Types of Emergencies
Rescue professionals must plan and prepare to respond to multiple types of emergencies which could include:
- Single or multiple victims
- Entrapments (vehicle, house, dam, strainer, undercut, or foot)
- Recreational (boating, swimming, or aquatic sports)
- Animal rescue
- Flat water (ponds/lakes)
- Moving water (streams and rivers)
- Swift water and flash flooding
- Ice
- Tides
- Mud—Some areas are always prone to mud because of slope, soil conditions, and drainage. These could include industrial sites where water is used as part of a manufacturing process or for the generation of power, or pits where contaminated water is stored.
- Hazmat—All water should be considered polluted. Water-borne illnesses include Giardia, meningitis, and hepatitis, just to name a few. Raw sewage, chemicals, or petroleum products may be dumped illegally by individuals or from industrial sites.
- Criminal—All scenes should be considered a potential crime scene until proven otherwise. Individuals use water as places to dispose of evidence from a crime. Some areas are common sites for suicides.
- Homeland Security and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incidents—Large recreational events (regattas, festivals, sporting events, etc.) draw many people. These events can be soft targets for terrorists.