More 9/11 responders died from physical and mental health issues after the terrorist attacks than on the day itself. And survivors are still suffering 20 years later.
Australian emergency services are using social media for a number of purposes during disasters. What they are not doing well is analysing social media data in real time to improve disaster management.
Nearly 90% of emergency service staff have experienced stress, low mood and poor mental health.
Firefighters in Kangaroo Island, South Australia. First responders’ experiences on the front line make them susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems.
David Mariuz/AAP
Emergency service workers already have poorer mental health than the rest of us. In the wake of this bushfire crisis, we need to make the well-being of our first responders a top priority.
A firefighting helicopter tackles a bushfire near Bairnsdale in Victoria’s East Gippsland region, Australia.
State Government of Victoria
Volunteer numbers are shrinking in rural areas, leaving fewer people to battle bushfires. We need to change our thinking about volunteering to recruit more firefighters and keep the ones we have.
Few medical schools offer training in addictions medicine and most doctors feel they lack the specialist expertise to deal with the inpatient opioid crisis.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
Paramedics face traumatic situations every day. They need policies to ensure support is provided in the immediate aftermath of trauma, and early access to mental health care.
Armed police on patrol outside Manchester Arena after it was attacked by a suicide bomber in May 2017.
Peter Byrne/PA Archive/PA Images
Terrorist attacks are increasingly unpredictable. Manchester provides a key lesson in identifying how the gap between hypothetical plans and the reality of incidents is widening.
You should never try to drive through floodwater, because you never know what’s beneath the surface. And new research shows some roads are more treacherous than others.
PTSD isn’t just reserved for those on the frontline – my experience alongside a surgical team at Camp Bastion showed how it could affect anyone dealing with the fall out of war.
FirstNet could relieve emergency workers of having to carry multiple radios and other communications devices.
AP Photo/Ric Francis
A multibillion-dollar effort is just beginning to build an all-new nationwide wireless broadband network for emergency responders. How will it work, why do we need it and how will it last 25 years?
Given the persistent risk of terrorist attacks and large-scale accidents, it’s more critical than ever for EMTs, police, firefighters and others to learn from the past.
More than a bit of harmless fun: last year there were 247 ambulance requests for young women aged 13 to 18 in Western Australia.
Michael Discenza/Unsplash