Disasters and Major Incidents
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X7805100206 |
| Date | 01 April 1978 |
| Published date | 01 April 1978 |
| Author | Brian E. Fisher |
| Subject Matter | Article |
SUPERINTENDENT
BRIAN
E.
FISHER,
M.B.E.
The last in the Series
of
three articles by the
Emergency Planning Officer
of
the City
of
London Police
DISASTERS
AND
MAJOR
INCIDENTS
CONTINGENCY PLANNING-TRAINING OF PERSONNEL,
EXERCISES AND STUDIES
Once a plan of intervention for major incidents has been prepared,
it is necessary to train personnel in the content of the plan, the
methods of implementing it and the specialist skills and procedures
in relation to equipment for use at such an incident.
Unlike most training we are, in this instance, concerned with
instructing personnel in procedures relating to situations that have
probably never occurred before and which individuals cannot readily
envisage occurring in the foreseeable future. Thus the instructor is
immediately faced with a natural lack of interest and unwillingness
on the part of the student to accept that what he is being taught is
necessary.
It
follows that careful and indeed novel forms of pre-
sentation are required if the interest of students is to be developed.
Having been closely involved in such training for the past eight
years I have found that, until an area has experienced a major
incident, interest of personnel is extremely lacking. My own force
area has, however, been faced with a number of major incidents in
recent years and as a result students are now enthusiastically receptive
to being taught their duties and roles in such an emergency. Further-
more, there is now no difficulty in convincing senior officers of the
need for such training. Before the spate of incidents there was very
much an ostrich approach to the subject with a failure to accept that
the major incident required special procedures and techniques to be
adopted.
Sitting a student in a classroom or lecture hall day after day and
speaking on the theoretical policies behind incident planning is bound
to create disinterest by him. Wherever possible there must be a
physical participation by the student and he must be given
an
opportunity to exercise his own thoughts and knowledge on the
subject.
Take rescue techniques as an example. Whilst rescue is not a main
task of police it is desirable that they have a working knowledge of
the subject in order that they can, if necessary, intervene properly in
advance of the arrival of the designated rescue services. A short
period of instruction in the classroom, followed by a lengthy period
April 1978 196
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