What is a major incident?
Defining a major incident is difficult but it will involve having a serious effect on a number of people even if it’s not ‘headline news’.
A major incident can be defined as an unexpected event threatening a large number of casualties that requires special arrangements by one or more of the emergency services, the NHS or local authority.
‘A major incident is beyond the scope of business-as-usual operations, and is likely to involve serious harm, damage, disruption or risk to human life or welfare, essential services the environment or national security’.
It is important to note that the severity of consequences associated with a major incident are likely to constrain or complicate the ability of responders to resource and manage the incident, although a major incident is unlikely to affect all responders equally.
(Source: revised definition of a UK major incident 20th July 2016 Roger Gomm Cabinet Office 2b).
The World Health Organisation defines a disaster as:
'A severe disruption, ecological and psychosocial, which greatly exceeds the coping capacity of the affected community.'
Whilst there is very little research on the mental health impact of pandemics, there are:
- Emerging lessons from COVID-19 management across the world.
- Some data from the SARS outbreak.
- Many other principles of good practice from other disasters.
The particular ongoing nature of the threat and the extent of the impact of pandemics pose particular challenges.
Major incidents are usually sudden and unexpected. Additionally, people involved are likely to have been in fear for their lives or to have witnessed others being maimed or killed. Such dreadful experiences cause all sorts of feelings including terror, shock, anger, and powerlessness. Often in the chaos of the incident family and friends can become separated causing further panic and there is a sense of the ‘world being upside down’ adding to feelings of confusion and disbelief.
Examples of major incidents
- School shooting.
- Terrorist attack.
- Nuclear power incident.
- Fire in a large building.
- Large scale flooding.
- Epidemic or pandemic of disease.
- Train crash.
- Rioting.
- Aeroplane crash.
Examples of serious incidents
- Large road traffic accident.
- A death at a large public event.
- Nuclear power incident.
Some things to think about
Let yourself be aware of how you are feeling reading this information.
- Are you thinking about situations you have been in or what you think could happen?
- Are you thinking about how you might cope or about someone you know who has experienced this kind of trauma?