Western Governors University-Washington
Community Health Nursing
Subdomain 725.8.8
Disaster in Franklin County
Section A. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has a large Chain of command. At the head is the EOC Commander, who receives information from the other parts of the chain, and is responsible for relaying that information to other agencies, and also the Homeland Security agency (formerly Federal Emergency Management Agency).
The Safety Officer is in charge of making sure safety policies are followed, and also for relaying what safety equipment might be needed. This person also keeps track and investigates injuries reported as a result of rescue operations.
The Liaison Officer answers questions and provides briefings for the other agencies during this emergency. This person is the main point of contact for other agencies. This role takes the pressure off of the agency commander, diverting attention and questions to the liaison officer.
The Public Information Officer gathers together the proper health information needed and ensures that the public is informed of pertinent health information specific to the emergency. This person also ensures that everyone has the same information and is aware of which information is to be disseminated to the public.
The Legal Officer …show more content…
Nursing personnel can be prepared for large scale disasters by joining the National Nurse Response Team (NNRT). The National Nurse Response Team is a specialty team used in any scenario requiring hundreds of nurses to assist in chemoprophylaxis, a mass vaccination program, or a scenario that overwhelms the nation’s supply of nurses in responding to a weapon of mass destruction event (Public Health Emergency, 2009, para. 1). Nurses can also be better prepared for disasters by being prepared at home, as well as attending continuing education classes on disaster preparedness, as well as large scale disaster training and