The emergency service of the United States has not been very efficient in its performance or response to disaster. This has affected the whole disaster management process in the states. The local government has received so much criticism from politicians, human rights activists and journalists. The most criticized was the evacuation plan that left individuals without foods stuffs, water, and security and in very compromising hygienic conditions. In some areas the evacuation plan was so much delayed that it led to death of people who could otherwise have been saved.
The damages of the hurricane Katrina brought about changes in the federal government policies about emergency management and environmental policies. Making the future policies in the management of disasters in terms of first responders and public policy is the major step towards solving emergency medical service set backs. The problems in the provision of emergency healthcare services are brought by the continued developments in technology. The fire department and the emergency health care service providers have been faced with incidences that are a threat to life and some have even died on duty!
The firefighting process has growth very complex and currently it’s a profession just like other occupations (Grant & Hoover 1993). It has included emergency medical service providers to take care of the victims and increase their chances of survival. Due to such changes are need to be very efficient in their service provision, the fire department has improved their fire fighting skills and have introduced new equipment. They have also made new vehicle rescue missions, new fire fighting equipment that protects them from the risk of the hazardous incidences. Improving Performance of Emergency Response
The risk involved in the rescue of victims involved in a disaster is the first problem that hinders effective performance of the emergency medical service. The sites of the disaster are always risky and at times they may lead to loss of lives of the paramedics and the fire fighters. The major improvement that has helped improve the performance of the emergency health care service providers has been the introduction of specialized units in the department. Paramedics provide first aid services to the victims as other firefighter put out any fires that may endanger the rescue plan.
The health hazard has also been reduced by provision of safer garments and equipment (especially modified breathing equipment) the fire without endangering their lives (Grant & Hoover 1993). The safer equipment are systematized in to engine, ladder and dangerous material units, all these enable assignment specific work that allows effective utilization of manpower and the apparatus. The on-scene operation has been a serious problem with some individuals working independently and bringing out confusion which is risky to the victims who are in need of medical service.
The fire department has to restructure the on-scene command system managing all the aspects of the operations taking place at the scene of the disaster. The management of the fir department is another area of concerns that need to be restructured to allow easier administration of the departments involved. Staffing in the populated communities require that the fire department operate larger machines and attend to incidences that they cannot simply handle on their own. Working together with other departments of fire fighter becomes necessary as the disaster management requires mutual collaboration.
Such conformity would require that agreement be made and executed between elected bodies and mangers rather than working directly within the departments (Grant & Hoover 1993). The ambulance transport system offered by private sector has been very inefficient resulting in problems and loss of lives. The United States developed specialized pre-hospital health care units to replace these simple ambulances. These allow the paramedics to offers some form of treatment before the victims are loaded to the ambulance to be taken to the hospital. All local hospitals are required to have emergency sectors to handle such occurrences. Conclusion
Improving the provision of emergency health care to victims of disasters is very important and it therefore the duty of each one involved to make sure that the service is efficient. Major improvements made include the use of standing orders or protocols as compared to the radio calls that unreliable, sponsoring specialized teams that include rescue operations, vehicle search and hazardous material units. In order to increase chances of survival of victims of disasters, the emergency health care providers have included other activities such as blood pressure screening, health living education or pulmonary resuscitation teaching.
Another notable advance in the provision of emergency medical care came with development of modern emergency management replacing the civil defence system.
References
Brinkley D. (2005). The Great Deluge. Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Morrow. Grant N. K. & Hoover D. H (1993). Fire Service Administration. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Hogan D. E & Burstein J. L (2007). Disaster Medicine. Lippincott Williams &* Wilkins.