In the minutes and hours immediately following a mass casualty chemical incident, individuals involved in the incident may seek recovery resources. Family members will gather where they believe they can locate or receive information about their loved ones (e.g., hospitals, designated reunification centers, incident site). Individuals involved in the incident may immediately seek assistance from all available sources: social and traditional media, emergency hotlines and call centers, hospitals, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, shelters, and the morgue/medical examiner/coroner. The needs of families and of survivors will vary and can best be met by establishing a call center and a reception center for collecting and providing information and services. These centers should be supported by subject matter experts in the particulars of chemical incident response to ensure provision of appropriate and correct information. Additional staff, possibly including HazMat and/or chemical SME, may be necessary to fulfill center needs for ready, reliable, and understandable information in a chemical incident.
Depending on the release scenario, information and human services centers of various types may be established in proximity to an area affected by a chemical incident. The locations of and the operational protocols used in these centers should reflect HazMat and chemical SME recommendations for protecting human and environmental health and avoiding the spread of contamination. As with shelters, centers also may not be equipped to serve humans and animals that were not decontaminated at the primary event location.
Different types of centers may be needed during and after a chemical incident to provide information (including chemical incident-specific information) and human services support to those affected by the incident:48,67
- Hospital Family Information Centers/Family Support Centers (FICs/FSCs) are healthcare facility-based locations that provide initial support to families arriving after the incident, assisting with reunification, notification, and providing information. (Some hospitals may use the terms Family Staging Area, Family Assistance Area, or Family Meeting Area.) These support functions move to a Family Reception Center (FRC) and/or Family Assistance Center (FAC) once opened.
- Family Reception Centers (FRCs) are centralized, temporary locations set up immediately post-incident for families and friends seeking trusted/official sources of information about loved ones. These centers are the responsibility of the affected jurisdiction; the lead agency will vary based on incident details and could be local police, fire, or emergency management, or a state or federal agency. The FRC may not have services available for families and should transition to FACs as soon as possible. (The term Family Reunification Center may be used.)
- Family Assistance Centers (FACs) are secure facilities, often established 24-48 hours after an incident, that provide information about missing or unaccounted persons and the deceased, and serve as a private “one-stop shop” of services for affected populations. FACs may offer assistance with mental health, spiritual care, and a variety of other short- and longer-term needs. Effective communication between agencies responsible for the provision of family assistance services is necessary to ensure efficient delivery of those services by identifying needs and coordinating/managing resource requests, especially when multiple FACs are opened; such coordination should be part of Incident Command activities. Depending on the incident, different agencies may be responsible for FAC activation; the American Red Cross (ARC) often supports the lead agency. Law enforcement investigations, including interviews and evidence investigations, may be ongoing at a FAC.
- Hotlines/Call Centers built upon existing capabilities like 311 may also be set up quickly, and are well-positioned to expand rapidly as needed. In the minutes and hours following a mass casualty incident, prior to the opening of FSCs/FRCs/FACs, the needs of family members seeking information on the status of their loved ones, or those reporting a missing loved one, can be met by a call center designed to collect and provide information.
Family reception centers (FRCs) operate for a few days while family assistance centers (FACs) may be in operation for 1-3 weeks. Center management should consider assisting with longer term plans to provide continued support and assistance to families once they depart the FAC.67 Service provision hotlines may be established to provide mental health support, logistic support, emergency assistance services, legal services, and other information after the FAC is closed; they can also serve families that cannot (or choose not to) travel to the site. Voluntary organizations, including Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs), are often integral to the continued provision of human services throughout the recovery period and the efficient and effective attainment of recovery outcomes.
Footnotes
48. Centers for Disease Control. (2014). Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
67. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020, September 8). Preparedness Public Health Emergency: Disaster Behavioral Health. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.