Types of emergencies

The word emergency is often used by a large part of the people to describe an event outside of any domain, and that occurred as a result of a disaster.

However, these events do not exceed the ability of a community to respond to reduce the effects of the situation that caused the emergency.

Types of emergencies

Emergency attempt

This kind of emergency can be mastered and evaluated in a fast and at the same time simple way by the personnel in charge, with the use of the required tools.

As a way to solve the incident, in the emergency attempt the means that are located in the affected area are used, this being its main characteristic. These emergencies are the most easily controlled, and this is where first-response teams usually participate.

Partial emergency

It consists of a kind of emergency that occurs when an accident requires the intervention of a special team in order to be controlled. In the same way, the participation of specially trained public servants is needed for such cases.

The consequences produced by this kind of emergency only affect an area that can be easily controlled, so they do not influence the rest of the areas close to the event.

When smoke or flames occur , the patient should be transferred to another area where there is a higher level of safety. These emergencies cannot be controlled immediately as in the case of attempts, so it is common to see second intervention teams in the field and a partial assessment of the area is required.

Ecological emergency

It consists of an event produced by human activities or natural phenomena that seriously damage the components of the environment, which endangers ecosystems. An example of an ecological emergency is the spill of oil in the oceans.

General emergency

It is a kind of emergency that to be mastered requires the intervention of all emergency control teams and the tools used to control these events.

When a general emergency occurs, the affected area is evaluated and isolated, and the injured are taken to the nearest hospitals.

Generally, to try to control these emergencies, the intervention of citizens without knowledge in emergency management is needed, because these events exceed the capacity of the teams trained to combat said incidents. In these cases, a total evacuation of the affected area is proposed.

Fire emergency

This kind of emergency is generated when an area or person is damaged by fire, where there are structural lacerations, contamination of the natural environment, destruction of equipment, buildings or furniture, serious injuries and the death of people.

Health emergency

Health emergencies are those generated by the spread of pandemics or epidemics. Currently, the world is going through a health emergency due to the declaration of a pandemic caused by influenza A.

What to do in an emergency?

• Keep calm.
• Check the area to see if there is anything that could cause danger.
• If possible, ask for help from emergency agencies (red cross, fire brigade, police, etc.).
• If you are near an injured person, move them to a safe area.