The world got astonished by the attack during the Boston marathons last week. A huge number of people had turned up looking forward to a great day in the world of sports, fans had dressed in various colors and gamblers had already put bets on who was to win. No one was prepared for a terrorist attack except for the police, who were there to keep peace but who were not expecting a thing to go wrong.
Sniffer dogs were everywhere but the terrorist or the group of terrorists managed to trick all the enforcers of peace. The first round was okay, and fans were busy humming, cheering Capella in jubilation.
The atmosphere was filled with an aura of happiness just before the unexpected happened. The first blast spread panic among people around, while the second signified hysteria; people started to run helter-skelter, and it was upon the emergency workers to save the day.
The police tried to push the crowd away from the sight, while the doctors in all hospitals dropped their appointments to cater for the many affected by these terrible blasts. The firefighters took their trucks with a mission to rescue those affected. Sirens could be heard as the ambulances were driving fast towards the sight ready to ferry the injured to the awaiting doctors.
The military also joined in trying to usher the crowd away from the sight and give way to the firefighters. However, people got confused and critical time was wasted during the operation. When one of the soldiers was interviewed, he stressed on public education in regards to âhow to act when faced with an emergency.â The soldiers resorted to tearing down the fence to give way for the estranged crowd.
Bodies and body parts were scattered all over the place, the injured could be heard moaning in pain. Mothers didnât know where their children were and vice versa.
Some emergency workers who had quickly arrived for the rescue operation were also affected, since their families included those who had attended the celebrated event. âAs much as these emergency workers are professionally trained, it does not stop them from being humanâ (Kalman 122). They are just men and women who have dedicated their lives to save others.
Resources were a major challenge; as much as the paramedics were prepared to give first aid to the injured, there werenât enough ambulances on the site. It was also reported that in one of the hospitals a doctor was handling more patients than it was allowed. Thus, the government should think about increasing the number of medics.
The bomb squad didnât have enough equipment to find the cause of the blast or to prevent another. Most people at the scene were expecting the third attack; it was only out of sheer luck that it didnât occur. If only these men and women had all the equipment they needed, maybe the three who died would have lived to tell their story.
âIt is only when disaster strikes that we realize how unprepared we are; thus every disaster should be treated as a warning of what may happen caught up again in a maze of unpreparednessâ (Kalman 158).
We may not prevent a bomb from detonating, but are we prepared well enough to save the lives of those affected? If the emergency rescue workers had enough resources, maybe the number of casualties in either natural or fabricated disasters would be less. At the same time, if only the public was taught how to react in case of an emergency situation, maybe rescue workers would have an easier time.
Works Cited
Kalman, Bobbie. Hospital Workers in the Emergency Room. USA: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2005
Kalman, Bobbie. Emergency Workers Are on Their Way! USA: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2005