Use of a Computerized Spill Response Tool for Emergency Response, Personnel Training, and Contingency Planning

UNNECESSARILY NEGLECTED IN PLANNING: ILLUSTRATION OF A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO IDENTIFY HUMAN DIMENSION IMPACTS OF MARINE OIL SPILLS

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management ◽

10.1142/s1464333212500123 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 14 (02) ◽

pp. 1250012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

FABIENNE LORD ◽

SETH TULER ◽

THOMAS WEBLER ◽

KIRSTIN DOW

Keyword(s):

Emergency Response ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Damage Assessment ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Social Systems ◽

Human Dimensions ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Human Dimension ◽

Contingency Plans ◽

Negative Impacts

Technological hazards research, including that on oil spills and their aftermath, is giving greater attention to human dimension impacts resulting from events and response. While oil spill contingency planners recognize the importance of human dimension impacts, little systematic attention is given to them in contingency plans. We introduce an approach to identifying human dimensions impacts using concepts from hazard and vulnerability assessment and apply it to the Bouchard-120 oil spill in Buzzards Bay, MA. Our assessment covers the spill, emergency response, clean-up, damage assessment, and mid-term recovery. This approach, while still exploratory, did demonstrate that the spill produced a range of positive and negative impacts on people and institutions and that these were mediated by vulnerabilities. We suggest ways in which the framework may help spill managers to learn from events and improve contingency planning by anticipating risks to social systems and identifying strategies to reduce impacts.

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Screening and managing of suspected or confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients: experiences from a tertiary hospital outside Hubei province

10.1101/2020.03.20.20038679 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hong Pu ◽

Yujun Xu ◽

Gordon S. Doig ◽

Yan Zhou

Keyword(s):

Health Education ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Healthcare Team ◽

Personnel Training ◽

Materials Management ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Team Members ◽

Specific Protocol ◽

Medical Materials ◽

Novel Coronavirus

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo report our experiences screening and managing patients with suspected or confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease using a hospital-specific protocol.DesignLongitudinal cohort study.SettingA 1,200 bed tertiary care teaching hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.Participants802 adults presenting to hospital with concerns of having COVID-19, 1,246 inpatients and 2,531 hospital visitors.InterventionsScreening and management of patients using a hospital-specific protocol, which included fever triage, monitoring visitors and patients, emergency response, personnel training for healthcare team members, health education for patients and family, medical materials management, disinfection and wastes disposal protocols.ResultsBetween 23 January and 28 February 2020, 73 people were identified as having fever plus respiratory signs with/without a history of exposure and were tested for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by our hospital lab using RT PCR. Forty-five of these 73 people were subsequently excluded based on one negative RT PCR result plus positive results to quick screening tests for flu or other respiratory viruses. The remaining 28 people received a second RT PCR test 24 h later. Three people were confirmed positive for COVID-19 based on two consecutive positive RT PCR tests whilst 25 people were excluded based on two consecutive negative tests. The three COVID-19 confirmed cases received non-critical care. There were no new infections of medical staff or new infections of other hospital inpatients.ConclusionsA hospital-specific protocol for screening and management is necessary for reliably identifying suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients during an outbreak. All three cases were detected as a result of vigilant monitoring of hospital visitors. Whilst screening out-patients presenting to a fever clinic remains important, monitoring visitors must not be overlooked.Strengths and limitations of this study►We report a hospital-specific protocol used to screen and manage people presenting to our hospital fever clinic, inpatients and visitors during an outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia in Chengdu, Sichuan province.►Key components of the protocol included: a three-level fever triage process; monitoring visitors and inpatients, formation of an emergency response team for COVID-19, personnel training for healthcare team members, health education for patients and family, medical materials management, and disinfection and wastes disposal protocols.►The ability to test nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 using RT PCR in the hospital greatly shortened the time from the detection of patients to diagnosis, and was beneficial to the control of the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2.►Although our process detected few patients, comparison with other processes, when they are published, will allow the identification of the optimal approach for screening and management.►We suggest that if all resources had been focused on screening people through our fever clinic, we would have missed important in-hospital risks of transmitting COVID-19: The detection of a hospital visitor with COVID-19 led to the detection of an inpatient with COVID-19.

