First responders work with emergency services. They are usually among the first people to arrive at a scene of an emergency and provide any assistance needed by those affected by a particular situation. First responders provide advanced first aid at an emergency scene. They include paramedics, rescuers, firefighters, and police officers. They are usually trained to deal with a variety of potential medical emergencies (First, 2016) . The paper will focus on the first responders, their planning, preparation, response and recovery during and after an event.
Literature Review
Planning is essential for first responders. Emergency planning includes procedures for handling sudden and unexpected situations. It basically involves preventing fatalities and injuries to victims of accidents, reducing damage to buildings, protecting the environment and the community and ensuring the resumption of normal activities as soon as possible. In developing the plan, a vulnerability assessment has to be carried out in order to determine the likeliness of the situation occurring and the possible means available to prevent or stop the situation (Schwab, Sandler & Brower, 2016)
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An emergency plan that is useful for a first responder includes all possible emergency consequences, the required actions, written procedures and the resources available. This is essential in helping the first responder to know the situations to anticipate and how to handle a specific situation appropriately. Emergency plans also include detailed lists of personnel and their contact information, floor plans for buildings and large scale maps showing evacuation routes and service conduits.
There are several benefits of planning. It enables them to provide guidance during an emergency and to also discover unrecognized hazardous conditions that could make the condition worse and work to eliminate it. The planning process may enable the responders to identify any deficiencies such as the lack of resources or items and this can be rectified before the emergency occurs. It also ensures the safety of the first respondents since every dimension of the emergency has been considered and planned for. Lack of an emergency plan for a first respondent could lead to severe loss and casualties (Lock, Fansler & Webb, 2016) .
First responders prepare for disasters by focusing on preparing the equipment and procedures necessary during an emergency. Most of this equipment and procedures are essential in reducing vulnerability to disaster, the impacts of the disaster and enables efficient response to an emergency. Preparedness measures take many forms and consider individual people and the locations the incidents occur and the bordering areas. It starts with preparation within an individual’s life and it involves items and training that could be useful in an emergency. Preparations usually depend on the kind of threat that exists. They are usually prepared with the essential items they may need during an emergency such as a first aid kit.
When responding to an emergency, the first responders are required to perform certain procedures depending on the type of situation at hand. The first responders have to notify external emergency services such as the local fire department or the emergency medical service. The external emergency services should also be brought up to speed by the first responders when they arrive. They should be informed about the incident location, conditions, and status of the victims. If evacuation is needed, for example in a bomb emergency, the first responders have to ensure they employ a strategy that can facilitate the safe evacuation of everyone in the situation. In such a situation, the first responder also has to include a description of the bomb to the necessary emergency services.
In the case of any injuries, the first respondents with medical experience should conduct the necessary first aid measures to stabilize the victims and prevent any further damage. In the case of bleeding, the first responder may use pressure to stop the bleeding. If there is no pulse or breathing, they can use CPR. In a case where one is not sure what to do with the victim, it is better not to move them. The first responder should provide information such as the type of injury, the individual’s present condition, the sequence and events leading to the emergency if the responder is aware of this. Their focus is usually on fulfilling the basic humanitarian needs of the affected population. This includes ensuring their safety. In their response, they have to ensure the preservation of human life.
Recovery involves rebuilding, restoring and rehabilitating the community after an emergency. It starts after the immediate threat to human life has subsided. This ensures the affected are brought back to normalcy as quickly as possible. Humanitarian assistance also comes in during the recovery phase. This ensures that those affected are properly taken care of. It looks at how the long-term needs of the survivors could be taken care of.
Discussion
Economic Implication
Planning, response, preparation, and recovery are determined by a dynamic and complex lay down of influences like the economic structure, policies, and prevailing economic conditions. In order to understand the economic impact of first respondents and planning, it is important to access the implications of natural hazards on the economy. In this case, it is important to note that, lack of attention and preparedness to natural disasters can pose serious short-run economic impact. Also, lack of proper preparedness to disasters can pose adverse long- term impact on the growth of the economy; this can be characterized by a reduction in economic development and a significance increase in poverty level (Corwin, Brand, Hubbard & Johnston, 2017). Therefore, first responders and planning are important especially in countries going through a transformation in the economy in order to mitigate against the adverse effects of lack of adherence to the disaster and risk management.
Social Implication
Lack of proper preparedness, response, and recovery on disasters pose adverse effects on the populations involved. Some of the social implications include disbelief and shock, apprehension and fear, guilt and shame in the initial days after a traumatic event. In this case, grief and trauma resulting from an event will put relationships among communities and families to pressure. Additionally, lack of proper response to disasters can lead to an increase in problematic abuse and social harm which act as a clear warning of social impact due to inadequate preparedness to disasters (Kirsch, 2016) . Therefore, in the case of a disaster, adequate response and recovery should be instituted in order to help people recover from trauma and stress after a disaster.
