EMT Chapter 39

The purpose of the incident command system (ICS) is to: A. reduce overall mortality and morbidity from large-scale mass-casualty incidents and to restore key infrastructure. B. ensure responder and public safety, achieve incident management goals, and ensure the effective use of resources. C. quickly and efficiently respond to natural disasters and terrorist incidents, regardless of the complexity of the incident. D. protect the public from the effects of large- and small-scale disasters and to minimize the financial impact from such incidents.

B. ensure responder and public safety, achieve incident management goals, and ensure the effective use of resources.

Which of the following is NOT a common role of the EMT at the scene of a HazMat incident? Rehabilitation Decontamination Transportation Triage and treatment

Decontamination

Which of the following statements regarding transport of patients from a multiple-casualty incident or disaster is correct? Delayed-priority patients should be transported five at a time. Immediate-priority patients should be transported two at a time. Walking wounded patients should be taken to the closest hospitals. Patients who are in cardiac arrest should clearly be transported first.

Immediate-priority patients should be transported two at a time.

According to the START triage system, what should you do if a patient is found to have a respiratory rate of 24 breaths/min? Open the airway and reassess breathing status. Assign the patient in the "immediate" category. Ventilate the patient for 2 minutes and reassess. Triage the patient as "expectant" and move on.

Open the airway and reassess breathing status.

Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the treatment supervisor? Primary assessment Secondary triage Patient packaging Communication with the medical branch director

Primary assessment

Interoperability, an important feature of the NIMS, refers to the ability of: the federal government to intervene during any large- or small-scale incident involving terrorism. EMS systems and fire departments in the same jurisdiction to effectively work as a team. county and state law enforcement agencies to acquire information and pass it along to EMS personnel. agencies of different types or from different jurisdictions to communicate with each other.

agencies of different types or from different jurisdictions to communicate with each other.

A carboy is a container that would MOST likely be used to store and transport: explosives. corrosives. flammable liquids. combustible materials.

corrosives

A 49-year-old man has been removed from his overturned tanker, which was carrying a hazardous material. The tank ruptured and he was exposed to the material. When rescue personnel bring him to the decontamination area, they note that he is unconscious and has slow, shallow breathing. They should: decontaminate the patient as they would any other patient and then move him to the area where EMTs are waiting. cut away all of the patient's clothing and do a rapid rinse to remove as much of the contaminating matter as they can. defer the decontamination procedure and bring the patient directly to awaiting EMS personnel for immediate treatment. request that EMS personnel don standard precautions, enter the warm zone, and begin immediate treatment of the patient.

cut away all of the patient's clothing and do a rapid rinse to remove as much of the contaminating matter as they can.

You and your partner are the first to arrive at the scene of a motor vehicle accident. As you approach the scene, you can see multiple patients, some walking and others who are still in their vehicles. You should: establish an incident command post until you are relieved of your duties. declare a multiple-casualty incident and request additional resources. begin rapidly triaging all patients before requesting additional help. immediately move all ambulatory patients to a designated area.

declare a multiple-casualty incident and request additional resources.

The process of removing or neutralizing and properly disposing of hazardous material is called: neutralization. decontamination. antidotal treatment. chemical containment.

decontamination.

During a motor vehicle collision involving multiple patients, the IC would MOST likely: maintain responsibility for all of the command functions. designate a safety officer, but retain other command functions. delegate all of the command functions to the appropriate personnel. relinquish command when a senior EMS provider arrives at the scene.

designate a safety officer, but retain other command functions.

As the first-arriving senior EMT at the scene of an incident, you should perform a scene size-up and then: establish command. begin the triage process. call for additional resources. quickly identify the walking wounded.

establish command.

Injuries or conditions that would be classified as first priority (red tag; immediate) include all of the following, EXCEPT: severe medical problems. fractures of multiple long bones. any airway or breathing difficulty. uncontrolled or severe hemorrhage.

fractures of multiple long bones.

General principles for approaching a potential HazMat incident include: parking the ambulance in a location that is upwind and downhill. taking standard precautions before entering any HazMat scene. asking for wind direction from dispatch and entering downwind. maintaining a safe distance and viewing the scene with binoculars.

maintaining a safe distance and viewing the scene with binoculars.

You and your partner arrive at the scene where a truck has crashed into a small building, injuring eight people. You immediately request additional ambulances and begin the triage process. The first patient that you triage is a young female who is unconscious and apneic. She has an open head injury and her pulse is weak and thready. You should: assess the severity of her open head injury. place a red tag on her and continue triaging. begin ventilating her with a bag-valve mask. assign her a low priority and continue triaging.

place a red tag on her and continue triaging.

You have a critically injured patient in the back of your ambulance, ready to be transported. There are other injured patients at the scene and it will be approximately 10 minutes before other ambulances will arrive. Law enforcement personnel are at the scene. You should: transport the critically injured patient to a trauma center. direct a police officer to monitor the patients as you transport. remain at the scene until at least one other ambulance arrives. assign the least injured patient the task of caring for the others.

remain at the scene until at least one other ambulance arrives.

A level 4 hazardous material: causes temporary damage or injury unless prompt medical care is provided. requires protective gear to ensure that no part of the skin's surface is exposed. is mildly toxic but still requires the use of a self-contained breathing apparatus. requires specialized gear designed for protection against that particular hazard.

requires specialized gear designed for protection against that particular hazard.

According to the JumpSTART triage system, infants or children not developed enough to walk or follow commands, including children with special needs: are treated immediately in the primary triage area and then transported. are initially triaged on the basis of whether or not they have distal pulses. should be taken to the treatment area for immediate secondary triage. are the first to be transported, regardless of the severity of their injuries.

should be taken to the treatment area for immediate secondary triage.

The reference used as a base for your initial actions at a HazMat incident is: the bill of lading. your local EMS protocols. the material safety data sheet (MSDS). the Emergency Response Guidebook.

the Emergency Response Guidebook.

The MOST appropriate location to park your ambulance at a HazMat incident is: downwind at least 200 feet from the scene. downhill at least 100 feet from the incident. uphill at least 25 feet from the incident site. upwind at least 100 feet from the incident.

upwind at least 100 feet from the incident.