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Emergency Response Personnel Training for Aircraft Accidents - A Computer Simulation Approach

10.4271/951155 ◽

1995 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William D. Geibel

Keyword(s):

Computer Simulation ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Simulation Approach ◽

Personnel Training ◽

Aircraft Accidents

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FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF POLLUTION RESPONSE EFFORT—BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE SPILL

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1989-1-189 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 1989 (1) ◽

pp. 189-191

Author(s):

Darryle M. Waldron

Keyword(s):

Emergency Response ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Financial Management ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Response Effort ◽

Clean Environment ◽

The Social ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

The Cost ◽

Business Philosophy

ABSTRACT Oil spill response has evolved tremendously over the past 20 years in technology and technique, as well as in the social demand for a clean environment. The cost of response to a pollution incident has likewise grown at a time in which both federal and private funds are less available. Although the spiller may publicly claim he will clean up the spill no matter what the cost, cost becomes an issue as the bills start coming in. The purpose of this paper is to provoke consideration of the financial management of an oil spill response, not only to reduce costs, but to reduce confusion during the early days of a response. As in any type of emergency response, contingency planning is essential for success. Having designated, but flexible, procedures and plans in place before the spill will allow the experts to concentrate on mitigation instead of future litigation. The ideas presented here are based on experience in federal responses, common sense, basic financial management principles, and a business philosophy of integrity and efficiency.

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Master Plans, a New Approach for Contingency Planning in the Colombian Oil Industryi

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2003-1-1189 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 2003 (1) ◽

pp. 1189-1198

Author(s):

Darío Miranda ◽

Ana María Betancur ◽

Guillermo Gutiérrez

Keyword(s):

Emergency Response ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Oil Industry ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

New Approach ◽

Master Plans ◽

Contingency Plans ◽

Different Types ◽

Overall Performance

ABSTRACT Up to a few years ago, contingency planning in the Colombian oil industry treated contingency plans for oil spills, fires and explosions as independent contingency plans. Strategies, operational procedures and equipment were selected for each type of emergency response. This condition reduced overall performance for different types of emergencies and restricted an emergency brigade's responsibility and commitment when facing an emergency. The members of a fire brigade, for example, did not have enough experience to control an oil spill and simply felt that they were not responsible for such work. In 1989, new legislation in Colombia established an approach for emergency response in which local, regional and national committees were created at municipal, departmental and national levels. These committees were responsible for emergency response coordination that depended on the emergency type and size, and on the resources involved. It soon became evident that individual contingency plans should be incorporated into a single comprehensive document. However, there were no guidelines available to provide contingency planners with the tools necessary to develop such integrated plans. The Colombian Petroleum Institute's new approach for designing and structuring Contingency Plans for the Colombian oil industry is presented in this document. New schemes for comprehensive emergency response are discussed, considering strategic, operational and data processing issues. Master Contingency Plans provide Local Contingency Plan developers with suitable tools that will enable them to develop their own plans in a comprehensive way, while coordinating the plans with the Colombian National System for Disaster Prevention and Response considered in Colombian law.

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THE NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMANDS OIL SPILL RESPONSE PROGRAM

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1981-1-99 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 1981 (1) ◽

pp. 99-101

Author(s):

Robert E. Castellucci

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Personnel Training ◽

Equipment Acquisition ◽

Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the development of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Oil Spill Program and addresses three specific elements of this program, including equipment acquisition, contingency planning, and personnel training.

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Planning for Chemical Spills

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2001-1-271 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 2001 (1) ◽

pp. 271-276

Author(s):

Tim Lunel ◽

Jenny Corps

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Emergency Response ◽

Scenario Analysis ◽

Decision Process ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Risk Identification ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Emergency Responders ◽

Chemical Spills

ABSTRACT During a spill and at the contingency planning phase, there are three main stages to consider in dealing with a chemical incident at sea: risk identification, risk assessment, and emergency response. The incident of the multitank Ascania is used in the paper to illustrate how this decision process works in a real spill using 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 366-days-a-year response services. The role of software tools for providing rapid, reliable, and relevant information is discussed within the context of these tools being used by trained emergency responders. The paper then illustrates how scenario analysis and running marine chemical spill exercises can be used to plan for a response to chemical spills.

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