Police officers’ vulnerability as a challenge for chemical disaster medical support

Processes of industrialization and globalization lead to increase of chemical incidents of various magnitude. Toxicity of the great majority of chemical elements and compounds applied in industrial processes, causes imminent threat to the affected population. Police officers are those responsible for safeguarding the area of chemical damage. The aim of this study is to analyze police officers’ vulnerability in case of chemical disasters that pose a specific challenge towards medical support. By the means of descriptive method hazards to the police officers health are presented. Comparative and deductive analysis are performed in order to assess policemen vulnerability in case of chemical area of damage. Cluster analysis is applied for medical support challenges related to the measured vulnerability levels. Based on analyses of the last years’ chemical incidents the main risk factors leading to increase vulnerability are listed. The significance of personal protective equipment in case of chemical incidents is well known by the policemen that in most of the cases are the first entering in contact with the casualties. In most of the cases they have no background information. This requirement for extremely rapid and detailed incident assessment is the prerequisite to chemically affected policemen reduction. Unfortunately, few of the training programs include chemical threat assessment. The review and analyses of chemical incidents where policemen became casualties highlights the requirement for broaden medical training for the police officers.