civilian action during an emergency, war or a natural disaster whereas the Emergency Economy ensures that all vital enterprises such as medicine, communication, and food supply function during an emergency.
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In the U.S., the National Training and Education Division (NTED) which is part of FEMA provides education to the first responder community. NTED offers more than 150 courses on critical first response skills to individuals within state, local, tribal and professional disciplines to foster domestic preparedness (Waugh & Streib, 2006). The requirement for being a first responder is a high diploma or a GED. First responders must undergo a state-approved responder course offered by NTED before they can work for the state as trauma workers or firefighters. Some of the common skills for first responders are technical skills relating to their specific discipline, first aid, and crisis management. For example, an Emergency medical technician requires a minimum of one year of training and about 150 hours of basic instruction. After the training, the medical technician must secure a certification from the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians after passing written and practical exams. Individual states also have different licensing requirements.
Israel’s Civil Defense deals with a variety of military and terrorist attacks on civilians, so it relies on intelligence from different intelligence agencies. Israeli intelligence community is made up of the military, foreign, and domestic intelligence bodies working together to secure Israeli borders and civilians (Bregman, 2016). Aman is an intelligence organization for the military; it is a branch of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Shin Bet is the intelligence organization responsible for maintaining internal security as well as maintaining security in Israeli-occupied territories. Israeli police also have an intelligence branch to look out, evaluate and respond to local threats. Shin Bet and the intelligence branch of the Israeli police furnish the Civil Defense with intelligence on impending security threats, and the Civil Defense acts immediately to prevent loss of lives and property.
On the other hand, first responders in the U.S. tend to rely on 911 calls as their source of intelligence. First responders respond to incidents that have occurred, as they are not in a position to prevent emergency situations from happening (Waugh & Streib, 2006). Nonetheless, first responders have the C4ISR technology, which is concerned with improving their emergency preparedness. C4ISR technology evaluates emergencies within each state and cities in the US through sophisticated communication technologies that can withstand natural disasters.
Israeli Civil Defense force works with the police to enforce the law in case of an emergency. For example, the Home Front Command created in 1992 during the Gulf War is under Civilian Defense, and they assume some of the law enforcement roles like the police. On the other hand, ZAKA comprises of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel that operate in a police district (Shenhar, 2014). During an emergency, the police work with ZAKA to identify and rescue victims while enforcing the law.
In the U.S., law enforcement officers automatically qualify as first responders, but the other first responders such as firefighters and emergency medical personnel do not have the power to enforce the law. First responders preserve life, proper, and the environment after an emergency as per their mandate in the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Law enforcement officers are authorized to arrest for violations of laws or ordinances. The primary role of a law enforcement officer is to detect and prevent crime, and in case of an emergency, law enforcement officers often work with first responders to save lives and later they investigate the cause of the crisis if it is a human-made emergency.
First responders must be able to communicate with each other and with the public during an emergency. Unfortunately, during emergency situations such as hurricanes, communication technology is often interrupted. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses a host of modern technology to equip first responders with technology that can withstand emergency situations and enable them to coordinate rescue efforts. FEMA is in the process of building LTE networks to facilitate wireless communications in case of an emergency so that first responders can maintain communication in harsh disaster environments. First responders also rely on other channels of communications, particularly TV, radio, websites, and social media to disseminate information.
Israeli Civil Defense engages in public crisis communication with the Israeli civilians. Shenhar (2014) evaluates how the Home Front Command, which is a branch of the Civil Defense communicated with civilians in 2014 during the launch of the Operation Protective Edge against the Hamas (Bregman, 2016). Operation Protective Edge was aimed at restoring safety and security in the midst of the continuous rocket attacks from the Hamas. Israeli Civil Defense used the Iron Dome to intercept and destroy rockets, but the public was still worried and afraid of becoming victims of the rocket attacks. The Home Front Command in collaboration with IDF used sirens to warn the public of an impending attack in at-risk areas. It also educated the public on techniques and procedures to implement during a rocket attack. The Civil Defense also engaged in public safety guidance to inform the public on safety and how to use the available protected spaces, bomb shelters, and fortifications constructed all over Israel. Israeli Civil Defense has a pre-planned communication system made up of multiple components including call centers, guidelines in the newspapers and radio, websites and social media. Different elements of the Israeli Civil Defense created short videos with messages, instructions, and information.
Israeli’s Civil Defense has put in place adequate measures to prevent attacks, but some attacks have caused harm and damage to property. The Civil Defense is the first to respond during an emergency, and they provide emergency medical services before taking the victims to medical trauma centers for further treatment. There are many trauma centers in Israel, more so in areas near Gaza strip that are prone to rocket attacks. Magen David Adom (MDA) is Israel’s emergency medical service; it provides emergency medical care, blood and transfusion services. MDA provides services to approximately 568,000 people annually, and they work with the Civil Defense to respond to an emergency. Civil Defense has trained over 3000 volunteers to assist victims when waiting for ambulances to take them to trauma centers.
The U.S. government has also designated trauma centers in each region. There are level 1 and level 2 trauma centers based on the injuries and fatalities in an emergency. Trauma center distribution depends on the population density of the region, and first responders have to be aware of the trauma centers in each area. First responders provide emergency care before assessing the condition of the victim before communicating with a trauma center. First responders have to be aware of which trauma center will best meet the needs of the victim (Brown et al., 2016). The U.S. has more medical trauma centers in comparison to Israel because it has a higher population. In 2012, Israel had 28 general hospitals with 1193 emergency departments’ beds. The emergency department visits were at 352 per 1000 people, and the rate for external causes was at 83 per 1000. In 2017, 39 million people visited the emergency department for injury-related conditions.
In conclusion, Israel’s Civil Defense is a multi-institution responsible for the safety and security of Israeli civilians. Israel faces major external threats such as suicide bombings, missiles, and rockets among others from West Bank, Syria, Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Iraq. Israel’s Civil Defense has put in place adequate measures to prevent attacks. The Civil Defense uses intensive training, intelligence, and collaboration with law enforcement and medical trauma centers to preserve civilian lives. The U.S. first responders include firefighters, law enforcement, and trauma medical personnel who are the first to respond to an emergency. First responders receive adequate training and support to enable them to meet the demands of their job.
References
Bregman, A. (2016). Israel's wars: a history since 1947 . Routledge.
Brown, J. B., Rosengart, M. R., Billiar, T. R., Peitzman, A. B., & Sperry, J. L. (2016). Geographic Distribution of Trauma Centers and Injury Related Mortality in the United States. The journal of trauma and acute care surgery , 80 (1), 42.
Shenhar, G. (2014). Crisis communication saved lives in Israel. Frontiers in public health , 2 , 222.
Waugh Jr, W. L., & Streib, G. (2006). Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management. Public administration review , 66 , 131-140.
