Does the identification number 60 indicate a toxic substance or a flammable solid, in the molten state at an elevated temperature? Does the identification number 1035 indicate ethane or butane? What is the difference between natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas distribution pipelines? If you came upon an overturned truck on the highway that was leaking, would you be able to identify if it was hazardous and know what steps to take? Questions like these and more are answered in the Emergency Response Guidebook. Learn how to identify symbols for and vehicles carrying toxic, flammable, explosive, radioactive, or otherwise harmful substances and how to respond once an incident involving those substances has been identified. Always be prepared in situations that are unfamiliar and dangerous and know how to rectify them. Keeping this guide around at all times will ensure that, if you were to come upon a transportation situation involving hazardous substances or dangerous goods, you will be able to help keep others and yourself out of danger. With color-coded pages for quick and easy reference, this is the official manual used by first responders in the United States and Canada for transportation incidents involving dangerous goods or hazardous materials.
The two-volume Emergency Medical Services: Clinical Practice and Systems Oversight delivers a thorough foundation upon which to succeed as an EMS medical director and prepare for the NAEMSP National EMS Medical Directors Course and Practicum. Focusing on EMS in the 'real world', the book offers specific management tools that will be useful in the reader's own local EMS system and provides contextual understanding of how EMS functions within the broader emergency care system at a state, local, and national level. The two volumes offer the core knowledge trainees will need to successfully complete their training and begin their career as EMS physicians, regardless of the EMS systems in use in their areas. A companion website rounds out the book's offerings with audio and video clips of EMS best practice in action. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to the history of EMS An exploration of EMS airway management, including procedures and challenges, as well as how to manage ventilation, oxygenation, and breathing in patients, including cases of respiratory distress Practical discussions of medical problems, including the challenges posed by the undifferentiated patient, altered mental status, cardiac arrest and dysrhythmias, seizures, stroke, and allergic reactions An examination of EMS systems, structure, and leadership
This Revised Third Edition is now updated to reflect the 2005 emergency cardiac care guidelines. The need for hazardous materials emergency response has grown with the increased use of chemicals and the threat of terrorism. Designed for both the EMS field provider and first receivers in the hospital setting, this important resource provides field recognition and management guidelines for hazardous materials exposures and associated medical emergencies, including emergency care of exposed and contaminated patients. The 3rd edition has been expanded to provide responders with the information necessary to identify the scene of a terrorist act involving the use of hazardous materials, as well as triage procedures for chemical exposure and the management of a mass casualty incident. A total of 140 guidelines, cross-referenced to indexes, provide essential information on hazard classes and specific chemicals with initial hospital considerations. Descriptions of procedures, scene operations and support, medical surveillance, and suggested emergency equipment. Extensive indexes supply multiple ways to access important information to save critical time in the field. Content is updated to reflect the 2005 emergency cardiac care guidelines. Over 30 new WMD agent guidelines provide concise, consistent information on managing exposure to high-risk substances. Expanded size includes over 150 pages of new material. An expanded index and updated treatment guidelines are included. The treatment protocol section, drug protocol section, and EMS/hazardous materials operating procedures are updated and expanded. How to identify the scene of a terrorist act involving the use of hazardous materials. Information on mass casualty decontamination and crime scene identification will help reader formulate a plan before beginning to work.
Marked by its risk-based response philosophy, Hazardous Materials Incidents is an invaluable procedural manual and all-inclusive information resource for emergency services professionals faced with the challenge of responding swiftly and effectively to hazardous materials and terrorism incidents. Easy-to-read and perfect for use in HazMat awareness, operations, and technician-level training courses, this "Operations Plus" book begins by acquainting readers with current laws and regulations, including those governing emergency planning and workplace safety. Subsequent chapters provide in-depth information about personal protective equipment and its limitations; protective actions ranging from site management and rescue through evacuation and decontamination; product control including the use of carbon monoxide detectors; responses to terrorism and terrorist groups; law enforcement activities such as SWAT operations and evidence collection; and more! A key resource for every fire, police, EMS, and industrial responder, Hazardous Materials Incidents is one of the few books available today that is modeled on current ways of thinking about HazMat and terrorism responses and operations.
