Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Student Manual

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CA Emergency Mgmt. Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Manual April 2011Injuries and death – working with and dealing with a large number of injured or dead is aconstant reminder of the horrific incident. This can lead to feelings of futility, survivor‟sguilt, and frustration.Lack of sleep or food – this is probably the most common cause of CISD. The mind andbody are starved as dedicated staff work single-mindedly on the disaster, forgoing properfood and rest. At the end of the shift, disaster workers are still keyed up, and it is difficultto sleep.Separation from family and setting aside one‟s own needs – this is probably moreprevalent among local government emergency workers, or those who are directlyinvolved in care and shelter. However, separation from one‟s family could affect anevaluator if one is worried about issues at home, especially if home life was affected bythe same disaster the SAP evaluator is responding to.7.2.1 SymptomsCISD will manifest itself by any one or more of the following symptoms:Inability to make decisions – One‟s mind is blank, and the „deer in the headlights‟syndrome is in evidence, despite how many people are waiting for a decision.Slowness of thought and confusion – One doesn‟t have a clue as to what the informationor data coming in means, and doesn‟t know what to do with the information.Inability to express one‟s self – frustration arises as evaluators try to speak, but can‟t saywhat they mean.Depression, irritability, and anxiety – these can result in feelings of futility, such as „whyam I doing this?‟ or „what difference does this make, anyway?‟Exhaustion, loss of energy – The stress generated by working the disaster can take its tollphysically as well as mentally. Persons can feel physically ill, with no energy to doanything. It becomes an effort to continue with one‟s duties. There is no desire to eat;the thought of eating food becomes almost too much to contemplate. In many cases,sleep eludes persons, who continue worrying about the operation despite beingexhausted.7.2.2 Stress Relieving MeasuresThere are several simple steps that can be taken to be protected from suffering the effects ofCISD, as follows:Take frequent breaks – pace oneself so as to be working at a constant level.Eat good meals at regular times – stay away from junk food and eat well, the mind andbody need it! Schedule time for several good meals a day.Drink plenty of fluids and keep hydrated. Consider carrying a canteen or water jug.Avoid alcoholic beverages during the deployment, as they dehydrate the body andinterfere with deep sleep.Freely talk about the experiences encountered. After work, join with fellow SAPevaluators and freely discuss the things seen and heard that day, along with how it madeone feel. In turn, be a good listener.Get plenty of sleep, do not stay up all night talking. Set a time for sleep and keep to it.218
CA Emergency Mgmt. Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Manual April 2011Awareness of CISD is one of the key preventative measures for avoiding CISD for oneselfand others. Watch for the signs and take action to minimize the impact. If CISD symptomsare observed in a fellow SAP evaluator, take him or her aside and take a break. Try to getthem to rest, drink water, and talk about their feelings.7.3 Hazardous MaterialsThe world we live in is surrounded by hazardous materials that are properly contained.Disasters have the potential to release these dangerous materials into the environment,exposing disaster workers and the populace to their often deadly effects. Floods can carrytoxins and corrosives in solution for great distances, while earthquakes, fires, and explosionscan disable containment and cause releases. Moreover, released chemicals can react withone another in ways never dreamed of by their day-to-day users. Awareness of these riskscan truly improve one‟s safety profile and prolong life!This section will look at some basic information regarding the posting of hazardous materialsthat can be used to increase safety while evaluating building damage. This information isstrictly to help improve the safety of SAP evaluators, and is not intended to make anyone anexpert in this difficult field.Understanding the hazardous materials placard systems for buildings and for individualcontainers will give evaluators a better idea of the kinds of materials being dealt with in avery general sense. One of the first rules to remember is to use one‟s common sense; it ispossible, for example, for a building to have a changed use, but the new owners forgot to takedown the old hazardous material diamond-shaped placard when they changed the use of thebuilding. A drum of material may have had its contents changed to something else, and noone bothered to change the hazardous material sticker on the drum. This can lead tosituations that are less dangerous or more dangerous than the placards may indicate.The placards also don‟t say what can happen if the stored materials become mixed. The levelof hazard can become significantly greater when containers are leaking and the materialscome together.One should never be asked to identify hazardous materials; leave this work for thosespecially trained and equipped to do so.There are more hazardous materials labeling systems than can be presented in the scope ofthis manual. Three labeling systems that are commonly used throughout the United Statesare mentioned here. They are:National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 704M system used for identifyinghazards of materials within facilities that manufacture, process, store, or usehazardous materials.Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) system used to label hazardousmaterials during transport.American Coatings Association‟s Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS)used to label hazardous materials within manufacturing plants and facilities.219
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