Taking time after a volatile substance harm incident to debrief and reflect on the response is important to help improve future approaches. It’s also a good opportunity to review any additional considerations for your community, and what you might need for next time.
After the response, your group should make time to catch up and discuss what they felt went well, ideas for improvements, and any future needs. Some questions you could ask your response group include:
- What worked well?
- How could the response be strengthened in future?
- Are there any major issues or concerns that need to be followed up on, including current access to volatile substances or misinformation that should be mitigated? If so, how will this be done?
- How will you manage media requests about the incident?
After methamphetamine was found in Rinda pineapple lollies distributed in food packages to clients of Auckland City Mission, an urgent public health safety response was engaged. Communications were centred around alerts to not consume these lollies and this messaging likely prevented further hospitalizations and potential deaths. Post-response reflections about this incident led to revised donation protocols, stronger systems-level response coordination and the development of public education materials. The post-response reflection can ensure that any future action, ensuring it is rapid, evidence-based and reaches the necessary communities.
Read more:
Getting prepared
How you can prepare for a volatile substances harm incident, and the steps you can take now to help you respond.