The threat of domestic terrorism today looms larger than ever. Bombings at the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City's Federal Building, as well as nerve gas attacks in Japan, have made it tragically obvious that American civilians must be ready for terrorist attacks. What do we need to know to help emergency and medical personnel prepare for these attacks? Chemical and Biological Terrorism identifies the R&D efforts needed to implement recommendations in key areas: pre-incident intelligence, detection and identification of chemical and biological agents, protective clothing and equipment, early recognition that a population has been covertly exposed to a pathogen, mass casualty decontamination and triage, use of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and the psychological effects of terror. Specific objectives for computer software development are also identified. The book addresses the differences between a biological and chemical attack, the distinct challenges to the military and civilian medical communities, and other broader issues. This book will be of critical interest to anyone involved in civilian preparedness for terrorist attack: planners, administrators, responders, medical professionals, public health and emergency personnel, and technology designers and engineers.
This is the second edition of the WHO handbook on the safe, sustainable and affordable management of health-care waste--commonly known as "the Blue Book". The original Blue Book was a comprehensive publication used widely in health-care centers and government agencies to assist in the adoption of national guidance. It also provided support to committed medical directors and managers to make improvements and presented practical information on waste-management techniques for medical staff and waste workers. It has been more than ten years since the first edition of the Blue Book. During the intervening period, the requirements on generators of health-care wastes have evolved and new methods have become available. Consequently, WHO recognized that it was an appropriate time to update the original text. The purpose of the second edition is to expand and update the practical information in the original Blue Book. The new Blue Book is designed to continue to be a source of impartial health-care information and guidance on safe waste-management practices. The editors' intention has been to keep the best of the original publication and supplement it with the latest relevant information. The audience for the Blue Book has expanded. Initially, the publication was intended for those directly involved in the creation and handling of health-care wastes: medical staff, health-care facility directors, ancillary health workers, infection-control officers and waste workers. This is no longer the situation. A wider range of people and organizations now have an active interest in the safe management of health-care wastes: regulators, policy-makers, development organizations, voluntary groups, environmental bodies, environmental health practitioners, advisers, researchers and students. They should also find the new Blue Book of benefit to their activities. Chapters 2 and 3 explain the various types of waste produced from health-care facilities, their typical characteristics and the hazards these wastes pose to patients, staff and the general environment. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the guiding regulatory principles for developing local or national approaches to tackling health-care waste management and transposing these into practical plans for regions and individual health-care facilities. Specific methods and technologies are described for waste minimization, segregation and treatment of health-care wastes in Chapters 6, 7 and 8. These chapters introduce the basic features of each technology and the operational and environmental characteristics required to be achieved, followed by information on the potential advantages and disadvantages of each system. To reflect concerns about the difficulties of handling health-care wastewaters, Chapter 9 is an expanded chapter with new guidance on the various sources of wastewater and wastewater treatment options for places not connected to central sewerage systems. Further chapters address issues on economics (Chapter 10), occupational safety (Chapter 11), hygiene and infection control (Chapter 12), and staff training and public awareness (Chapter 13). A wider range of information has been incorporated into this edition of the Blue Book, with the addition of two new chapters on health-care waste management in emergencies (Chapter 14) and an overview of the emerging issues of pandemics, drug-resistant pathogens, climate change and technology advances in medical techniques that will have to be accommodated by health-care waste systems in the future (Chapter 15).
Hospital Emergency Response Teams aims to provide authoritative training for hospital personnel in the emergency department, as well community-level medical service personnel, assisting them in times of disaster and emergency. Comprised of six chapters, the book covers various aspects of emergency response. Some of the aspects are the National Incident Management System (NIMS) implementation activities for hospitals and health care systems and the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) IV missions. The book also explains the implementation issues, requirements, and timelines in establishing an internal HICS IV program. It presents the assessment of likely mass casualty events and potential hospital impact. The book also features appendices for emergency response team checklists, PPE donning and doffing guide, ambulatory and non-ambulatory decontamination setup, ETA exercises, and ETA drills.The book is intended to provide understanding of emergency response to first emergency medicine professionals, first responders, security staff, community-level disaster planners, and public health and disaster management researchers. - Common sense approach shows what really works, not what is theoretically achievable - Forms, checklists, and guidelines can be used to develop concrete response plans, validate existing operations, or simply expand knowledge base - The latest from OSHA, Joint Commission and NIMS (National Incident Management System) - Cross-disciplinary author team ensures material is appropriate for all member of this important collaboration
