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Introduction During disaster relief, personnel’s safety is very important. Mental well being is a part of this safety issue. There is however a lack of objective mental well being monitoring tools, usable on scene, during disaster relief. This study covers the use of validated tools towards detection of psychological distress and monitoring of mental well being of disaster relief workers, during the Belgian First Aid and Support Team deployment after the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Methodology The study was conducted using a demographic questionnaire combined with validated measuring instruments: Belbin Team Role, Compassion Fatigue and Satisfaction Self-Test for Helpers, DMAT PsySTART, K6+ Self Report. A baseline measurement was performed before departure on mission, and measurements were repeated at day 1 and day 7 of the mission, at the end of mission, and 7 days, 30 days and 90 days post mission. Results 23 out of the 27 team members were included in the study. Using the Compassion Fatigue and Satisfaction Self-Test for Helpers as a monitoring tool, a stable condition was monitored in 7 participants, a dip in 5 participants, an arousal in 10 participants and a double pattern in 1 participant. Conclusions The study proved the ability to monitor mental well being and detect psychological distress, by self administered validated tools, during a real disaster relief mission. However for practical reasons some tools should be adapted to the specific use in the field. This study opens a whole new research area within the mental well being and monitoring field. Citation: Van der Auwera M, Debacker M, Hubloue I. Monitoring the mental well-being of caregivers during the Haiti-earthquake.. PLoS Currents Disasters. 2012 Jul 18

IntroductionDuring disaster relief, personnel's safety is very important. Mental well-being is a part of this safety issue. There is however a lack of objective mental well being monitoring tools, usable on scene, during disaster relief. This study covers the use of validated tools towards detection of psychological distress and monitoring of mental well being of disaster relief workers, during the Belgian First Aid and Support Team deployment after the Haiti earthquake in 2010.MethodologyThe study was conducted using a demographic questionnaire combined with validated measuring instruments: Belbin Team Role, Compassion Fatigue and Satisfaction Self-Test for Helpers, DMAT PsySTART, K6 + Self Report. A baseline measurement was performed before departure on mission, and measurements were repeated at day 1 and day 7 of the mission, at the end of mission, and 7 days, 30 days and 90 days post mission.ConclusionsThe study proved the ability to monitor mental well being and detect psychological distress, by self administered validated tools, during a real disaster relief mission. For practical reasons however some tools should be adapted to the specific use in the field. This study opens a whole new research area within the mental well-being and monitoring field.

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This case study is based on a chemical spill in a warehouse in Belgium. Two victims were hospitalized, and a confluence of symptoms among the warehouse personnel had to be managed medically. An on-scene medical station and medical management team were deployed. A total of 51 victims were examined. Medical, political, and labor management arguments occurred. Medical findings and results from a thorough investigation helped prevent a presumed illness epidemic. The primary goals of the medical management of victims must include ensuring the health and safety of the personnel involved.

Introduction:Crises, wars, and disasters are remarkably increasing across the world. Responders are frequently tackled with an ever-greater number of challenges, and undoubtedly, they are physically and mentally affected during and after their missions, during which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is considered high-risk. To the authors’ knowledge, no studies have addressed which type of incident has the greatest influence to trigger stress, and consequently, to cause PTSD for the responders after their missions.Methods:A prospective longitudinal study was conducted with 69 participants of the “Safety and Security” course at the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid of the Federal Ministry of Interior Affairs (Berlin, Germany). The course is certified by the Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) guidelines of Europe’s New Training Initiative for Civilian Crisis Management (ENTRi; Center for International Peace Operations; Berlin, Germany). Four incidents were evaluated: hostage-taking, carjacking, evacuation, and border-crossing. The participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) before and after each incident. For each incident, the delta of the PANAS scores was calculated. The differences between the described incidents, as well as the differences between novice and experienced responders, were evaluated.Results:The hostage-taking incident had the greatest influence on the participants’ temper, followed by carjacking and evacuation. Ultimately, the border-crossing event had the least effect on the responders. Novices were more affected by hostage-taking than experienced responders; however, no significant difference had been demonstrated between novices and experienced responders for the other evaluated incidents.Conclusion:Different incidents have big psychological impacts on humanitarian responders, in which consequences vary from short-term effects to PTSD. Therefore, humanitarian responders should be selected very carefully. They should also have more specific preparation for their missions. Mental after-care should be obligatory. Further studies are needed to understand and avoid reasons for the development of PTSD or other potential problems of responders.

management, and 3) saving lives at the accident site. Each subgoal included 20 to 29 additional subgoals at up to eight different levels, with associated specific tasks and plans. Conclusion: The HTA provided a unified structure for the complex task of responding to a major train accident in cold climate and inaccessible terrain. One specific benefit of the HTA was that it provided an overview of organizational interdependencies, and can serve as a tool when developing and streamlining response plans to major incidents. Study/Objective: Development of a National standard for victim registration. Background: During disasters, hospitals are overwhelmed with questions about potential victims, one of the most disturbing elements during the initial response phase. However, there is a need for early and accurate victim information for the relatives about identification, hospital location, and severity. The Belgian authorities took the initiative to develop and test such a system in a pilot hospital. Methods: The study used a mixed-method design. Initially, a structured questionnaire was developed and sent to all EDs of the Flemish part of Belgium. Out of the questionnaire responses, an exchange disaster victim identification system was distillated. The feasibility of this system was tested in a pilot hospital using a command post exercise. The qualitative part consisted of semi-structured interviews to analyse the structure and actions of the hospital staff within the system. Results: The response rate to the questionnaire was 75%. The awareness of the need of such a system was extremely high -high (x -y): ED head nurses (68% -30%), disaster coordinators (62% -22%), ED nurses (44% -42%), emergency physicians (24% -38%), and other ED personnel (16% -38%). A command post exercise demonstrated the feasibility of the developed standardized exchange disaster victim identification system. These structures need sufficient and additional personnel; the observations and interviews provided evidence that there is still room for process improvement. Conclusion: There is a need for a standardized national disaster victim identification system, adapted to the context of hospitals. A national partnership was developed concerning such a system with standard guidelines and usable registration tools. The collaboration agreement will be effectively implemented in all Belgian hospitals. Testing this national system at a pilot hospital was an important step in creating this generic document for Belgium. Study/Objective: To assess disaster response coordination among disaster management organizations in Nairobi County in the last five years, identify factors affecting, and establish ways of improving disaster response coordination in Nairobi County. Background: Disaster response coordination ensures access to core information and efficiency of response actions among responding organizations. This helps mitigate against morbidity and mortality that result following disaster events. However, coordination has remained a significant problem d...