I know many of us lament the lack of preparedness knowledge and training among the general population. We snidely make comments about “Darwin Award” winners and “PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER.” when someone is injured or killed through their own ignorance or mistakes. But it seems to me that part of the blame lies in the fact that our society seems to be more and more distrustful of the role of the private citizen. We see this in the attitude of some professional Search and Rescue personnel, who warn us not to attempt any rescues on our own but rather wait for them to arrive. Otherwise, they say, “there will be two bodies to haul out”. We see this from some law enforcement professionals, for whom many times self defense is equated with vigilantism, or worse. This sort of thing is then repeated as gospel by the all-wise media. It should come as no surprise then that some citizens, hearing this sort of thing over and over from people who should know better, simply come to believe that they are better off leaving these life or death decisions to somebody else.

Now I don’t for one minute doubt that professional SAR people are much better at rescuing victims than I am. If they happen to be on the scene when I need them, then of course I am going to defer completely to them. But if I have loved ones trapped in some collapsed building and there are no rescue personnel on the scene, then I’m going in. Period. Knowing that, would it not be better if I had some knowledge about what to do in that situation? What to watch out for? Is it too much to ask that my government not try to frighten me into staying on the sidelines?

We all know that there are many situations, both urban and wilderness, that could be made more survivable for the general public if they would just take the time to learn, train, and prepare. We know that the tools to do this are readily available on this site and others. What is needed is a change of attitude from government--including the various Emergency Response agencies--and the media. The old saying “lead, follow, or get out of the way” comes to mind.

Regards, Vince

Vince, Randy and others,

If my comments regarding the efforts of CERT members and the role they might play have given the impression that their assistance is not welcome or needed, I apologize, that was not my intent. Just as ETS and this forum is devoted to the proper preparation, skill development and realistic expectations, my comments regarding disaster response was not to deter anyone from seeking and obtaining the training, skills and equipment to be of service during a disaster. To the contrary, I always encourage everyone to obtain training, skills and equipment, which would enable him or her to be of service. That has always been my goal with assisting Fire Departments, Red Cross, Civil Defense units in Ecuador, scouting groups, etc. to become self-sufficient individuals, comfortable with the necessary training, skills and equipment to help not only themselves but to be of service to others.

There is no doubt, that worldwide, more “civilians” rescue fellow citizens immediately after a disaster then all of the Rescue/Fire/USAR/SAR groups do collectively. With that said, realize that based upon personal experience and published data, that in certain types of rescue conditions, more, would be rescuers (both civilian and professional) are injured or killed then original victims. Many on this forum have pointed out that it is better to avoid placing one’s self in a situation, which will result in a survival situation. I have no doubt that I too would, if my family were in a situation, requiring rescue, jump in and attempt to rescue them, prior to the arrival of any Fire/Rescue personnel. Hopefully, I would use some of my training to reduce potential injury to others or myself.

With that said, I still have lingering issues and questions regarding the wisdom of placing individuals with some very valuable (since CERT training is available in Spanish, I use it extensively in Ecuador), but generalized training and with minimal protective equipment into situations where the danger outweighs the benefit of entering a hazardous area/structure. True protective equipment can run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars, making do with inexpensive alternatives is, again, just my opinion, courting a potentially deadly outcome.

As to what any individual can do to be of service; as many have stated, in numerous threads, First Aid, CPR, CERT, survival courses would all be of tremendous value. However, the most important skill/knowledge to have is common sense and the ability to recognize when a situation is beyond one’s capabilities and equipment.

Pete

"...the most important skill/knowledge to have is common sense and the ability to recognize when a situation is beyond one?s capabilities and equipment."

That is really the crux of the survival problem, isn't it?

Yet, what Vince says is true. IMHO, the main issue of our government is control of the people. Everything else is way down in second place. Generation after generation, the people DO get trained to let others do their thinking for them. And then, when some kind of "negative situation" develops, everyone wonders why the people are so stupid, yet we still have pompous LEOs (etc) telling people what they can and can't do, no matter what the situation. I am reminded of a fireman who grabbed a woman who was preparing to leave the path of a firestorm (Oakland? Malibu?) and literally carried her off when she opened her front door. The woman fortunately went ballistic and the fireman had to let go. She WAS evacuating, but she was determined to take her blind husband with her. The fireman never bothered to ask if there were other people in the house.

The face of a situation often isn't a true representation of the situation itself.