Legal Implications
In cases where there are no legal foundations, disaster planning, responses, and recovery will not be achieved. Local governments have the mandate of ensuring emergency mitigation, prevention, and recovery as they are the prime tax collectors from the communities. In this case, lack of accountability from their side to mitigate and prevent risks and disasters will expose populations to risks which would have been avoided if proper measures are taken in time (Adini, Furman, Ringel, Golan, Fleshler & Reisner, 2016)
Recommendations
First responders should carry out the responsibilities assigned to them. In the case where they fail to execute their duties, they should be held accountable
Local governments should put arrangements to ensure the protection of populations in case of emergencies.
First responders should observe integrity when dealing with communities in order to attract voluntary actions from communities in the case of an emergency
The regional authorities should set clear arrangements to implement emergency issues as prescribed by the law (Adini et al., 2016)
How the Subject Relates to Saint Leo Core Values, Excellence, and Integrity
Saint Leo University is one of the leading Universities that offer effective, and practical model to some of the world’s leading challenge like disaster planning, preparedness, response, and recovery. In this case, the University has adopted moral guidelines that aid in the recognition of value, dignity, and value for humanity. Below are some of the guiding core values of Saint Leo University and how they relate to First responders and planning, preparation, response, and recovery in the course of executing their services.
Excellence- the University aims at ensuring their students succeed in life. In order to succeed, students are advised to commit themselves to the visions, missions, and goals of the institution. Just like the University insists on the excellence of their students, first responders and planning should aim at their personal excellence so that they can be in a good position to execute their duties. In this case, first responders and planning should aim at hard work in order to ensure the community they serve benefits from their commitment to excellence.
Integrity- Saint Leo is committed to integrity. In order to achieve integrity, the university adheres to the institution's vision and missions. The same case should apply to first responders and planning. Integrity is measured in the manner in which they execute their duties. Therefore, in executing their duties, they must be honest, fair, and just to all regardless of their background. By doing so, they will gain the trust of the people they serve as they will not feel discriminated or left out. Additionally, first responders and planning should treat all people equally with respect; this is critical as it will strengthen unity among the people and also facilitate a liberated exchange of ideas. By doing so, first responders and planning will be in a better position to gain the trust of the community. Therefore, through integrity, first responders and planning will be able to achieve a socially responsible environment that s diversely inclusive to all.
Conclusion
Due to major differences between populations and communities, risk acceptance in regards to disaster and risk management is not the same. In this case, approaches to risk and disaster approach by the first responders are likely to differ from hazard to hazard, time to time, and from place to place. The issue related to planning, response, recoveries have a complex economic impact, an intricate social phenomenon which cannot be explained through social behavior but through the effects, it has on individuals. In this case, it is critical that first responders observe the core values of excellence and integrity in order to ensure the needs of the community are met. Additionally, it is important for the first responders to understand the value of trust from the community in order to maintain the fragile role of disaster and risk management. Further, in order for this grouping to execute their duties effectively, acceptance from the general population is critical; this is because it is the acceptance of the community that will ensure community participation in the process of disaster management.
References
Schwab, A. K., Sandler, D., & Brower, D. J. (2016). Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness: An Introductory Text for Emergency Management and Planning Professionals . CRC Press.
Corwin, K. A., Brand, B. D., Hubbard, M. L., & Johnston, D. M. (2017). Household preparedness motivation in lahar hazard zones: assessing the adoption of preparedness behaviors among laypeople and response professionals in communities downstream from Mount Baker and Glacier Peak (USA) volcanoes. Journal of Applied Volcanology , 6 (1), 3.
First, P. B. P. (2016). Preparedness, Resilience and Response Policy. Policy . New York Press
Adini, B., Ohana, A., Furman, E., Ringel, R., Golan, Y., Fleshler, E., ... & Reisner, S. (2016). Learning lessons in emergency management: the 4th International Conference on Healthcare System Preparedness and Response to Emergencies and Disasters. Disaster and Military Medicine , 2 (1), 16.
Lock, M. B., Fansler, C., & Webb, M. (2016). (R) Evolutionary Emergency Planning: Adding Resilience through Continuous Review. International Journal of Risk and Contingency Management (IJRCM) , 5 (2), 47-65.
Kirsch, T. D., Circh, R., Bissell, R. A., & Goldfeder, M. (2016). “Just-in-Time” Personal Preparedness: Downloads and Usage Patterns of the American Red Cross Hurricane Application During Hurricane Sandy. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness , 1-6.
Alessa, L., Williams, P., Kliskey, A., & Beaujean, G. (2016). Incorporating Community-Based Observing Networks and Systems: Enhancing Community Preparedness and Response to Arctic Critical Events. Wash. J. Envtl. L. & Pol'y , 6 , 1.
