Search and Rescue After an Earthquake

Editor's note: The Community Emergency Preparedness Academy is an eight-week program in Aliso Viejo that teaches residents what to do in an emergency. Each week we will provide tips and information from the sessions. The workshop began Feb. 8.

After an earthquake, looking for people in the rubble could be risky.

Heavily populated areas, such as universities, movie theaters and schools are considered high-risk areas and will be the first priority of firefighters and rescuers. This week's class focused on basic search and rescue operations and how to find people under the rubble of buildings.

"The No. 1 priority on any incident is keeping safe," said Capt. Mike Schroeder of the Orange County Fire Authority.

Facilities with high numbers of people will be the first priority during a rescue. According to Schroeder, saving 100 people is better than saving one, so residents must be ready to help themselves.

"Nobody dies for bushes, bricks or bunnies," Schroeder said. "I will only put myself in harm's way if someone is in danger."

When arriving on site, follow these basic rules to prepare and understand the situation:

1. Gather facts
2. Assess the damage
3. Consider probabilities
4. Assess your situation
5. Establish priorities
6. Make a choice
7. Develop a plan
8. Take action
9. Evaluate progress

During a rescue, the most important person is you. Put your personal safety above everything else.

"Do you want to bring chaos to chaos? No, you're a trained citizen now and should help," said Schroeder.

Another good practice during a disaster is to take leadership and assign roles to other citizens.    

"In an emergency incident, one of the best things you can do is speak calmly," said Schroeder. "If they are completely freaking out, give them a simple task to get them to be part of the solution so they can calm down."

During a rescue, it is a good idea to consider the time, date and the location of the incident. For example, at 10 a.m. on a school day, many children could be trapped inside the school. That location would then become a high-priority area. On the other hand, if it was 3 a.m. at the same school when the disaster occurred, that building would not be a priority. Never attempt a rescue operation if a building is heavily damaged or moderately damaged with the possibility of becoming heavily damaged.

"The city went absolutely berserk during the last storms," Schroeder said. "We went from call to call to call."

Here are some tips on how to assess and communicate damage:

1. Take a lap around the building to check for survivors.
2. Ask yourself, "Is damage beyond my team's capability?"
3. Determine what type of communications are available.

"You are kind of like MacGyver during these situations," Schroeder said. "You have to use what you have in order to survive. It is imperative to have tools to help disentangle people."