Agriculture Rescue Management
Departments
Training Notebook
When responding to an agricultural incident, emergency personnel often encounter many complex problems. No two agricultural situations are exactly alike. But, there is enough similarity to form basic skill levels for rescue personnel.
You must establish a management system for rescue problems immediately upon receiving an emergency call. This system must remain in effect until the scene has been stabilized and rescuers return to quarters. Each rescue scene demands its own solution, and each solution must be the product of the rescuer’s own mental effort.
When the alarm sounds for an agricultural incident, the responding rescuer must begin a basic mental process that will determine the course of action he will take to accomplish the rescue mission. The following mental training system was developed by Lloyd Layman for fire officers to deal with all firefighting emergencies, including rescue incidents.
MENTAL EVOLUTION OF SYSTEM
- Facts
- Probabilities
- Own situation
- Decision
- Plan of operation.
Here are the questions you must ask yourself for each step of the system:
What are the facts of an emergency?
What time of day is it? Will this affect response manpower, traffic flows? What month and day is it? Is it 100+ °F, or is it foggy or raining? This too will affect response modes by rescuers.
What is the location of the emergency? Is it an easily identified response location or is it in a field one mile from the roadway? Will our units be able to negotiate the recently plowed or irrigated fields? Does this accident involve a canal or irrigation pond? Will someone be able to direct you to the exact location quickly and safely?
What is the nature of the emergency? Is someone trapped in a machine? Is someone contaminated with an agricultural chemical? Is someone electrocuted? Did someone burn themselves with hot hydraulic fluid? Was someone injured in a tractor fire?
What is the life hazard on the scene? Are there one or more persons trapped due to unsuccessful rescue attempts?
What are the probabilities of the rescue scene?
What will be the life hazard involved in the rescue? Will your efforts help or hinder the rescue scene? Can you operate safely and not endanger your personnel? Can you safely protect the spectators not directly involved?
What are the fire hazards on the rescue scene? There is usually fuel (gasoline or diesel, ordinary combustibles, combustible metals, hydraulic fluids, and agricultural by-products) available to burn. Heat is provided by the machine’s heated parts, or friction or sparks from rescue tools. The battery from the machinery should be disconnected, if it is easily accessible (negative pole first). Rescuers must be cautious of hazardous materials used in the process, and be especially cautious of oxidizing agents.
You must also be aware of how current weather conditions and possible weather changes will affect the rescue scene. Will it become overcast and dark soon? Do you have portable lighting equipment that will help you do the job safely and effectively in the dark? Will rain muddy the scene, trapping your rescue vehicles? Will you be able to cope with the weather and minimize the impact to the rescue scene?
Communication is another factor to consider. Will you be able to effectively communicate to the base hospital at the rescue scene? Will you be able to relay information via handie talkie to a public phone? Can you relay the information through the sheriff’s radio system or local fire agency? You must identify dead spots in communication systems and adjust your plans.
Your own situation
After reviewing the facts and probabilities of the rescue scene, you must focus on your present situation. What personnel and equipment do you have responding to the scene? What is their background, including medical expertise, extrication ability, common sense, and mechanical ability?
What other types of agencies will respond to the scene? What equipment and manpower can you expect initially? What additional personnel and equipment are available, including technical expertise by manufacturers, mechanics, and others familiar with farming equipment? How can you reach these technical experts after normal business hours and on weekends?
Decisions
Reviewing the “facts,” “probabilities,” and “your own situation” steps should take you from seconds to a few minutes to complete. You are now ready to make decisions. Decisions are broken down into four major steps:
- Initial plan—get the operation underway.
- Progress and evaluation—keep track of your progress.
- Supplemental plans—make adjustments to your initial plan based on visual and verbal feedback.
- Desired outcome—what you would like to accomplish when you want it accomplished.
The initial plan must also take several items into consideration. The SAFER rescue method is a basic evolution that you can follow:
Safety—safety to the rescuer, the victim, and the public.
Access—how can this best be accomplished efficiently and safely?
First aid—airway, bleeding, cervical spine, and shock.
Extrication—the removal of the problem from the patient or the patient from the problem.
Removal—stabilizing and securely packaging the patient for removal. Transportation can include ambulance, helicopter, rescue squad, law enforcement vehicle, or coroner.
Plan of operation
The final part of agriculture rescue management includes the plan of operation. This is when orders are issued to rescue scene personnel. All support agencies must work together to maximize the resources on scene and to accomplish the goal of victim care. Supervision of operations is crucial in order to ensure a successful rescue.
SUMMARY
You must follow an orderly rescue process at every incident in order to bring confidence and discipline to an unstable scene. Rescuers must have the necessary professional knowledge in order to apply such resources skillfully and in a resourceful manner.
Rescuers are expected to respond to any scenezz, anytime—amid confusion and excitement—and accomplish rescue objectives clearly and logically. Rescue scene management will help you meet your life-saving goals.
