Israeli Mass Casualty - Terror Workshop: Training Day 4
By Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P, WEMT, Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC
EMSResponder.com Contributor
On his fourth day of MCI response training in Israel, Greg discusses the perspective he has gained from this international experience where mass casualty incidents are common.
He describes the numerous sites they are visiting, where there often remains a small memorial, and shares how moving it is to see how the conflicts there affect people personally.
Greg explains that his understanding is limited in that he is only learning about the Israeli perspective on the conflict; it is considered unsafe for Americans to travel to the Palestinian occupied areas, and is not part of the program.
However, that does not prevent the group from learning what it means to respond to terrorist attacks – how it feels, what they do - and to learn what it means to lose friends and relatives in such attacks. Greg describes not only the medical but the psychological fallout.
Finally, Greg talks about the medical and emergency management world experts he is meeting, and their discussions on how the international lessons learned might apply to settings in the U.S.
To learn more about this program, visit the Institute for Terrorism Research and Response at terrorresponse.org, or e-mail questions and comments about Greg’s experience to gfriese@eps411.com.
Israeli Mass Casualty - Terror Workshop: Training Day 3
By Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P, WEMT, Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC
EMSResponder.com Contributor
On Day 3, Greg’s training group attended a presentation by the Israeli Defense Force’s Homefront Command, the military division responsible for coordinating responses within the country during an emergency.
Greg explains the roles and responsibilities of this Command, and how it compares to services in the U.S. The Command assists with activating reserve medical staffing, covering fire departments, responding to damage to facilities, etc. – whatever is needed in an emergency situation.
Greg’s training group also received a second presentation about the Command’s capabilities to perform national or international search and rescue. They have a force on call, similar to FEMA’s urban search and rescue teams. However, the members work full time on the force, and can be rolling in 15 minutes to natural disasters, acts of terror or war. Greg shares examples of some of the international responses they have performed.
Greg also discusses how this Command is activated, and how even this elite response system faces limitations. During the brief Lebannon war in the summer of 2006, as missiles were being sent into Israel, politicians did not activate the Command, which has caused much debate. They explained that the reasons were political as well as economic, and there is always a balance in making these decisions. Greg said they put their hosts in a delicate position to explain this without sharing their opinions, but said it was interesting to see other responders facing frustration with their political process.
Israeli Mass Casualty - Terror Workshop: Training Day 2
By Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P, WEMT, Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC
EMSResponder.com Contributor
After his second day of training in Israel, Greg highlights his visits with Jerusalem’s fire department, dispatch center, a center for medical simulation and a volunteer organization with a difficult mission, called Zaka.
Listen as Greg describes the nation’s fire/rescue service and how it differs from the U.S. service; differences include national training and coordination, smaller equipment for narrow streets, and different tactics due to different construction materials. In a suicide bombing incident, Greg explains, the rescuers require little time to extinguish fires and are needed primarily for extrication and movement of victims.
Greg goes on to share the origin and mission of Zaka, which in Hebrew is an acronym for Identify Disaster Victims. Greg visited with this organization, which goes to disaster sites to assist with first aid, and then when authorized, to begin recovery of body parts and tissues for burial.
Check back for more updates as Greg continues his MCI and terror response training.
Israeli Mass Casualty - Terror Workshop: Arrival in Jerusalem
By Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P, WEMT, Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC
EMSResponder.com Contributor
Listen as Greg Friese describes his arrival in Jerusalem, beginning with the logistics of the trip and a brief background on the history and geography of the region. He goes on to talk about the people he has met there, from his guide to the outgoing MCI training attendees and the incoming attendees.
Greg also shares the understanding he is gaining of the region, its people, and its conflicts by being there first hand. As he becomes friends with his guide, the experience takes on a deeper meaning.
Finally, Greg describes the first day of training, in which he learned more about the area’s security and political issues, and the specific MCI and terror challenges for which the people there must prepare.
Israeli Mass Casualty - Terror Workshop: Introduction
By Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P, WEMT, Emergency Preparedness Systems, LLC
EMSResponder.com Contributor
After every major incident or training emergency responders catalog a list of “lessons learned,” but rarely is there a corresponding list of “lessons applied.” Israeli mass casualty and terrorism experts, unfortunately, have had many opportunities to apply “lessons learned.” From January 22-29 I will visit with Israeli experts to view and discuss the Israeli “lessons applied” as a member of an educational delegation organized by the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response. During my trip I will send podcast reports to EMSResponder.com.
I work as a paramedic for the Plover Fire Department, Portage County EMS , and Saint Michael’s Hospital. I am also a lead instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates. My training company, Emergency Preparedness Systems LLC, produces online continuing education for the EMS Magazine Online Education Center .
Email your questions and comments to mailto:gfriese@eps411.com.
EMS Magazine Monthly Insider for January
This month’s “EMS Magazine Monthly Insider” features author G. Christopher Kelly as he discusses his new column debuting in EMS Magazine, Emergency 4-1-1. He explains the focus of the column: “EMS has two distinct sides: patient care and the business of running an ambulance service,” he says. “There’s a need for a place dedicated to the business side of the industry, and I hope you find that place here.”
Chris is an attorney who has written on topics such as compliance issues and Medicaid regulations. Starting in this January issue, he will examine these topics as well as tackle other legal issues in EMS. Listen to the podcast to find out more about Chris, his involvement in EMS, and his future plans for this column.
In addition to this podcast and Chris’s new column, we direct readers to the following articles he prepared for EMSResponder.com on recently released Office of Inspector General reports. These discuss the findings of two OIG studies of the ambulance industry: one that found $402 million in overpayments to the industry in general (mostly for nonemergent services), and another that found a $21 million overpayment related to in-patient transports.