Environmental Disasters and Emergency Response

Sudden or ongoing events, natural or man-made, harming people, safety, property, and the environment.

Events that can harm the health of people, and the environment.

Actions to fix or improve issues or problems in environmental problems.

Large-scale events causing many injuries or deaths.

Planning in advance for events like accidents and emergencies.

Events needing quick, skilled response, manageable by community resources.

Large-scale incident, local resources might be enough if more are added.

An incident involving multiple vehicles causing many casualties.

A train moving off the tracks, usually causing casualties.

Planning and preparing for potential disasters or emergencies to minimize damage and ensure swift response.

International organizations providing resources and assistance to nations during major emergencies.

Local government, military, police, fire departments, and NGOs taking initial action during emergencies.

Prioritizing patients based on injury severity to ensure the most critical receive care first.

A structured approach using key areas like agencies, triage, and recovery to address emergencies effectively.

An event with overwhelming casualties that requires massive assistance from national or international agencies.

Natural events like earthquakes, tsunamis, or hurricanes that cause widespread damage and casualties.

The initial responders to an emergency, including local government units, national disaster agencies, police, and firefighters.

The government bodies responsible for emergency response at the local level.

Choking happens when something blocks the airway, preventing air from reaching the lungs.

A partial blockage of the airway, allowing some air to pass.

A complete blockage of the airway, stopping all airflow.

This term describes an internal blockage that makes it hard or impossible to breathe.

A dangerous situation that requires immediate action to prevent death or serious injury.

When water obstructs a person's airway, preventing breathing.

Factors that increase the chance someone will experience a submersion injury, like age, lack of supervision, alcohol use, poor swimming skills, medical conditions, and inadequate safety measures.

Symptoms that indicate a person has experienced a submersion injury, such as breathing difficulties, coughing, low oxygen levels, hypothermia, and unconsciousness.

A delayed complication of submersion where fluid in the lungs causes breathing problems hours or even days after the incident.

A condition where a person develops respiratory complications after submersion due to fluid in the lungs, even if they seemed fine initially.

A condition that occurs when a diver ascends too quickly, causing dissolved gases (mainly nitrogen) to form bubbles in the bloodstream and tissues.

A state of altered consciousness caused by high levels of nitrogen under pressure, often experienced at great depths, leading to impaired judgment and motor skills.

The recommended way to enter water for diving, involving entering with feet first to minimize the risk of injury.

A safety precaution for diving, emphasizing the risk of injury associated with diving headfirst.

Specific areas marked for diving, ensuring safety and compliance with regulations.

Indicators that someone is choking include clutching the neck, panic, inability to talk, strained breathing, squeaky sounds, a weak or forceful cough, blue or gray skin, lips, and nails, and loss of consciousness.

A life-saving technique used to dislodge an object blocking someone's airway. It involves pressing into the abdomen with a quick upward thrust.

When a choking victim becomes unresponsive, open their mouth, remove visible objects, tilt their head back, pinch their nose, give two breaths, and perform chest compressions.

For a choking infant, give back blows by holding them face down and striking them gently between the shoulder blades.

Different choking steps include the Heimlich maneuver, chest compressions, and back blows, depending on the victim's age and consciousness.

An injury to soft tissues caused by pressure differences between an airspace in the body and the surrounding environment, leading to expansion or contraction of that space.

Diving is classified as a collision sport due to the significant force experienced when entering the water, posing a risk of injuries.

Injuries caused by pressure differences or gas bubbles in the body due to diving activities, potentially leading to various complications.

A triage category for patients who require immediate medical attention to survive. They need immediate intervention.

A triage category for patients who require medical attention but can wait a bit longer than those labeled IMMEDIATE.

A triage category for patients with minor injuries or conditions that are not life-threatening.

A triage category for patients who are unlikely to survive their injuries and require palliative care.

An acronym for Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment, a standardized method for quickly assessing and prioritizing patients in emergency situations.

1. Assess Ability to walk, 2. Assess Respirations, 3. Assess Breathing Rate, 4. Assess Circulation, 5. Assess Mental Status.

The patient has none of the following: no respirations (after head tilt), breathing but unconscious, respirations over 30, perfusion capillary refill >2 or no radial pulse, unable to follow simple commands.

Given in the incident area if possible or after transport to a health facility.

Used to move patients after triage and treatment if possible.