In the past, the field of emergency management has been populated mostly by people with a military or first responder background.

Currently, the field has become more diverse, with many managers coming from a variety of backgrounds other than the military or first responder fields.

This section describes the initial care that can be given by an untrained responder without the use of sophisticated equipment and without a wide selection of medications available. If medical attention is required, the instructions should state this, including its urgency. It may be useful to provide information on the immediate effects, by route of exposure, and indicate the immediate treatment, followed by possible delayed effects with specific medical surveillance required.