The structural collapse accident lawyers at Denena & Points note some positive international efforts to address the needs of victims affected by the dangers of sudden structural collapses. Leaders at the recent international Crisis and Emergency Management Conference 2012 called for standardized response procedures for dealing with the structural collapses that accompany large-scale disasters. A U.S. Fire Rescue station commander speaking at the conference recommended standardized procedures for international cooperation. His recommendations include a standard language to define searches in urban areas, wider information sharing among rescuing agencies, and greater cooperation.
Urban searches work to locate, extricate, and provide medical treatment and relief for victims trapped by structural collapses. These urban searches provide a central focus of activity following large-scale man-made and natural disasters. Recent examples of such disasters include the deadly, earthquake-generated tsunamis that caused such widespread devastation in Japan and Indonesia.
Major urban search efforts after a disaster are often hampered by lack of information sharing, gaps in decision making among different groups of rescuers, lack of cooperation, absence of good technology and digital data, and lack of guidelines for sharing available data. As Khalid Khalifa, the head of the Middle East and Asia Bureau Integrated Regional Information Network succinctly pointed out, “The right information at the right time through the right channels can save lives….” The Conference made some recommendations for large-scale crisis management that included use of similar equipment, training, strategies, and planning among regional agencies.
Our structural collapse accident lawyers emphasize that timely response is mission critical when victims have been trapped in collapsed structures. Coordinated response efforts, standardized techniques and procedures, and cooperation among responding agencies can help eliminate some delay and gaps in the decision making chain, and enhance the chances of trapped victims’ survival.