Earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves.
Tsunami
A tsunami also called a tsunami wave train, and at one time incorrectly referred to as a tidal wave, is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, though it can occur in large lakes.
Tornado
A tornado (often referred to as a twister or, erroneously, a cyclone) is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.
Floods
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water
Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanoes can cause widespread destruction and consequent disaster through several ways. The effects include the volcanic eruption itself that may cause harm following the explosion of the volcano or the fall of rock.
Avalanche Organized rescue
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Professional and volunteer rescue teams respond when a victim needs more help than their companions can provide. Traditionally, organized rescue responded after companion rescue efforts failed. However, today, thanks to mobile telephones, helicopters and snow-machines, the distinction between organized and companion rescue sometimes blur together as organized rescue can respond quickly to assist companions. In a some cases in recent years, organized rescue has even replaced companion rescue and saved lives when organized rescue teams reached the debris before the victim's companions.
There are four primary goals of any rescue operation and in organized rescue the goals can be initiated simultaneously.
- Immediate search: get rescuers to the site; find and uncover buried victims.
- Medical: care for victims and companions
- Transport/evacuation: transport rescuers in quickly and safely; get victims out and to advanced medical care; return rescuers safely
- Support/Logistics: care for rescuers in the field (food, shelter, rest and replacement)
Immediate search
The first teams travel fast and light to locate and uncover buried victims. These teams carry basic rescue equipment, including rescue dogs and RECCO detectors, and emergency-care gear. These rescuers are generally not equipped for prolonged operations.
Medical
While the immediate search teams carry some basic medical equipment, a special team that can provide advanced life-support follows quickly. This team usually includes paramedic, trauma nurse, or physician, and may also transport in a rescue toboggan and other equipment needed to revive, stabilize, protect and transport their patient.
Transport/evacuation
Upon the first alert of an avalanche incident the rescue leader will appoint a team to arrange transportation for both rescuers and patients.
Support/logistics
Rescue leaders will assess the complexity of the search and rescue operation to determine and anticipate the needs for support. Every incident is different depending upon the number of victims, avalanche danger, weather conditions, terrain, access, availability of rescuers, etc. Support includes getting appropriate resources of people and equipment, transporting the resources, caring for and replacing rescuers.
In the United States all agencies are mandated to manage search and rescue operations, including avalanche, under the Incident Command System (ICS).
