Disaster Types
An event occurring within the healthcare facility that disrupts operations (e.g. fire, power outage).
What is an internal disaster?
Green-tagged patients are often directed to do this helpful activity while waiting for treatment in mass casualty incidents.
What is assist with other patients or "buddy care"?
This color tag is given to "walking wounded" patients and is used for patients who have minor injuries and can wait for treatment.
The area with contaminants present
What is the "hot zone" in decontamination?
In the START triage system, this is the first assessment you perform to determine patient priority.
What is the ability to walk/mobility?
This potentially life-threatening condition occurs when body temperature drops below 95°F (35°C).
What is hypothermia?
Natural disasters (earthquake, hurricane) or human-caused (terrorism, mass shootings).
What is an external disaster?
In the START triage system, an unresponsive patient who isn't breathing after you open their airway receives this tag color.
What is black?
This is the color tag given to a patient who is deceased or expected to die with limited resources.
The zone that healthcare workers perform decontamination procedures in.
What is the warm zone?
Patients tagged with this color in mass casualty triage are classified as "expectant" and receive comfort measures only.
What is Black?
This is the most common and earliest symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning.
What is headache?
Protect self and others by preventing contamination and providing supportive care.
What is the main nursing priority in a bioterrorism event?
This color triage tag indicates a patient needs immediate life-saving interventions.
What is a red tag?
Example: Given to a patient with open fractures & weak pulse.
Two decontamination steps for chemical exposure
What are remove clothing and rinse skin thoroughly?
In mass casualty triage, a respiratory rate greater than this number would classify an adult patient as immediate (red) priority.
What is 30 breaths per minute?
This environmental emergency presents with symptoms of confusion, hot dry skin, and core temperature above 104°F (40°C).
What is heat stroke?
Multi-casualty can be managed by local resources; mass casualty overwhelms them.
What is the difference between multi-casualty and mass casualty events?
The first two things you assess in START triage
What are respirations and perfusion?
This prevents secondary contamination of responders
What is the purpose of PPE during decontamination?
This rare but serious condition occurs when skeletal muscle rapidly breaks down and releases myoglobin into the bloodstream following crush injuries.
What is rhabdomyolysis?
This winter emergency causes more deaths annually in the U.S. than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.
What is hypothermia?
A standardized approach to emergency response ensuring coordination and efficiency.
What is the Incident Command System (ICS)?
In most triage systems, if a patient cannot follow simple commands, they are automatically placed in this category if they have adequate respirations.
What is immediate/red?
Isolation of exposed patients and using proper waste disposal
What is how hospitals prevent cross-contamination after a bioterrorism attack?
In a chemical mass casualty incident, patients should ideally undergo this process before entering the treatment area.
What is decontamination?
In radiation emergencies, this time-based principle guides safe exposure limits for first responders.
What is time/distance/shielding or the inverse square law?