Introduction
A critical incident is a serious event that can affect welfare of employees, agencies, organizations, students, and institutions (University of Calgary, 2014). The first responding law enforcers are faced with lots of challenges when fighting or mitigating the fire emergencies, medical, and legal affairs. The other categories of incidences encountered by most response units include disasters such as floods, earthquakes, wildfires, plane crashes, terrorist attacks, explosions, active shooters, and hostage takings, crime scenes, explosions, nightmares, and conflicting political occurrences the (University of Calgary, 2014). The actions undertaken by first responders are of great importance, and the rate at which the aid determines the extent to which innocent civilians are saved. It also involves a faster detection of any suspects, and, therefore, prompting the exact time at which prosecution of the suspects is undertaken (Kane, 2004). An incident is considered by first responders to be a nightmare, and serious event that requires attention. First information requires a deeper and intellectual analysis because it often comes from civilians who are in panic, and in confusion modes. For proper mitigation of the problems, there must be strict and effective procedures to serve as a guide through the event (NWCG, 2008). This is because, the first twenty and sixty minutes are most critical, and it is during this time that suspects are trying to move away from the crime scene or when a disaster has become clear to the civilians and involved members.
All information is made available through formulating guidelines and establishing benchmarks for different participants (NWCG, 2008). Patrol officers, paramedics, and patrol officers are considered the most available and asked responders. The old idea whereby the first responders were supposed to gain the necessary perimeter and keep on waiting for instructions from their seniors does not apply currently because the trend at which the events occur is becoming more monotonous (Kane, 2004).
Fire Department Response structure
Incident: when a fire breakout point is to detect whether, on fourth floor or ground floors, the fire responders should understand instantly that affected people are in harm’s way, and they need to move from place to a safer place almost immediately. Even the already harmed individuals need to be added to survive the incident (NWCG, 2008). Fire risks involve a tanker truck carrying hazardous and has turned on the highway or overturned on the highway with or without the cloud accumulating. For the case of this scenario, the fire response team should identify the source of the fire, and after identification, a suitable fire extinguishing equipment should be selected and availed at the workstation (Kane, 2004). The choice of the equipment depends upon the type of the fire whether it is electrical, chemical, or fires spreading from smoking remains. It also includes an explosion from unknown sources, either in the office or neighborhood. To manage this event, the fire fighting team should try to evacuate the residents or members who are vulnerable to the risk. After possible evacuations, confirmation should be estimated as to whether some persons are still in buildings, and after that, determine possible avenues that can be created to allow the victims find their ways out of the building or area.
After evacuation, some of the fire fighting team members should identify the source and select proper extinguishing equipment (University of Calgary, 2014). The nozzle should direct at the source, and then the safety pin should be removed and striking the knob to come later into play. All these should be done in a systematic way by a fully experienced and trained individual. The process should be a continuous process until the fire ceases. After ceasing, the other aspects should be left to the rescue team like the paramedics (Kane, 2004). Precautions should also be taken to ensure that communities downwind protect against the spreading of the fires being extinguished. As such, fire fighting should start from the side whereby the fire is tending to. This means that a professional fire fighters should handle all operations of the equipments and directions. This includes the fire fighting from the private companies which are certified to undertake such operations. Park all equipments, not in use, and should not be driven until when the orders are clear to access the scene. However, the drivers and operators of the vehicles should be at standby to ensure that, they can easily respond them to the scene when instructions are not clear (NWCG, 2008).
