In order to learn from an incident it is important to capture as much detail about the incident as soon as practicably possible. A series of debriefs post incident is seen as good practice. The recommendation is for all staff to attend that had been a part of the response, in order to review processes.
Depending on the circumstances, a debrief may recommend the revision of plans, procedures and training, the strengthening of our liaison with other agencies, or devise targeted exercises to test alternative approaches.
This should be somewhere with rest facilities away from scene. Its aim is to check on the welfare of the staff members and to gain immediate learning to improve or rectify issues. Face to face is preferable but if that is not possible other contact methods may be utilised.
▪ Internal/organisational debrief: within two weeks of the incident
▪ Multi agency debrief: within four weeks of the incident
▪ Post incident report: within four weeks of the internal debrief.