Incidents Caused by Fire and Toxic Gas

Abstract

Planning for major incidents includes knowledge of and routines for mastering the effects of thermal injury. It is important to realize that such skills are not only needed in large isolated fires but are important in other types of incidents as well because burn injuries may be present among other injuries. When describing modern planning for response to major burn incidents, it is important to be aware that modern burn care has changed significantly as medical progress has been made within this field, especially during the last decades. This implies that modern management of major burn injuries also has changed, which underlines the need for proper planning, management, and training. Addressing such issues, this chapter also describes other facts with implications for burn disaster management. One is that the incidence and prevalence of burns are declining and have been approximately 30% for the last 20 years, and burn care is concomitantly being centralized in many parts of the western world. Consequently, medical staff at different levels of care throughout various countries will have less practical experience in the field of burns. The described changes have implications for the modern management of major burn incidents. Lastly, an increased international cooperation and exchange of ideas have made burn care more global, especially when those injured in recent accidents have been transported between countries over long distances.