Medical training, effects management

Training of emergency responders (firefighters, police, and emergency medical services) for responding to weapons of mass destruction should emphasize critical concepts for self-preservation and effective casualty management. Training should include both classroom instructions on basic concepts and principles, hands-on demonstrations of required skills, and drills to reinforce basic procedures. The recommended topics to be covered include ... 

The basic threat to and management principles for chemical casualties have not changed since World War I. To survive and to accomplish the mission on the chemical battlefield, medical care providers must be able to respond quickly and effectively. Soldiers must be trained in first-aid procedures. Decontamination procedures must be practiced. And medical care providers must know how to perform their mission in a chemical environment. Continued, careful attention to each of these requirements will significantly reduce the chemical threat to our military personnel. 

This section of the report identifies relevant computer-related tools and pertinent health-effects information that could be used by medical and other first responders to train regularly or use operationally to enhance and sustain capabilities for identifying and managing chemical or biological terrorist incidents. These tools will also decrease the need for participation in large exercises that can be disruptive, logistically complicated, expensive, and sometimes unproductive. 

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