PSI Emergency Response & Crisis Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a mass casualty incident, which triage tag color is assigned to patients who are deceased or have unsurvivable injuries?
- Red
- Yellow
- Black (Correct answer)
- Green
Correct answer: Black
Black tags in the START triage system designate deceased or expectant patients with unsurvivable injuries who will not receive immediate treatment.
Question 2: A public safety instructor is teaching the Incident Command System (ICS). What is the maximum recommended span of control for a supervisor?
- 2–4 subordinates
- 3–7 subordinates (Correct answer)
- 8–10 subordinates
- 10–12 subordinates
Correct answer: 3–7 subordinates
NIMS ICS recommends a span of control ratio of 1:3–7, with 1:5 being optimal, to maintain effective supervision during incidents.
Question 3: Which section of ICS is responsible for ensuring responder safety and developing the site safety plan?
- Operations Section
- Logistics Section
- Safety Officer (Correct answer)
- Finance/Administration Section
Correct answer: Safety Officer
The Safety Officer, a Command Staff position, is responsible for monitoring incident operations for unsafe conditions and developing the Incident Safety Plan.
Question 4: When teaching shelter-in-place procedures, which action should occupants take FIRST after a hazardous materials release outdoors?
- Open windows for ventilation
- Seal doors and windows with tape and plastic (Correct answer)
- Evacuate to a secondary building
- Call 911 before taking any action
Correct answer: Seal doors and windows with tape and plastic
The first priority in shelter-in-place is to seal the building envelope by covering gaps with plastic sheeting and tape to prevent contaminated air from entering.
Question 5: A crisis communication plan for a public safety agency should identify a single spokesperson primarily to:
- Limit the amount of information released to the public
- Ensure consistent and accurate messaging during an incident (Correct answer)
- Reduce the workload of senior command staff
- Comply with state freedom of information laws
Correct answer: Ensure consistent and accurate messaging during an incident
Designating a single spokesperson ensures that all public messages are consistent, accurate, and coordinated, preventing conflicting information from causing confusion.
Question 6: Which phase of emergency management focuses on activities taken immediately before, during, or after a disaster to save lives?
- Mitigation
- Preparedness
- Response (Correct answer)
- Recovery
Correct answer: Response
The Response phase encompasses immediate actions taken to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs following an emergency event.
Question 7: In an active shooter scenario, which student response option should instructors teach as the LAST resort?
- Run (Evacuate)
- Hide (Barricade)
- Fight (Counter) (Correct answer)
- Shelter-in-Place
Correct answer: Fight (Counter)
The 'Fight' or 'Counter' option in the Run-Hide-Fight model is the last resort when evacuation and barricading are not possible and immediate danger is present.
PSI Emergency Response & Crisis Management 2
During a mass casualty incident, which triage tag color is assigned to patients who are deceased or have unsurvivable injuries?