Comments on: Complicating a numbers game: SAR, emergency preparedness, and how we should spend our resources

By: Michael Keizer

Michael Keizer — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 07:28:30 +0000

I asked a similar question, but sadly never received an answer. I have also tried to find some literature myself, but what I have been able to find was all very technology-oriented with not much about the more institutional side.

Is CIDA working on this? If so, I (and many others) would love to hear what you will come up with.

By: Seanagh O'Meara

Seanagh O'Meara — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:23:51 +0000

Is there relevant literature? I have spent two days trying to find such documentation and have enjoyed limited success thus far. I would love to see some detailed statistics on the costs of deploying and maintaining USAR teams in a variety of situations; lessons learned from past deployments; and findings and recommendations for various stake-holders.

By: Michael Keizer

Michael Keizer — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:27:41 +0000

@Tim Ogden Ì think you misunderstand my argument. If you don't mind me altering your own words a bit, this would be the correct way of describing it: “The lives of of potential future victims of urban disasters (who would not be rescued by well-trained SAR services because of resources devoted to health efforts in Haiti), not only in the 'first world' but just as much in developing countries who could send SAR teams for this sort of real-life experience, are as valuable as the lives of potential current Haitian patients.” I am not saying that this, by itself, would have the scales dip in favour of doing this, just that ignoring this part of the 'equation' is short-sighted. In any case, I think @Ursula L's argument, about the emotional side-effects, is even more cogent. I still think it does not automatically lead to the conclusion that we should continue with SAR as we do now, but I do think that the case against it, as it is presented now, is often overly simplistic.

By: Tim Ogden

Tim Ogden — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:43:30 +0000

The comment about the usefulness of sending SAR teams for “training” purposes makes me feel even worse about sending SAR teams. That logic, boiled down, is: “The lives of current Haitians (who are not receiving medical attention because of resources devoted to SAR) are less valuable than the lives of potential future first world victims of urban disasters.”

In all aid, but especially in emergencies, it comes down to limited resources: money, time, runway space, fuel, etc.

Let’s hope that we are getting better at the trade-offs between uses of those resources over time, and not just better at either papering over or ineffectually complaining about those trade-offs.

By: A Humourless Lot» Humourless links for March 3, 2010 – Logistics for global health and aid

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:51:34 +0000

[...] preparedness has come up more than once on this blog. Luckily I am not the only one to pay attention to it, but why is the call for better [...]

By: Michael Keizer

Michael Keizer — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:03:36 +0000

@Eric K. Noji, M.D. "Gauging by the less than knowledgeable comments in this forum, what is discouraging to me is how few of the lessons of past major SAR operations have been institutionalized. The challenge is how to translate the results of research to policy makers, funding agencies and to well-meaning medical volunteers." One way to start would be by pointing us to relevant literature; and perhaps even by giving a summary of these findings. You would be very welcome to do so in a featured post instead of the comments section if you would prefer so.

By: Eric K. Noji, M.D.

Eric K. Noji, M.D. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:20:27 +0000

The questions and comments above have been raised ad nauseum after every major event since the Mexico City earthquake in 1985 (first major international deployment of teams specialized in building collapse SAR). A voluminous amount of research has been conducted on the issue of survivability in building collapse and cost-benefit of deployment of HUSAR. Published in both scientific journals as well as training manuals. Hundreds of major conferences, forums, symposia on these issues since the mid-1980s. Gauging by the less than knowledgeable comments in this forum, what is discouraging to me is how few of the lessons of past major SAR operations have been institutionalized. The challenge is how to translate the results of research to policy makers, funding agencies and to well-meaning medical volunteers.

By: Michael Keizer

Michael Keizer — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:52:29 +0000

@cynan_sez
Actually, it looks like the issue is getting some traction: http://alertnet.org/db/blogs/60725/2010/00/25-164739-1.htm

By: Michael Keizer

Michael Keizer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:15:20 +0000

@cynan_sez Luckily, we are not alone in our call for more coordination for the press.

By: Haiti Earthquake Issues- A Reader « WanderLust

Haiti Earthquake Issues- A Reader « WanderLust — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:07:32 +0000

[...] to the Haiti quake, aid logistician Michael Keizer gives a great overview here. He also gives a good response to my earlier post on the economics of Search and Rescue [...]