actions the Hospital Control Team and Mobile Medical Team will need to take for that particular type of incident. After receiving notifications, the Action Cards will identify actions that will need to be taken in various areas and by various personnel, automatically. These actions may be for the Emergency Department, clinical staff as well as nonclinical staff (NHS Scotland, 2015; NHS Tameside Hospital, 2016).
Some of the actions that may be listed is how to maintain records on each patient, where they are located (updated regularly), and how they should be identified. Additionally, the Hospital Control Team (HCT) may determine that the hospital may need to accelerate discharge procedures to provide more beds for the influx of patients coming from a major incident. The Actions Cards may spell out the need to keep families informed, so part of the requirements of the Hospital Control Team (HCT) after a disaster is to provide a specific area for the patient's family, and to provide a liaison person to keep them informed. Another consideration that will be listed on the Action Cards is when a major incident may be part of criminal activity. In these incidents, the Hospital Control Team can direct personnel to enact already established protocols to protect and preserve potentially useful forensic evidence (NHS England, 2015; NHS Tameside Hospital, 2016).
In creating the Hospital Control Team (HCT), there are typically five main positions. These positions are the HCT Manager (usually the hospital's Chief Operating Officer), the Corporate Lead (usually the Chief Executive), the Nursing Officer (usually the Director of Nursing), Hospital Control Team (HCT) Administrator, and the Hospital Control Team (HCT) Documenting Officer. These five individuals work together to manage the incident in an organized manner. It should be recognized that the IMS method that is used is similar to the ICS method that is utilized by UK fire brigades, although it appears that it is not the same (NHS Tameside Hospital, 2016).
Much more could be written on the United Kingdom. This book only touches on the continual improvements that are seen in incident managements and IMS methods. Much like the United States, the United Kingdom is always trying to improve. It appears as if the key players in IMS methods are never satisfied with status quo, or that the systems they use are “good enough.” This continual thriving to improve allows them to be one of the main leaders in the world for managing major incidents.
3.26 Vietnam
Somewhere around 2008, the World Bank (2017) began assisting the Republic of Vietnam to be more disaster resilient. This was done by beginning a Disaster Risk Management (DRM) project in the country. This reduced the negative effects of disaster from 2009 forward. In this project, significant upgrades were made to the infrastructure as well as the management of disasters (World Bank, 2017).
In 2015, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Republic of Vietnam, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD), to begin teaching classes in their country, to implement the Incident Command System. Since 2015, numerous classes have been taught in Vietnam (and other Asian countries). USAID has committed to providing assistance in training first responders in the country so that they could better manage disasters (United States Embassy in Vietnam, 2015). This was also done so that when other countries, including the United States, commit to help after a disaster in Vietnam, all resources can be integrated into the response seamlessly.
Reviewing research on hospital‐specific IMS methods in the Republic of Vietnam, a 2011 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that all but one hospital in the country used Hospital Emergency Incident Command (HEICS). In looking at the report, the vast majority of the healthcare facilities had implemented most of the guidance on Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS), but not all parts of this IMS system were implemented (United States Embassy in Vietnam, 2015). While later information was not found (in further research), it would probably be safe to assume that these hospitals have implemented the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and that they have likely undergone improvements that build resilience over the past seven years.
3.27 Other International Uses
The use of the Incident Command System (ICS) method or National Incident Management System method (including ICS) appears to be used in numerous countries, and by numerous nonprofits and for‐profit companies. In 2013, the Shell Oil Company released a report about the Incident Command System. In that report, they identified countries that utilized the ICS method, including Saudi Arabia, Ireland, and the International Maritime Organization to name a few. They also identified other similar IMS methods that would integrate with the ICS method including Australia (Australian Inter‐Service Incident Management System), Brazil (ICS used by the fire department and civil defence of Rio de Janeiro), and other agencies and countries. Perhaps more interesting is that Shell Oil has regional teams around the world who use the ICS method as their system to manage chemical and oil‐related disasters (Curd, 2013).
To some extent, you (the reader) may be wondering why this information was included in this book. The reasons are simple. First and foremost, to show that the rest of the world has also identified that IMS methods are beneficial in mitigating the effects of emergencies and disasters. The use of IMS methods around the world provides evidence that those utilizing these methods have a vested interest in creating calm from chaos, clarity from confusion, and predictability and confidence from uncertainty. The second, and perhaps biggest reason, is because it is good to get outside of our own little bubble that we operate in. One thing is for certain, this chapter definitely makes a partial case that some form of IMS method should be used to mitigate the effects of a disaster or emergency.
Real‐Life Scenario
The Government of Burma (Myanmar) began implementing the ICS method in their country in 2003 and completed the full implementation in 2010. Over a three‐month period in 2015, flood, storms, and landslides took a devastating toll on Burma, negatively affecting 12 of the 14 states and regions. Based on the protocols and training, the country was able to use the newly implemented disaster management system. Utilizing this new framework, those managing the incident were able to easily and successfully integrate outside resources as has never been seen before. Under the new protocols, the government realized the need for, and provided, transparent situation reports and expedited travel authorizations. This allowed them to provide extraordinary humanitarian relief in a very short amount of time. Some of the resources that were brought in included the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Center), the Myanmar Red Cross Society, and UN agencies (USAID, 2016).
From the onset of the response to the first floods, the Emergency Operations Center staff held a meeting with Vice President U Nyan Tun and local government officials. In this meeting(s), they developed a national recovery framework, and they utilized the ICS method to organize the recovery. After the incident was over, the Government of Burma was recognized for how successful the response and recovery went by the international humanitarian community. While the process worked extremely well, with the support of USAID and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), undertook an After Action Review to help improve the quality and speed of disaster response in the country even more (USAID, 2016).
Chapter 3 Quiz
1 True or False: The United Nations has implemented their own IMS method that is different than any other country.
2 In trying to create disaster resilience, the United Nations has created two agreements that have included utilizing an IMS method. What were those agreements named?
3 What region of the world was the ASEAN agreement developed and signed?
4 What is the name of the Australian IMS method?
5 What is the name and acronym for the national system (similar to NIMS) in Bangladesh?
6 True or False: The country of Brunei utilized the US Forest Service to help improve IMS methods in their country.
7 Brunei has become an expert in Hospital Incident Command System. They began teaching this method throughout the region to other hospitals and other healthcare facilities. What