Medical Teams tasks in Disaster Medical Support
Written by Anam Hussain
Different teams engaged in Disaster medical support have different tasks depending on the time, place and role in DMS. Medical teams are often responsible for the provision of medical aid in the FMS.
The signal of a disaster is received in the communication and information centres. The person responsible then alarms the URS and DMS manager, after so the following activities are carried out:
- Collection of information regarding the location of the event e.g. exact area, size of AOD, population density etc.
- Collection of planning information
- Setting up healthcare facilities close to the AOD e.g. as a medical evacuation destination or source of resources
- Collection of information regarding the task
- Collection of information regarding co-ordination and sub-coordination
Activities and tasks performed during transportation to AOD include:
- Briefing the medical team regarding the tasks and objectives
- Highlight hazards present and protective and preventative measures
- Allocation of specific tasks for every member of the team
- Checking of resources
- Maintain constant communication with the medical manager and incident commander regarding any changes in the general or medical situation
Activities performed by the medical team which arrive first at the scene include:
- Medical intelligence to find answers to the entire medical intelligence questionnaire
- Report results of medical intelligence to medical manager and request directives and guidance if the actual medical situation is different from the briefed one
- Indicate the AOD
- Indicate medical presence with lights or sounds according to SOP
- FMS establishment
- Start triage of casualties exiting from the AOD
- Medical officer in charge has to give a brief report to the officers from CD FSPP or CD NP with their arrival, in order to transfer authority of the disaster site management to the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- Triage, treat and stabilise casualties for evacuation according to SOP
- Monitor situation and report for any changes
- Medical team does not enter the AOD if a threat is identified. Protective gear and equipment is also required.
Activities and tasks performed by medical team which arrives as the first medical team in the AOD include:
- Medical officer in charge reports to incident commander and introduces their team, capabilities of the team and the IPE available.
- Receives briefing on situation and directives and guidance on tasks
- Performs medical intelligence
- Set the FMS
- Triage, treat and stabilise casualties for evacuation