Now, let's move on to Vigilante Justice.... <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Keep in mind, that in most of the country, emergency services (Fire, Rescue and EMS) are performed/staffed by volunteers. Professionally trained, as most must meet the same training/certification/licensing standards as their career counterparts. In my mind this is the citizenry fending for themselves though collective agreement and the desire to be of service. Yes, the government in many cases controls the training/certification/licensing standards, but it is still up to average Joe/Jane to decide to get involved and make a difference.

As to the actions of any emergency services provider, tunnel vision is a well-documented phenomenon, whether career or volunteer, to which the individual must constantly guard against. Even with extensive training, the heighten level of excitement will often cause individuals to ignore hazards or changing conditions around them, resulting in injury or death. That is why all Incident Command Structures regardless of the current terminology always have a Scene/Incident/Technical Safety Officer, whose main job is to look at all operations from a dispassionate point of view with regard to the rescue/suppression operations and concentrate only on safety.

Here is one minor example of a well intention, somewhat trained individual that caused a victim to experience additional discomfort and delay in transport:

Our team responded to a mountain rescue, where an individual had fallen a considerable distance and the patient’s condition warranted a Medevac. We arrived on the scene with the patient in critical condition with head trauma and fractured lower leg. A well-meaning individual with wilderness first aid training placed an improvised splint using a couple of padded tree branches. Good idea, except the branches were just too long to load the patient in the helicopter. We had to remove the splint and reapply a SAM splint that would allow the patient to be transported. This took at least an additional 10 minutes and significant discomfort to the patient. Keep in mind, with a critically injured patient, our goal is to reduce on scene time to 10-15 minutes total, so we can stay within the “Golden Hour” (1 hour from time of injury to arriving at a Trauma Center). Well-intentioned and noble efforts, without understanding the result/implication of such actions can lead to further injury and death.

Pete

Two stories from a few years ago. I was a paramedic and ran ambulance calls for many years. Out of dozens of patients in medical cardiac arrest, I was only able to save ONE to a more or less normal life when CPR had not been done by some non-medical person first (zero saves of trauma cardiac arrests while on the scene, CPR or not). So rather than telling people to "let the professionals handle it", I would much rather have them jump in and do their best immediately. You wait for the ambulance to get there, and you've pretty much signed the death warrant. Citizen involvement is critical - it would be tough to make the 4-6 minute window even if the paramedics were standing across the street with gear in hand!

Another story. This time I was the "citizen help", even though I was a paramedic - certified in a different state - at the time. At 65 mph an individual fell out of the back of a pickup truck right in front of my car. We won't discuss his basic intelligence at this time! Luckily I didn't hit him, and myself, an ER nurse, and a physician were very shortly by his side taking care of him. Amazingly enough he just kindof bounced and skidded and came out relatively unscathed in the end. However, before we really knew that diagnosis, the ambulance rolled up and the attendant said, and I quote, "Let's treat the obvious injuries first". Anybody with medical training should recognize the idiocy of that remark. So much for that particular "professional". Glad it wasn't me he was working on.

Of course there are times when citizen help would be a hinderance or dangerous. Trying to rescue someone clinging to the side of a cliff without the proper gear comes to mind. So each situation has to be evaluated on it's own merits. However, I do agree that the media and many professionals emphasize "stay away" much more than they should.

I boarded at a 'stable' with a barn built for cattle. I'm on the place and the only present worker comes running up talking a barely intelligable mix of english and Mixtec indian. I finally figured out a stallion with a odd sleep disorder had fallen over into the cement slurry feeder and was stuck upside down. My niece called my DVM, who called her Nevada ranch raised husband. I managed to hobble the stallion, halter his head and wrap a protective saddleblanket over his eyes. My DVM and husband arrived, tranqued the horse and we secured the halter to a comealong and got doubled up leadropes around his heartgirth. In short order he popped out like a cork. We walked him to a nearby roundpen and started followup care. MEANWHILE, the mixtec ran to the stable operator's house. Without actually coming out, he had the tree service company who leased vehicle space there drive a cherry picker INTO the barn to lift the stud. He also called 3 other DVMs, the Fire Department, Animal Control, Ventura Sherriff's Office and an animal Psychic <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />. WE were quietly working on the horse on one side, when this flying circus descended on the other. In the general melee' the crane operator had manuevered his truck inside the barn and raised the crane to secure said horse. The owner finally showed up, decided to lower the crane- and flipped the switch UP, taking out his barn roof. Later he told the owner ( after demanding payment for damages caused by her stallion) I had pushed the horse over so I could "play the hero" There are times when training, talent and a cool head make utterly no difference <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It's a pity you didn't have THAT circus on video!

