LIFE-SUPPORT IN EMERGENCIES

During large-scale emergencies tens and even hundreds of thousands of people can appear without housing, water, food, and medical care. At the same time even a 20-30 hour delay may essentially impair people's survival under extreme conditions. Therefore, the actions aimed at primary life-support of the affected population should be taken simultaneously with rescue work and rendering medical aid to the victims. It must be done at least not later than within 8-10 hours after the start of the emergency relief operation.

Previously, there were no special forces for prompt organizing primary life-support of the population. Such units were to be formed and provided with equipment adequate for the purpose, tactics of application, and the conditions of functioning in emergency areas. Nowadays these units are mobile units with qualified personnel and modem equipment.

The mobile units play a significant role in emergency zones, particularly if the territorial life-support systems have been destroyed or in regions of temporary accommodation of the evacuated population the capacity of the local life-support system is not sufficient. These units also act in quarantine zones, in the zones of bacteriological contamination, in field camps of refugees and evacuees.

The mobile units may be of three types: non-military, paramilitary and military ones. It does not seem that the first type requires any explanation. The second type is a unit whose personnel is recruited from civilian persons on the volunteer basis. The personnel of military mobile units are conscripts. The servicemen serve on contract. Such units are well-controlled, which makes it possible to maintain them on permanent standby for pushing out to an emergency area or relocation. These units seem to be the most universal. Depending on their tasks, structure, and tactical characteristics of their equipment, the main tactical units of primary life-support of the population include a motor battalion, a life-support train and an airmobile group.

The facilities to support functioning mobile life-support units are made in the form of independent modules such as communications and control, fuel and power supply, repair and maintenance, and engineering.

According to the promptness of their arrival at an emergency area and setting up their module equipment there, the mobile life-support force can be used in three echelons.

The first echelon should be able to come to an emergency zone within the first day after occurrence of the emergency but not later than within 16 hours and the mobile life-support forces should be able to independently tackle the problems of primary life-support of the affected population.

For the second and the third echelons the terms are not later than 22 hours and within 36 hours after the beginning of the emergency. Primary life-support should be performed by the units and facilities mostly of the first echelon, which must provide the population with all essentials for satisfying the minimal physiological demands for survival under extreme conditions.

The subsequent improvement of the living conditions of the affected population is the task of the life-support force of the second and third echelons.

1. Внимательно прочитайте весь текст. Не пользуясь словарём, постарайтесь определить его общее содержание.

2. Найдите в тексте информацию:

a) о мобильных подразделениях;

b) o средствах поддержки жизнеобеспечения мобильных подразделений;

c) об эшелонах мобильных подразделений.

3. Переведите текст. Значение незнакомых слов постарайтесь определить по контексту, по составу слова и т. д. При необходимости используйте словарь.

4. Ответьте на вопросы:

1) Что представляют собой мобильные подразделения?

2) Какие виды мобильных подразделений различают?

3) Сколько эшелонов мобильных подразделений существует?

4) В чë м состоит разница между эшелонами мобильных подразделений?

5. Скажите, какую информацию Вы извлекли из текста.

6. Передайте краткое содержание текса на английском языке.