by vox_mundi » Sat 31 Jan 2009, 14:51:38
The Homeland Security Council has just published the first edition of its planning guidance for responding to a nuclear detonation in the United States.
LinkReport"The purpose of this guidance is to provide emergency planners with nuclear detonation-specific response recommendations to maximize the preservation of life in the event of an urban nuclear detonation. This guidance addresses the unique effects and impacts of a nuclear detonation such as scale of destruction, shelter and evacuation strategies, unparalleled medical demands, management of nuclear casualties, and radiation dose management concepts.
From the Report$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.')..There will be no significant Federal response at the scene for 24 hours and the full extent of Federal assets will not be available for up to 72 hours.
Emergency response is principally a local function. Federal assistance will be mobilized as rapidly as possible; however, for purposes of this document, no significant Federal response is assumed for 24 – 72 hours
In other words ... you're on you're own.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.')..Initially, the nature of mass casualties will invoke a patient sorting system (i.e., initial triage) to maximize care to the most people. … It must be recognized that extremely difficult decisions and actions will be required of responders and clinicians regarding who will receive early treatment, who will not, and who will be classified as expectant. To maximize overall preservation of life with insufficient resources to manage mass casualties, severely injured victims may be placed into an “
expectant” (expected to die) category early on although the criteria for “expectant” will vary depending on resources available. Although expectant, palliation (i.e., treatment of symptoms) should be done when possible. The skill and moral courage to designate severely injured victims into the expectant category in the first day following a detonation can serve to maximize overall preservation of life taking into account the lack of resources on hand to manage mass casualties. … Consideration should be given to concentrate medical personnel in treatment facilities with plans to avoid using them for first aid type duties. Instead, volunteers, support personnel and possibly minimally injured ambulatory victims can be asked and/or directed to help with a range of tasks including limited first aid, assisting the more severely injured, etc
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.')..In a nuclear detonation, fatality management may be one of the most demanding aspects of the incident response, and the way it is executed will have a direct impact on the recovery of the community and the nation. The catastrophic significance of a nuclear detonation is quickly understood through the number of casualties it produces, including fatalities. Fatalities from the detonation can come about in essentially two ways: (1) those who are promptly killed by the blast, and possibly vaporized; and (2) those who die from mortal wounds later, either in the field or in the care of emergency personnel. This second group includes the “
” and its effect should not be underestimated because it is likely that large numbers of people directly affected by the blast or fallout who would seemingly benefit from medical intervention are in fact expectant resulting from their combined injuries or radiation exposure. The quantity and phenomenon of “walking-dead” were not understood in the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack because large numbers of people died after varying latency periods following the detonation. Because of the potentially high number of deceased persons produced by a nuclear detonation, there is a complexity that stems from the overwhelming numbers of bodies versus the scarce resources available to manage them and our national values that lead us to respect the traditions of the deceased. This dichotomy means fatality management has the potential to become one of the most demanding aspects of the nuclear detonation response because of the concerns of respect for the deceased versus capability limitations to provide these gestures. Incident commanders must consider means to fairly accommodate public expectations while efficiently and appropriately handling human remains in a way that is consistent with their capabilities