Acute Support Vienna - Psychosocial Acute Support in Emergency Situations

Project

As part of the City of Vienna's crisis management programme, the Civil Protection, Crisis Management and Security unit (Zivilschutz, Krisenmanagement und Sicherheit) of the Chief Executive Office for Rapid Relief and Aid Programmes (Magistratsdirektion - Hilfs- und Sofortmaßnahmen)has been participating in the project Psychosocial Acute Care in the Event of a Crisis (Psycho-soziale Akutbetreuung in Notfallsituationen) since the middle of 1995.

With the support of the staff at the

• offices of the City of Vienna
  • Youth and Family Offices
  • Social Welfare
  • Home Care
  • the local authority Educational Psychology Service
• as well as other agencies and university organisations
  • Faculty of Psychology of the University of Vienna
  • Counselling Service
  • Association of Austrian Psychologists.

It has not only been possible to lay the foundation for emergency teams, but also to take concrete steps towards their establishment. During several sessions of a working group, a team of experts established the framework and structures of a training course as well as course contents.

Teams of Acute Support Vienna

A team consists of at least two members working in the psychosocial fields. Team members of Acute Support Vienna are psychosocial professionals. Their main fields of expertise are:

• psychology
• social workers
• nursing and caring
• responders

Training

The training course started in the winter term 1998 (middle of September). Since then three courses have been conducted each lasting six months. Further education courses are continuously available in various fields and a minimum of ten course hours are mandatory.

The course contents include:

• an introduction to the City of Vienna's crisis management programme,
• dealing specifically with the reaction and feelings of traumatised children in contrast to the reactions and behaviour of adults
• first aid
• an introduction to the problem of "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder"
• dealing with feelings of loss, shame and guilt
• communication (active listening)
• dealing with members of other cultures and those who speak other languages
• mental health for emergency workers
• public relations work (incorporating the media in the psychological after-care of the general public).
• practical experience with Ambulance Services which is a major element of each training course

Organisation and Alert

Acute Support Vienna is alerted by the Ambulance Service of the City of Vienna (Berufsrettung Wien). In case of emergency Team Members are contacted by mobile phone. Two out of 50 of the members of Acute Support Vienna are on standby at all times. In the case of a mass emergency all members may be contacted.

Operational Threshold

Acute Support Vienna is also called upon for events that are below the catastrophe threshold. We assist affected people, their families, friends, colleagues and eye witnesses on site during the first few hours after a particularly distressing incident such as traumatic deaths under special circumstances, serious traffic or work-related accidents or those related to natural disasters.

Pilot Scheme

Since July 1999 Acute Support Vienna has been available on a trial basis to those agencies and institutions that see a need for victim counselling during an emergency. Once sufficient experience has been gained, a decision will be made regarding the establishment of a permanent institution. This will depend upon the financial resources required as well as the (successful) progress of operation.