They could injure themselves, and they can get in the way of professional rescuers. Another immediate concern after an earthquake is fire. In addition to managing the heavy rescue teams, you need to make sure that the issue of fire is addressed. Fire crews need to be on high alert, and they need to be ready to respond as soon as possible. You need to make sure you have trained citizen volunteers to manage fires in the event of an emergency. One Web site notes, "Citizen volunteers trained as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members will be vital, because they can catch tiny fires early and assist the lightly trapped to safety" (Chiles). You need to make sure you have a competent incident commander in each rescue area that can coordinate rescue efforts and make sure they understand how many people could potentially be trapped.

As the emergency manager, you need to establish control of all the rescue sites at one location. That should be your emergency management center, with a...

You should be able to manage all the rescue attempts in your community, and you should be able to move equipment from location to location, so logistics are important. While it is important to manage the entire emergency effectively, your staff should be adequately trained to function efficiently during the disaster, which means you need prior training and experience to function well.
As the incident commander, you are also responsible for site security and determining the length of the rescue effort. You must communicate these goals to your rescue teams, and coordinate the rescue effort from beginning to end. Clearly, the results are based on training, prior planning, and coordination from your office.

References

Chilies, James a. "Heavy Rescue." 2009. American Heritage. 20 Nov. 2010.

Roth, Adam S. "Heavy Rescue Operations During Operation Iraqi Freedom." 2005. Free Library. 20 Nov. 2010.

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