You must live in a more responsive area than I do. The attitude around here would probably have been "tough luck!"

Sue

Vince:

I seriously admit there are some strong willed people and egos at play within the rescue services, but there are some facts to consider: Note: I won't speak of SAR, or wilderness rescues, but those I am familiar with.

1) In rural America, most highways are simple two-lane strips. In Idaho, we have several of these, of which, the north-south highways have the most traffic on them. People who stop and ?help? block the normal progression of traffic without regarding their own safety (mostly) and without proper warning devices. The new goal of the USDOT is to keep traffic moving to expedite the movement of commerce. Shutting down any highway, for any reason, is considered taboo. Some rescuers have taken this seriously, in part, because many people who stop are interfering and actually not helping. I have seen between five and ten different cars stopped at an accident and keeping the ?rescuers? from parking close enough to the ?scene.? Then there is the possibility of landing a life flight helicopter, which requires a certain amount of ?clear? area. Moving by-standers and others which stop to help out of the way is mostly about civilian safety, not necessarily about distrust of the private citizen. I understand the need to assist if a family member is hurt, but we don?t want you hurt either.

2) Most dispatchers in our area (and others) are trained through the Emergency Medical Dispatch course. They are taught to provide instructions to civilians over the phone for many medical problems in the home. This is a good program and it has helped in some cases.

3) Some people call 9-1-1 from their cellular phones and keep right on driving down the road. They cite personal safety as the reason for continuing. Sometimes; these calls are for someone who has stopped to change a flat tire and ?kicked up? some dust. The caller thought for sure there was an accident, but never stopped to verify one had taken place.

4) The area I work EMS in is considered to be remote-rural, which means, mostly open land. People may not call 9-1-1 from a cellular phone, nor do they always have coverage, so they will stop and take an injured person to the nearest house, or even to the hospital. When asked why, they respond with ?oh, I didn?t think the ambulance came this far out!? That is probably the fault of the local rescue workers who don?t necessarily articulate the coverage area openly to the public, through the media.

My all time favorite one-vehicle rollover came in about 3 summers ago in a rather remote area of the county. The calling party stayed on the scene, but informed us no one was in the car. When rescue personnel arrived; several by-standers were placed into service to assist in searching for the car occupants. About 20 minutes later, an elderly gentleman and his wife came up in a pick-up truck and said the injured party was taken to the hospital by their son, they did not realize the ambulance even came to their road. We called everyone who helped us and explained we ?found? the driver. We thanked them, shook their hands and left the scene. All told we had spent an hour on this call. We later learned the driver had 3 felony warrants, a suspended driver?s license and no insurance, as we say in the business, imagine that! Hmmmmm! He later admitted to calling the guy who helped him, because he knew of the warrants and was avoiding arrest. Surprise, he went anyway! Gotta love that one! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Take care,

Stargazer

"If we believe in absurdities, we shall commit atrocities - Voltaire"

I apologize if you got the impression that I was specifically referring to you or your comments regarding CERT. I was not. What I am talking about is the increasing idea that only those individuals under formal control of "the authorities" should assist in any way, because they alone somehow have the skills, training, and common sense to get the job done. That sort of thinking will only result in the "us vs. them" attitude that seems to permeate the ranks of our public servants these days.

One thing that could be done to alleviate this attitude is to return the word "civilian" to its original meaning: someone not serving in the armed forces. My father was a police officer for 30 years and I never heard him use that term. He instead used "citizen" when speaking about non-LEO's. But then again I've even heard the word "citizen" bandied about somewhat contemptuously these days.

As far as people getting in over their heads, look at the bigger picture. If citizens were publicly encouraged to help in emergency situations instead of being publicly scorned, then maybe more people would prepare themselves, or even seek formal training. I think then that the benefits would outweigh the cost.

Regards, Vince

I could not agree more, that everyone’s involvement in an emergency would be an intelligent use of resources. The problem, to some degree has been the fault of the public themselves and the litigious nature of society. If, I as an EMS/Rescue provider turn the care of a patient (could be as simple as “here hold direct pressure on that wound” or “could you help me carry the patient down the stairs”) to a non-trained citizen, I leave the Fire Department, Line Officers, myself and family open to major legal and possibly criminal liability not only from the patient, but from the person (who may have volunteered to help) I directed to perform some action. This is true whether it medical care or helping in a rescue i.e. crowd control, “help pull on that line”, “help us lift and carry the patient down the stairs/trail”. This atmosphere may, in part be the reason LEO/Fire/Rescue/EMS personal ask you to clear the area and not become involved.

