2017 was a record year for disasters and disaster response in the U.S. Redefining and differentiating key response roles like “immediate responders” and “first responders” is critical. Traditional first responders are not and cannot remain the only cadre of expected lifesavers following a mass casualty event. The authors argue that the U.S. needs to expand its understanding of response roles to include that of the immediate responders, or those individuals who find themselves at the incident scene and are able to assist others. Through universal training and education of the citizenry, the U.S. has the opportunity increase overall disaster resiliency and community outcomes following large-scale disasters. Such education could easily be incorporated into high school curriculums or other required educational experiences in order to provide all persons with the knowledge, skills, and basic abilities needed to save lives immediately following a disaster.

Many healthcare facilities use code-based alert systems to notify staff of ongoing emergencies via public announcement systems. This study sought to assess the ability of clinical and non-clinical employees across the State of Georgia to correctly identify their facility’s emergency codes, assess employee’s opinions of emergency alert systems, and identify significant predictors of emergency code identification accuracy. Anonymous electronic surveys asked 304 employees at five facilities to identify the codes for 14 different emergencies. Participants correctly identified the emergency codes with 44.37% accuracy on average. The codes for fire, infant abduction, and cardiac arrest were most commonly identified correctly. Code identification accuracy was significantly associated with training at orientation, knowledge of emergency code activation procedures, facility experience, and the total number of facilities in an employee’s career. Most survey participants favored a code-based alert system over a plain language-based alert system, citing concerns of causing panic in patients and visitors, and of maintaining confidentiality and discretion. The low code identification accuracy suggests healthcare employees may have limited awareness of ongoing emergencies. Transitioning to plain language overhead emergency alerts will better position employees, as well as patients and visitors, to effectively respond to emergencies and disasters occurring within a healthcare facility.

Introduction:The US, as well as many countries, are being beseeched by more natural and man-made events; both small (e.g., shootings) and geographically vast (e.g., floods). Due to a myriad of issues, traditional first responders i.e., EMS, fire department, and police cannot be expected to be the only trained lifesavers on the scene. In the US (as in many countries), it is imperative to begin the discussion to better understand the role of the “injured” and “immediate” responders and how they interact with the “first” responders.Aim:To open a discussion amongst disaster experts about the merits of training and subsequent promotion of a curriculum for “immediate” responders.Methods:Literature review.Discussion:After recent evaluations of events, it is postulated that there are three categories of responders: the injured, the immediate, and the first (EMS, fire department, police). The premise upon which disaster risk reduction and building community resilience are achieved begin with strengthening, empowering, and equipping local populations with the appropriate tools. This would involve education, skills, and training. With the average general public trained, and if they are one of the first two categories, then the community would not only be better able to assist themselves, but also be able to integrate into the recovery process much more quickly and fully. By doing this, they will be empowered to take care of themselves, neighbors, and community, which in turn increases local resilience.