Critical_Management

Critical Incident Management Patricia Gacho Critical Incident Management/CJA 560 March 21, 2010 Patrick Cote Critical Incident Management Since the attack on America on September 11, 2001, many security agencies as well as firefighters and police have begun using a scenario-based police that will allow these workers to understand and follow specific rules to maintain order during a critical incident. Included in this paper will be what critical incident management is, and how using scenario-based planning will benefit justice and security organizations. Definition of Critical Incident Critical incident management is defined as any traumatic event, or the threat of an event that could cause harm to a person or endanger the well-being of a person. These events are normally sudden and powerful but are outside the range of normal human experiences and can have a strong emotional and physical effect on the person involved (Blum, 2005). This incident can cause extreme stress, fear or injury to a person who is witnessing the event, or has been injured in the event. These events can be much smaller in scale. A critical incident can be caused by human action, such as the bombing of a building or a natural phenomenon, such as a hurricane or tornado (Blum, 2005). On a smaller scale, an event can be anything from a car accident to the death of a family member (Blum, 2005). A critical incident is also described as an interruption from a normal state of functioning. An example of this can be the attack on the United States (US) on September 11, 2001. This event took away the ability of citizens to function in a normal everyday way. The shock of the attack created fear in people, causing avoidance of stairwells and elevators; even being on an upper floor of a large skyscraper. Negative effects from a critical incident in the workplace can contribute to lower levels of productivity, poor performance, higher absenteeism rate, an increase in turnover, alcohol and drug abuse, and low morale (Blum, 2005). Critical Incident Stress Management Critical incident stress management (CISM) is a way of providing counseling, consisting of debriefing those who have been involved in a traumatic event (Skybrary, n.d.). This type of counseling consists of a number of crisis intervention components, including but not limited to pre-crisis phase into the post-crisis phase. CISM is also considered comprehensive because the variety of interventions will work not only on individuals, but also on small and large groups, family members, entire organizations and entire communities in that it consists of interventions which may be applied to individuals, small functional groups, large groups, families, organizations, and even communities (Medicinenet, n.d.). Scenario Based Planning Scenario-based planning is visualizing a process of what disastrous events are probable or what conditions will be in the event of a disaster. Developing a useful scenario is one of the most important tools being used during the management of emergency or possible emergency situations. Using a scenario, an organization can create the necessary actions that need to be taken in the even of a critical incident. Scenario planning should answer what effects a disaster would have on an organization and any consequences felt from the disaster such as a company closing, the inability of being able to deliver product, and even the loss of employees (Businessdictionary, n.d.). The immediate learning using a scenario based plan would be how the organization would respond to the incident (Businessdictionary, n.d.). Returning to the time before the critical incident occurred is the main objective of critical incident stress management (Skybrary, n.d.). CISM also works toward removing negative thoughts that occurred during the incident (Skybrary, n.d.). By removing these negative thoughts and emotions, a person or an organization benefits as normal functioning can once again happen (Skybrary, n.d.). The victim of a critical incident or a person that has witnessed a critical incident may attend group discussions to help alleviate some of the stress and regain coping skills (Skybrary, n.d.). Even though there are times that these discussions are run by Mental Health Professionals with CISM experience, it is important to remember that these treatments should not be considered psycho-therapeutic treatments (Skybrary, n.d.). Conclusion A family member passing away; a car accident; being a witness to a crime; or being a victim of a crime all have one thing in common. Each is considered a critical incident and can have a negative effect on the person involved. Critical incidents can upset work flow, cause poor performance, higher absenteeism rate, and increased turnover in an organization. Having a critical incident plan in place is important, and all members of the organization should be aware of the necessary steps to take during a crisis. Using a scenario will help the organization depict what can happen during an event as well as what steps need to be taken to bring the organization back to a normal status. References Blum, Dorothy (2005, May 1). All Business. The EAP critical incident continuum: using a continuum of services to assist management and employees in responding to a workplace disaster enables EA professionals to support business continuity and employee recovery. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workplace-health-safety/405240-1.html Businessdictionary.com (n.d.) Scenario Planning. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/scenario-planning.html Skybrary.com (n.d.) Critical Incident Stress Management. Retrieved from http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Critical_Incident_Stress_Management