General Principles in Disasters and Mass Casualty Incidents

Disasters are some of the most catastrophic events that we can encounter. A single disaster can easily overwhelm the resources of EMS agencies, Hospitals, and entire communities. Disasters are not limited to natural events like floods or wildfires, they can be mass casualty events, terrorist attacks, or epidemic/pandemic illnesses that affect a large number of people. Over the last 20 years, we have learned a lot about how to plan and prepare for the worst case scenario and the Department of Homeland Security built a framework that can help agencies respond effectively. EMS has the unique and difficult job of being on the front line of these disasters interfacing between the overburdened medical systems and the general public that need assistance. It is imperative that we prepare to operate in these nightmare scenarios so that when it happens we are ready to save lives.