Clinical Operations Within a Chemical Incident

Details about the medical management of toxic trauma in both the pre-hospital and hospital settings are given in Chap. 8. Within the context of chemical incident management, the following are the key points in the provision of emergency care  

The number of emergency personnel involved in the management of contaminated casualties should be kept to the minimum in order to contain any potential risks of secondary contamination. Emergency medical responders must always be alert to the dangers of the spread of contamination throughout all stages of resuscitation and treatment of casualties. 

Circumstances, weather conditions and information on contamination can all change, so it is vital to stay in communication with the incident control unit. Similarly, it is also important to be aware that unusual chemicals or mixtures of agents may have been released which can lead to the development of unpredictable or unexpected toxic effects. The importance of latency of signs and symptoms in presenting casualties must always be remembered. 

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