Project Management: in order to enhance the efficient, response system within the fire fighting department, the team will be required to undergo continuous training in order to improve their viability, and relevance in field works. Equipments and proper management of the fire fighting equipment should be enhanced by the management, and be able to avail necessary information on updates in technology development (Kane, 2004). While doing the operation, the staff members should be aware that the policies and legal enforcement should not have a direct influence and involvement in the firefighting exercise. Capacity building is necessary, and it will be necessary for them to understand the operation and existence of fires, and the different forms through which fires can start with reference to different environments (NWCG, 2008).Police
Operations: in the presence of an attack, the police being the first responders should be aware that the suspect is well armed, and he has done enough preparation and study of the area or office prior to the attack. Some suspect understand the area better because they work their; they have ever worked there, or they have full information about the area. This means that; they have information about the exit and all points that can help them make the escape. At all times, the terrorists, robbers, and terrorists are fast in conducting the actions, and whenever they fail to make an immediate escape, they stay armed (Kane, 2004). The first responders should advance the scene by noting the most potential routes through which the suspects can use to avoid the prosecution (University of Calgary, 2014). Police should ensure that civilians are protected by avoiding shooting without having made sufficient judgments about the background. This means that the first responders should be aware of potential exits, and a continuous streamlining in of information should come from a police colleague or owner of the building to outline the design of the building, and the position of the building about the surrounding (NWCG, 2008). However, if background is clear, police can engage with gunfire at their strategic targets but by forcing minimum danger on the civilians.
Incase of natural disasters and all other categories, the police should advance strategically and very fast in order to help civilians and protect them from enemies. For the case of natural disasters and all critical incidences, the police should liaise with local transport service providers to evacuate the residents and take victims to the hospital or health centres. This will be done according to the classification of the injuries encountered. The severely harmed individuals will be evacuated immediately by ambulances, and the less injured will be taken into a waiting venue where the buses will have to pick them to the health centres. However, the dead bodies found will be spotted, marked and left in place so that they can help in identifying the main cause. In addition, the police should have to avail their motorcades, and the additional armies or savers because most of the terrorists, murders, and criminals are quite often armed with highly sensitive weaponry (Kane, 2004). For planning, the police should ensure that; they have enough fuel in the nearby areas that are free from vulnerabilities, and they should have an easy access. Their ambulance should also be at standby in order to ferry their harmed colleagues to the medication points. Because of this, a flat and a good place should also be selected so that, and a helicopter can be used to ferry critical cases to the health centres the (University of Calgary, 2014). This process should continue until the situation is neutral, and all orientation of all civilians has been determined (NWCG, 2008).
Medical
Incase of fire emergencies, terrorist attacks, or natural fires, the medical unit should classify the extent to the victims with effects, and apply possible treatment. For example, serious or fatal cases should have to be taken by the locomotives to the nearest centres for immediate action. However, the medical unit has to avail or outpatient services at the nearest point possible to the scene in order to attend to the less injured individuals (Kane, 2004). The medication can be informed of first aid, and basic medication after which the victims should be handed over to the police who will position them in various transporting means for evacuation (NWCG, 2008). While doing this, the medical management should ensure that there is a continuous supply of the necessary equipments and facilities because the situation worsens with time, and, therefore, encounter more situations. However for proper operation and management, a storage centre should be near to where services are being given, and the vehicles are to be parked in a nearby street until when the need arises (University of Calgary, 2014). The treatment and offer of the services should be applied until the police encounter the last victim or the search ends.Journalists
Getting information in such critical incidences is always demanding and, therefore, risky sometimes. The first information can however serve as an entity in identifying the main cause and hopping dynamics of the event. As such, journalists should focus their cameras and voice recorders at strategic points, but should be fully aware that criminals are avoiding their identification, and can respond by shooting (Kane, 2004). In the case of the natural disasters, the extent to which they impact lives can not estimate, and, therefore, the journalists should have vehicles in the vicinity or accessible point so that should they expand, they can easily make a step out from the place (NWCG, 2008). While taking the information from civilians, identification of the civilian should not be disclosed because most criminals are aware of the residents in the area, and if disclosed, the enemies can look for future revenge missions. However, the responders can give information freely, and are allowed to give detailed information even after the incident so that an in-depth understanding of the matter(Kane, 2004). The data obtained should be taken to the discussion room for editing before it can be availed to the public (University of Calgary, 2014). However, the information about the position of the police and their missions should remain secret because in most cases the criminals obtain information about their search by listening to the televisions or radio signals, and therefore they can change their route to make excellent hideouts. Finally, no information should be disclosed without the understanding and recommendation of an expert.
References
Kane, J. (2004). The critical incident response manual for supervisors and managers. D-PREP, LLC.
NWCG. (2008). Agency administrator’s guide to critical incident management. PSM 926.
