How do ambulance personnel experience work at a disaster site?

Working at a major accident site is a complex matter where knowledge from various fields must be put into practice. In addition, the different situations at emergency and disaster sites place a variety of demands on personnel, equipment and organization. The aim of the present study is to investigate how the ambulance personnel perceived their own action and the functioning of the whole emergency organization at a major accident site (large discotheque fire) in 1998. Working from a list obtained from the fire department, a questionnaire with 57 questions was sent to the personnel (n = 36) who had participated at the accident site either as ambulance crew members or as members of a medical team sent out from the hospital. The response rate was 80 per cent. Despite the extreme situation, most of the ambulance personnel involved were satisfied with their own preparedness as well as the medical and nursing care performed at the site. Those who where not satisfied reported that the main reason for dissatisfaction was lack of time to calm and comfort people who were not injured or had only minor injuries. The need of more medical support for the medical team members at the site was also emphasized with regard to the care of the severely injured. The ambulance service crews from the suburbs, in comparison with the local city rescue service, were, in general, less satisfied with the co-operation from other rescue units.