Abstract

The case report "Lassing Mining Accident" reviews a multi-agency response to a multiple casualty incident in which many problems developed due to the lack of any pre-disaster mutual aid agreements which would have aided in coordinating the response.

Incident Command System

The decription of the Lassing mining accident reviews a multi-agency response to a multiple casualty incident in which many problems developed due to the lack of any pre-disaster mutual aid agreements which would have aided in coordinating the response. In the 1970s, California (USA) experienced a series of wildland fires in which several problems were identified:

• nonstandard terminology among responders,

• lack of ability to expand and contract as required by the needs of the incident,

• communications that were not standardized or integrated,

• lack of consolidation of action plans and

• lack of designated facilities (FEMA, 1998, Basic Incident Command System Self Study Course).

In response to these problems the Incident Command System was developed. If you are interested in learning more about this system, please read Incident Command System by Jim Stumpf of the National Association of Search and Rescue in this issue of the Internet Journal of Rescue and Disaster Medicine.