In light of a CBRN attack, casualties must be taken to an appropriate medical center or hospital. Kingston General Hospital is the main hospital that specializes in chemical response and decontamination. The hospital has a chemical response and decontamination facility where toxic chemicals are eliminated through various decontamination methods.
The hospital has thirty six beds where in-patients or admitted casualties are accommodated as they undergo treatment. However, the in-patient facilities are not available to all based on the small number of beds available. In an attempt to overcome this problem, the Kingston Hospital has devised a simple triage capacity in which it sorts out casualties into two major categories. The groups are those requiring critical attention hence immediate medical response and those with less serious chemical contamination. For the former, access to the hospital beds is assured. The latter are not offered such bedding facilities.
The Tampa General Hospital is the major hospital offering specialty services for burns. The hospital is located on the Davis Islands. It has one thousand and eighteen beds and six thousand seven hundred employees. It specializes in the treatment of patients who are severely burnt. Its triage capacity is based on the nature of the burns. The severely burnt are attended to first. Those with minor burns are attended to after those requiring immediate medical attention are catered for. The Texas Biomedical Research Institute has the largest biological containment sector. It is located in San Antonio. Major laboratory tests on pathogenic organisms are conducted in this facility.
The incident commanders for victim medical distribution should put in place some measures in order to ensure that the CBRN casualties are taken to hospital or medical centers within the shortest time possible. They should ensure that ambulances are provided for. First aid programs and facilities should also be provided for in order to reduce the number of deaths arising from the CBRN attacks.
References
Herring, J. (2012). Criminal Law: Text, Cases, and Materials. London: Oxford University Press.
Schriver, J. (2010). Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Shifting Paradigms in Essential Knowledge for Social Work Practice. New York: Allyn & Bacon, Incorporated.
Shea, D. (2013). Small-scale Terrorist Attacks Using Chemical and Biological Agents: An Assessment Framework and Preliminary Comparisons. Congressional Research Service-The Library of Congress, 14.