I have no doubt egos come into play; even within the Fire Service there are issues between career and volunteers or LEOs and Rescue personnel. However, to assume that Public Safety personnel think that "they are all that and no else can be of benefit”, is just as wrong.

I wish CPR, First Aid and basic life survival skills were universally taught and required in High School, so every citizen could gain a greater degree of independence and self-sufficiency, but until that day comes, I am thankful for the thousands of LEO’s, EMS/Fire and Rescue personnel who, whether career or volunteer, are there to be of service in time of crisis.

As I indicated, volunteers, who take the time and effort to obtain the training and then invest many hours of their personal time in helping their communities, provide most of the EMS/Fire/Rescue services in this county. If you want to be involved, there are many opportunities to do so. If you want to see a change in attitude, join up and become an instrument of change.

Pete

"The problem, to some degree has been the fault of the public themselves and the litigious nature of society. If, I as an EMS/Rescue provider turn the care of a patient (could be as simple as “here hold direct pressure on that wound” or “could you help me carry the patient down the stairs”) to a non-trained citizen, I leave the Fire Department, Line Officers, myself and family open to major legal and possibly criminal liability not only from the patient, but from the person (who may have volunteered to help) I directed to perform some action."

Well, if Good Samaritan laws don't already shield you, then perhaps it's time to mount a push to get them changed. I'm surprised though; on 09-11-01 there must have been thousands of private citizens helping out. Why were there not thousands of lawsuits? I know the settlement covered the airlines, but what about the citizenry? Could not the threat of litigation be a bit overblown? Maybe it's just another excuse for the powers-that-be to keep citizens uninvolved.

"If you want to see a change in attitude, join up and become an instrument of change."

Sorry, that's just not possible for many of us, at least right now. I chose a different career long ago, and I'm not going to be able to become an EMT or a fireman at this stage of my life. And the time available to me for volunteering is going to be negligable--at least for the next little while. I must therefore remain an amateur. I just want to make sure I can contribute if needed. I do hope to take first aid refresher sometime soon.

Please don't take my comments regarding "the authorites" or "the powers-that-be" to apply to the rank and file EMT's, LEO's, or fireman. While the "us vs. them" attitude has trickled down to some extent, it certaintly does not apply to all.

Regards, Vince

“Well, if Good Samaritan laws don't already shield you, then perhaps it's time to mount a push to get them changed. I'm surprised though; on 09-11-01 there must have been thousands of private citizens helping out. Why were there not thousands of lawsuits? I know the settlement covered the airlines, but what about the citizenry? Could not the threat of litigation be a bit overblown? Maybe it's just another excuse for the powers-that-be to keep citizens uninvolved.”

Good Samaritan Laws will not protect any EMS provider, volunteer or career, who turns patient care over to an individual without equal training, it is called “patient abandonment”. A provider may, if the patient’s condition warrants, downgrade the level of care required and turn the patient over to another provider with a lesser level of training. However, if the provider did not appropriately evaluate the patient, before downgrading or if the patient takes a turn for the worse, the higher-level provider will be held accountable both civilly and possibly criminally. The events of 09-11-01 were extraordinary and fall under Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) protocols, which allow for a great deal of flexibility in emergency care. As to lawsuits, I really don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if there are some, perhaps not being publicized.

“Sorry, that's just not possible for many of us, at least right now. I chose a different career long ago, and I'm not going to be able to become an EMT or a fireman at this stage of my life. And the time available to me for volunteering is going to be negligable--at least for the next little while. I must therefore remain an amateur. I just want to make sure I can contribute if needed. I do hope to take first aid refresher sometime soon.”

You need not become an EMT or Firefighter to be of value. The already mentioned CERTs are a wonderful way to be of service. Helping out at a local Fire Department, EMS, Red Cross, Scouting or any other service related organization, whether with “hands on rescue’, fund raising, record keeping or hundreds of other necessary, but behind the scenes activities are all vital ways, we the citizenry can maintain control over our lives, at least on a local level. I too, am an amateur, like thousands of other volunteers; we do what we do for the love of doing it.

