@article{ref1,
title="Are we ready for mass fatality incidents? Preparedness of the US mass fatality infrastructure",
journal="Disaster medicine and public health preparedness",
year="2015",
author="Merrill, Jacqueline A. and Orr, Mark and Chen, Daniel Y. and Zhi, Qi and Gershon, Robyn R. M.",
volume="10",
number="1",
pages="87-97",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To assess the preparedness of the US mass fatality infrastructure, we developed and tested metrics for 3 components of preparedness: organizational, operational, and resource sharing networks. <br><br>METHODS: In 2014, data were collected from 5 response sectors: medical examiners and coroners, the death care industry, health departments, faith-based organizations, and offices of emergency management. Scores were calculated within and across sectors and a weighted score was developed for the infrastructure. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 879 respondents reported highly variable organizational capabilities: 15% had responded to a mass fatality incident (MFI); 42% reported staff trained for an MFI, but only 27% for an MFI involving hazardous contaminants. Respondents estimated that 75% of their staff would be willing and able to respond, but only 53% if contaminants were involved. Most perceived their organization as somewhat prepared, but 13% indicated &quot;not at all.&quot; Operational capability scores ranged from 33% (death care industry) to 77% (offices of emergency management). Network capability analysis found that only 42% of possible reciprocal relationships between resource-sharing partners were present. The cross-sector composite score was 51%; that is, half the key capabilities for preparedness were in place. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The sectors in the US mass fatality infrastructure report suboptimal capability to respond. National leadership is needed to ensure sector-specific and infrastructure-wide preparedness for a large-scale MFI. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;0:1-11).<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1935-7893",
doi="10.1017/dmp.2015.135",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.135"
}