1. The first people on the scene are appropriately called the first responders and are generally members of the local fire department, police department, ambulance teams, and medical staff from a local hospital and/or local search and rescue (SAR) teams. They do what they can to triage the victims and save lives until a more organized response can be assembled by the state or federal government. First responders act according to the protocols taught in the Department of Transportation first responder course. These protocols are the "rules of the road," enabling a mix of responders from a wide variety of professions and skills to efficiently work together and not get in each other's way.
2. If the response merits state or federal assets, there is a smooth handoff of command to an experienced incident commander named by a state's department of public safety or a federal agency such as FEMA. When the disaster is large enough for FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security to involve federal assets, a standard written agreement is entered into between the federal government and the state government. The agreement gives clear command of all assets, state and federal, to the IC appointed by the federal government. At this point, the well-known FEMA/USAR teams come to the scene.
   When federal assets are deployed directly to foreign countries or indirectly via the United Nations, they do so through the State Department. Each FEMA team consists of approximately 50 people, among which are a structural engineer, a physician, a communications specialist, two or three dog handlers, and their animals. While training or on deployment, the team members become agents of the federal government and therefore are well insulated from personal liability. The team's cache of specialized equipment and supplies is limited to about 15 tons to be able to be transported in a large U.S. Air Force cargo aircraft. The team engineer is responsible for determining which structures are sound enough for rescuers to enter. He or she also consults on relatively delicate shoring operations during which large structures are stabilized and secured so team members can enter to extract victims.
3. At some point, the IC declares the end of the rescue phase. In essence, anybody likely to be found alive has already been found, and the recovery phase begins. Recovery means recovery of the dead, through the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams. During this phase, heavy equipment carefully moves rubble, all the time acutely aware that a living victim may possibly be trapped in an enclosed space.
4. As the recovery phase closes, preparations are made for reconstruction. Insurance claims for damaged and destroyed property are filed and settled. Damage to public infrastructure is assessed and emergency repairs are made where appropriate. The reconstruction phase can become a very lengthy process, depending on the disaster's severity and extent. During this phase, engineers and construction workers are contracted to do specific projects to reconstruct private and public property. Since reconstruction is generally not under emergency conditions, it proceeds in the normal course of business.

The NSPE members who have volunteered to help in Haiti's reconstruction may be contacted by a division of the State Department.

If you are interested in becoming involved in initial rescue and recovery phases of disasters, the best place to start is by introducing yourself to the local fire chief. Fire chiefs are often the incident commanders for small disasters. Chiefs usually keep a list of all types of professionals who are local and can be located on short notice. Whatever your engineering specialty, you may possesses a critical skill in a particular emergency. If called upon, respond promptly and give prudent advice. The chief will probably require you to take the DOT first responder course so you can understand the protocols and become a productive team member.

As you gain experience and build a good reputation in the fire rescue community, you may be approached by a representative of state or even the federal USAR teams. The critical element is experience and reputation. After all, disaster-response work is inherently dangerous and each engineer, just like each doctor and each heavy-equipment operator, is chosen not only for his or her professional skills, but also because each has developed a good reputation and is trusted as a critical element in a very exclusive and cohesive team. Experience under pressure and reputation are paramount in any rescue community.

Again, I want to thank each of you who asked to be considered for the Haiti reconstruction. I was excited to read the resumes of some members who have actual boots-on-the-ground experience with heavy-rescue teams, at both the state and national levels. NSPE will continue to seek to build upon existing relationships with state and national authorities so that our members can use their professional skills to provide essential engineering services to the search, rescue, recovery and reconstruction community. For those who want to become involved as first responders, I encourage you to get to know your local fire chief.