Pete

Pete is correct. Good Samaritan laws are fairly narrow in their protection, and aren't a guarantee that you won't be sued. It should be a real emergency: no breathing, no heartbeat, severe bleeding and shock. If you go beyond your knowledge and screw up, it won't protect you. Getting a person out of a car after an accident is not a good thing to do because you might compound injuries, but if the car is on fire, it's probably a good idea. If death or irreversible damage would occur before the EMT get there, your choices are limited & you would probably be covered. (Unless the victim is a NY City attorney, in which case maybe sneaking away before anyone gets your license plate would be the thing to do... <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />)

The Good Samaritin Laws are a sad gauge of our society. People used to help without thought of being sued. Then, in the 60's I believe, it was discovered that you might be able to sue someone for your early retirement, and people became reluctant to stop to help anyone due to that fear. People would watch other people die because they were scared of losing everything they had to help a stranger. Now, it is also a law in many states that you can be sued for FAILING to render aid.

I suppose you could call it a full circle of stupidity. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Sue

"Good Samaritan laws are fairly narrow in their protection, and aren't a guarantee that you won't be sued."

True. This is America and you can sue anyone for anything. Winning is another matter entirely. I would like to know just how frequently private citizens are sued for rendering aid, and how frequently such suits are successful. I'm willing to bet the odds against either are astronomical. Again, it sounds like something the authorities use to frighten us peons into noninvolvement. But if anyone has any actual data on the matter that would take it out of the realm of urban legend, then I'm willing to look at it.

Regards, Vince

"Good Samaritan Laws will not protect any EMS provider, volunteer or career, who turns patient care over to an individual without equal training...”

Nobody is suggesting that. Let me put it this way. What if you arrive on the scene of a disaster and find private citizens already rendering effective aid? Are you expected to forcibly remove them? What we are headed towards is a society in which you will arrive on the scene only to find corpses, because the citizens who happened to be on hand were too ignorant to render assistance and too fearful of lawsuits to try. A fear that, I might add, may turn out to be way overblown.

We're not there yet, thankfully.

Regards, Vince

Norad45:

The cost to hire an attorney to defend yourself is usually more than it costs the person hiring an attorney to sue you.

In Wisconsin, we have a State Statute against frivolous law suits.

Wisconsin also has provisions for requesting "Summary Judgements" against the filer of frivolous law suits and their attornies which allows the Judge to award damages to the victims of frivolous lawsuits. Since Judges tend to be lawyers, you don't hear about a lot of lawyers getting assessed "Summary Judgements" and although I am not an attorney, I believe you or your attorney have to request such a ruling.

Bountyhunter

Bounty, I think that the "Summary Judgement" ruling that Wisconsin has should be emulated by the entire country. Of course, 3/4 of the bloodsuckers--oops: lawyers--would be out of business.

This goes far beyond the law enforcement or EMT professions though. Do you know anybody who changes their own oil anymore? Anybody who does their own plumbing maybe?

We are becoming a nation of helpless wimps. I am gratified to notice that, at least in some cases, the women are taking up the slack. I attribute that to the growing number of women serving in the military, the police, and EMT/fire department. It seems to lead to a surge in self-sufficiency on their part. Thank God for that.

Regards, Vince

I know many people feel very helpless in emergency situations and many don’t really care about anyone else, as long as they are ok. As a child I witnessed an older gentleman collapse and die on a Philadelphia street corner while people stepped over his body to get to wherever they were going. Getting that off my chest, I do know through conversations I have had, a great many of the helpless feeling people would rather not feel that way but they find for various reasons that it’s difficult to acquire the proper training and have limited knowledge of and fear of the liabilities involved.

Sometimes you just have to do what you can. On May 3 1999 minutes after one of the most devastating tornados in recorded history ripped through Del City Oklahoma we were in the effected area. The people we helped could care less what type of training we had they just wanted to be helped and they were grateful. Being members the USAF we all had some limited first aid training. We were not anywhere near as qualify as the rescue professionals but we felt qualified and confident enough to render the assistance our backs, hands and brains could render. We moved lots of rubble to get trapped people out and treated many injuries. Granted that was a very extreme circumstance but if I was having a heart attack on a city street corner and someone passing by knew and administered CPR to me even if they didn’t have a current CPR certification, at least somebody tried to do what they could to save a life. I know my family would be grateful and not sue. When the professionals arrive let them go to work and stay out of their way but if waiting around and not acting means somebody dies, then do what you can and to hell with the attitudes others have.

Just out of curiosity, have you taken a First Aid Course, and if so, how recently?

