Disaster Rules

The 80 rules you need to prepare for action in a medical disaster

Here are 80 disaster management rules to reflect on, remember and follow in the immediate aftermath of an incident involving mass casualties. Each rule is a single-page long, providing the essential information to inform the most common critical decisions you will have to make in either a civilian or military environment.

Written by clinicians with deep clinical and operational experience, these rules are concise evidence-based guidelines for all medical personnel dealing with disasters at the scene or in hospital. Based on the Major Incident Medical Management and Support system widely adopted in the UK, mainland Europe, Australasia and NATO, they are both authoritative and effective.

Introduction vi

Chapter 1 Golden Rules 1

Chapter 2 Command and Control Rules 14

Chapter 3 Safety Rules 29

Chapter 4 Communication Rules 38

Chapter 5 Assessment Rules 51

Chapter 6 Triage Rules 60

Chapter 7 Treatment Rules 74

Chapter 8 Transport Rules 96

Chapter 9 Hospital Rules 109

Chapter 10 Mass Gatherings Rules 125

Chapter 11 Special Incidents Rules 131

Chapter 12 The Last Rule 158

Index 160

"In twelve short chapters, this excellent and concise pocke-sized book presents 80 ‘disaster rules' concerning triage after chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents". (Emergency Nurse, 1 March 2011) Rob Russell
Senior Lecturer in Emergency Medicine, Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Birmingham, UK

Timothy J. Hodgetts
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Birmingham, UK

Peter F. Mahoney
Senior Lecturer in Critical Care, The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, UK

Nicholas Castle
Department of Anaesthetics, Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, UK

The 80 rules you need to prepare for action in a medical disaster

Here are 80 disaster management rules to reflect on, remember and follow in the immediate aftermath of an incident involving mass casualties. Each rule is a single-page long, providing the essential information to inform the most common critical decisions you will have to make in either a civilian or military environment.

Written by clinicians with deep clinical and operational experience, these rules are concise evidence-based guidelines for all medical personnel dealing with disasters at the scene or in hospital. Based on the Major Incident Medical Management and Support system widely adopted in the UK, mainland Europe, Australasia and NATO, they are both authoritative and effective.