Mass fatalities : managing the community response

402 Pages·2011·4.477 MB·English

by  Peter R Teahen

Emergency Response T
e
A mass fatalities response goes far beyond returning the remains of a loved one to a
surviving family members. Those charged with this grim but critical responsibility will h
find themselves immersed in multiple tasks involving diverse individuals, organizations, e
and priorities. Mass Fatalities: Managing the Community Response examines multiple n
complex issues while providing practical guidance to communities and responders
as they plan for, respond to, and recover from a mass fatalities incident. This book
explores the immense array of tasks such as:
• Managing resources and personnel
M
• Protecting a potential crime scene
• Conducting a comprehensive search and recovery of the remains
• Identifying and returning the remains and personal effects A
• Ensuring family members of the deceased are treated with
compassion, dignity, and respect
S
• Making sure responders have the proper tools to complete
their responsibilities
S
• Providing family members, responders, and the impacted community
the necessary support to cope with the physical, spiritual, and

emotional stressors of a mass fatalities incident
F
The book explains in detail the functions performed at the mass fatalities operational
A
sites, including the Disaster Site, Victim Identification Center, Family Assistance Center,
and Staff Processing Center. It provides organizational charts with job descriptions
T
detailing the roles and responsibilities for an effective leadership team and describes
the management of the disaster site, presenting step-by-step procedures for search and
A
recovery. The book also discusses the registration, initial interview, and Notification of
Death for family members at the Family Assistance Center and covers best practices for
L
the Victim Identification Center operations. Throughout, chapters emphasize the need
for mental health services—exploring the essential elements of providing effective and
I
compassionate support to surviving family members (including children), to responders
T
and their families, and to the community.
I
An increase in catastrophic disasters in recent years has highlighted the need for sound
E
guidance outlining the protocol for handling these events. Mass Fatalities: Managing
the Community Response is an indispensable resource for this formidable task.
S
K12215
ISBN: 978-1-4398-4902-6
90000
www.crcpress.com
9 781439 849026
www.crcpress.com
K12215 cvr mech.indd 1 8/26/11 1:18 PM
MASS FATALITIES
Managing the Community Response

MASS FATALITIES
Managing the Community Response
Peter R. Teahen
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4398-4903-3 (eBook - PDF)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to
copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has
not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmit-
ted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC,
a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
Dedication
Mass Fatalities: Managing the Community Response is the result of
a life journey—a life journey of service to people touched by tragedy.
I always tell people that I have been blessed in life to have been
given the opportunity to respond to numerous disasters, caring for
the living and the dead, and helping communities and individuals
prepare for perhaps their worst nightmare: a mass fatalities incident.
This book and my ability to serve would never
have been possible if it were not for:
My daughters: Jaime, Beth, Laura, and Mary. Even knowing that
Dad may miss birthdays, holiday activities, and other special fam-
ily events, they continue to be supportive and loving as I deploy
to disasters, and are always relieved when I safely return home.
My mother, rest her soul. Upon hearing of my deployment to a
disaster, she would increase the frequency of her recitation of
the rosary, call all of her “prayer circle ladies,” and storm the
heavens for the people who were affected by the disaster, as well
as for my well-being and safe travel.
My first grade teacher, Sister Mary Brazilian (now Sister Genevieve
Kordick). A spunky woman committed to a lifetime of teach-
ing, who introduced me to the power of the spoken word. I
am often reminded of the tongue twisters she used to help me
overcome a severe speech impediment in first grade. I thank her,
and all my teachers, as I stand in front of a television camera
or a filled auditorium, lecturing about disasters and the care of
victims and their families, and workers and their families.
All the responders and their families. When a mass fatalities inci-
dent occurs, grieving families find compassionate, dedicated
individuals who respond—often risking their own personal
well-being—to search and identify the dead, and provide com-
fort for the families waiting for the identification and return
of their loved one’s remains, and then return home to their
v
vi 
own supportive families, seeking comfort as they cope with the
trauma they experienced during their deployment.
The victims and their families. No one will truly understand the
loss and sorrow you have experienced and the void that exists
every minute of every day since your loved ones have died.
May the lessons learned from your experiences help communi-
ties and responders provide compassionate comfort and care
to those families who have yet to be touched by a mass fatali-
ties incident.
  vii
Evan’s Light
There was a very special young boy whom I credit for changing the
course of my life. In one, I share a personal reflection about how
the death of this young child reached into the most inner core of
my being, touching me in a way that transformed me forever.
In many ways, his death was the inspiration that motivated me to
stay in disaster service for so many years. Those years have been
spent developing programs to help people in disasters; lecturing on
the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a mass fatalities
response; and eventually to the writing of this book. I often reflect
on how, even in death, his impact on me has had a ripple effect
on thousands of people around the world. His name was Evan.
In Evan’s name, and in memory of all the children who have tragically
died in a mass fatalities incident, I have established a nonprofit
program titled, “Evan’s Light.” Proceeds from this book, my lectures,
and the generous contributions of others, are used to benefit children
suffering a loss caused by the impact of a mass fatalities incident.
Visit www.evanslight.org to learn about how this program
is helping children touched by a mass fatalities incident
and how you can join me in making a difference.

Contents
Foreword  xv
Prologue  xix
Acknowledgments  xxiii
About the Author  xxvii
Chapter 1  Introduction to Mass Fatalities 1
What Is a Mass Fatalities Incident?  1
What Is the “Threshold Number” for Activating a Mass 
Fatalities Response Plan?  4
Four Categories of Disasters  5
Tenets of a Mass Fatalities Response  8
Additional Tenets of a Mass Fatalities Response  11
Core Planning Issues  13
Psychological and Social Impact of a Mass Fatalities 
Incident  23
Public Information during a Mass Fatalities Response  27
Robert Howard
Incident Command (ICS)  37
Chapter Reflections  42
References  44
Chapter 2  Disaster Site 45
Introduction  45
Key Definitions  48
Disaster Site Chain of Command  48
Support Functions at the Disaster Site  50
Disaster Site Staff  54
ix