I used to be a Saint John Ambulance of Canada instructor, and our First Aid Training emphasized the importance of bystanders having proper first aid training and the willingness to administer basic first aid and CPR when necessary. The canadian Red Cross manual is entitled "The Vital Link" and clearly indicates the importance of the first aid-trained bystander in filling the gap between the discovery of a medical emergency and the arrival of EMS.

In Canada, at least, the so-called Good Samaritan laws protect you unless you do something that is clearly negligent. I don't know what it's like in the US but I believe the Red Cross does cover legal liability in its training, more so than Saint John Ambulance.

All First Aid training emphasizes that you should not intervene if it puts you at risk. Headlines like "11 drown saving chicken; chicken survives" may seem funny to you, but when this really happened in Egypt, I bet the widows and orphans of the men who died in a well-meaning but misguided rescue attempt weren't laughing very hard. Of course, if you know the person is going to die unless you risk your life to save them, and you choose to do so, then I salute you; the danger is that if you don't at least stop and make that a conscious decision, then there is a grave risk that you may turn a casualty into a fatality. (The guy who got stuck in the well trying to rescue his chicken probably would have survived if he hadn't had 10 well-meaning relatives sitting on top of him.)

As far as getting a 2-day course on rescuing people in trapped building, my advice would be "Don't!" In an earthquake, maybe going in and administering first aid would be acceptable, but if you start shifting rubble around, you might precipitate a collapse that would kill you and the people you're trying to save. (If the building's on fire, that's a different story, of course.)

I'm not sure if this addresses your points or not. In Canada, I don't see any organized attempts to discourage people from taking First Aid courses by EMS personnel trying to protect their "turf". Maybe things are different in the States, but I'm inclined to disbelieve it.

I put out a car fire in a garage, damaged my hand doing it. The FF/EMTs were grateful for the help and turnover when they arrived, the neighbors thought I should just have called the FD. Oh, the bedrooms over the garage would have been toast by then. Same incident a week or so ago took out 1/3 of the house.

Witnessed and stopped for a motorcycle/auto accident. Tended to the rider (severe lacerations). Off duty EMTs stopped a little while later. PD was useless when I needed him to spell me on bleeding control, required instruction.

Friend of a friend of a friend blew most of his hand off with a M-80. I was first responder, friend drove.

All that with training and attitiude I got from Boy Scouts.

"When the professionals arrive let them go to work and stay out of their way but if waiting around and not acting means somebody dies, then do what you can and to hell with the attitudes others have."

Very well put.

Regards, Vince

"Just out of curiosity, have you taken a First Aid Course, and if so, how recently?"

I took first aid in the Boy Scouts well over 25 years ago. I still remember CPR but I definately could use a refresher. My employer is going to be offering a course in the near future.

"In Canada, I don't see any organized attempts to discourage people from taking First Aid courses by EMS personnel trying to protect their "turf". Maybe things are different in the States, but I'm inclined to disbelieve it. "

That's not what I am talking about. I'm sure there probably are EMT's who "protect their turf" but that is only a tiny symptom of a much larger problem.
Rather, I am referring to the general tendency of our elected/appointed leaders to discourage private citizens from looking after their own welfare. They say, "let the professionals handle it" while ignoring the very real possibility that when the time comes "the professionals", for whatever reason, won't be around. The net result of this is leading us down the road towards an unprepared, unequipped, untrained, and thoroughly cowed populace.

Regards, Vince

From today's News of the Weird by Chuck Shepard:

http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2649372

"This is not a drill: During an emergency in December, Westminster (Md.) High School's policy on evacuating wheelchair-using students came to light, to the horror of two disabled students' parents. While smoke filled the building and the panicked students exited, teachers brought the two students to the second-floor stairwell and, rather than risk liability for mishandling them, teachers were instructed to get out themselves and leave the students there to await trained firefighters. (A month later, a special committee clarified the policy, urging that the students be left only in smoke-free stairwells.)"

Hey Vince,

The important words in the scenario are “effective” and “disaster”. In a MCI, many liberties are granted by protocol to allow for rapid triaging and care. In many cases the low priority patients (walking wounded) are perfect candidates for treatment by citizens with first aid training. The severely injured (the dead or dying), unfortunately, due to the degree of care that must be siphoned from rescue resources are provided “comfort care”. It is generally, the group in the middle, significant injuries, that are borderline life threatening, that are candidates for more formal EMS care and transport.

Pete