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Research Article: Situation awareness of emergency response centre personnel during chemical incidents: an interview study in a Swedish context

Date Published: 2023-06-14

Abstract:
Objectives If a chemical incident occurs, the emergency response centre (ERC) personnel are the first that are notified. They need to quickly attain situation awareness, based on the information from the caller, in order to dispatch the correct emergency units. The aim of this study is to examine the situation awareness of the personnel working at ERCs—how they perceive, comprehend, project and act during chemical incidents. Methods Semi-structured individual interviews with 12 participants from the Swedish ERCs were performed. The interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results Three categories of responses were identified. Responses focused on the complexity of identifying chemical incidents, the importance of ensuring the safety of citizens and personnel of emergency organisations and the situation-based dispatch of organisations. Conclusions The correct identification of the chemical incident and the involved chemical by the ERC personnel are necessary in order to notify, inform and dispatch the correct units, as well as to ensure the safety of citizens and emergency personnel. More research is needed about the dichotomies of the ERC personnel needing as much information as possible for everyone’s safety versus their responsibility for the safety of the caller as well as between using emergency dispatch index interview guides and trusting their gut feeling.

Introduction:
Worldwide, large quantities of chemical substances are produced, transported and used, making incidents probable. 1 2 Incidents can result from human error or poor maintenance of equipment used for manufacturing and storage. 3 Incidents can include fires, explosions, leaks and spills and structural collapse. 3 Chemical incidents involving the uncontrolled release of toxic substances can potentially lead to injury or death of exposed persons, as well as harm the environment. 1 A previous chemical incident that…

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