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NM DOH All Hazard Incident Management Glossary
Intro | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ Sources
Download: NMDOH_IM_Glossary_May_2008 
Cache - a pre-determined complement of tools, equipment, and/or supplies stored in a designated location, available for incident use.
Cancer – any one of a group of diseases that occur when cells in the body become abnormal and grow or multiply out of control.
Cancer Risk – risk for a cancer diagnosis.
Carcinogen – a substance that causes cancer.
Carcinogenic – capable of causing cancer.
Carrier – a person or animal that harbors a specific infectious agent without discernible clinical disease and serves as a potential source of infection. The carrier state may be of short or long duration (temporary or transient carrier, or chronic carrier).
Case Study – a report of an investigation of a situation.
Case-control Study – a study that compares exposures of people who have a disease or condition (cases) with people who do not have the disease or condition (controls).
Case-Fatality Rate – usually expressed as the percentage of persons diagnosed as having a specified disease who die as a result of that illness within a given period.
Catalyst – a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction.
Category-A Agents – the biological terrorism agents having the greatest potential for adverse public health impact with mass casualties. The Category “A” diseases are: smallpox; anthrax; plague; botulism; tularemia; viral hemorrhagic fevers (e.g. Ebola and Lassa viruses).
Category-B Agents – could be used to contaminate food or water sources. Agents are more readily available, may not necessarily case mass casualties, and their use may often be found more often in the setting of biological crime or extortion than terrorism.
Category-C Agents – emerging infectious diseases or agents with characteristics that could be exploited for deliberate dissemination.
CBIRF – Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (DOD) (US)
CBRNE – types of WMD: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive
CD – Communicable Disease
CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US HHS)
CDC Type C Facility - an isolation facility that meets the following requirements: a structure with non-shared air conditioning, heating, and ventilating systems that exhausts 100% of air to the outside through HEPA filter or is located at least 100 yards from any other occupied building or area; adequate water, electricity, heating, cooling, and closed-window ventilation to maintain activities of daily living and tertiary medical care of residents; a communication system that allows for dependable communication within and outside of the facility (e.g. telephone or intercom system); ability to provide the following medical care within the facility: supportive care with iv fluids, antibiotics, etc. skin care: oxygen monitoring (pulse ox) and oxygen (in-line or portable); medical vital signs monitoring; cardiac and respiratory resuscitation; ventilator support; suctioning equipment; basic laboratory evaluations (blood chemistries, CBC); radiology (portable chest x-ray) staffing resources (to be determined by severity of illness) A Type C facility is appropriate for confirmed, probable, and suspected smallpox cases.
CDC Type R Facility - (R = residential) may be the person’s own home. A Type R facility is appropriate for asymptomatic contacts (not infectious).
CDC Type X Facility – meets the same isolation and general supply requirements as a Type C Facility. However, Type X Facilities need to supply only basic medical care functions such as monitoring vital signs.
Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM) – University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Central Nervous System – the part of the nervous system that consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
CERCLA - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
CERT – Community Emergency Response Team
Chain of Command – a series of command, control, executive, or management positions in hierarchical order of authority.
CHC – Community Health Council
Chemical Agent – a chemical substance that produces incapacitation, serious injury or death.
Chemical Attack – the deliberate release of a toxic gas, liquid, or solid that can poison people and the environment.
Chemical Incident – an accidental or deliberate exposure involving chemical agents.
Chemical Terrorism – the use of a chemical agent in a terrorist incident. and to intentionally inflict harm upon others.
Chemo prophylaxis – the administration of a chemical, including antibiotics, to prevent the development of an infection of the progression of an infection to active manifest disease, or to eliminate the carriage of a specific infectious agent to prevent transmission and disease in others. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, refers to use of a chemical to treat a clinically manifest disease or to limit its further progression.
CHR - Community Health Representative; lay community health advisor/educator who works in Native American communities
Chronic – occurring over a long time (Compare with acute).
Chronic Exposure – contact with a substance that occurs over a long time (more than 1 year)
Chronic Toxicity – effects that persist over a long time, whether or not they occur immediately or are delayed.
CIA – Central Intelligence Agency (US)
CIRG – Critical Incident Response Group (FBI)
CISD – Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
CISM – Critical Incident Stress Management
Citizen Corps - a component of USA Freedom Corps, was created in January 2002, to help coordinate volunteer activities regarding incident/emergency management. Citizen Corps is coordinated nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In this capacity, FEMA works closely with other federal entities, state and local governments, first responders and emergency managers, the volunteer community, and the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps. Components of the Citizen Corps include: Neighborhood Watch Program, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Team, and the Medical Reserve Corps.
Cluster Investigation – investigation of a group of cases. Cluster investigations are designed to confirm case reports; determine whether they represent an unusual disease occurrence; and, if possible, explore possible causes and contributing environmental factors.
Cognitive Disability - A disability involving human perception, thinking and learning
Cohort Study – an epidemiological (human) study that observes subjects in different exposed groups and compares the incidence of symptoms. Although ordinarily prospective in nature, such a study is sometimes carried out retrospectively, using historical data.
Colonia – rural communities and neighborhoods located within 150 miles of the U.S.- Mexico border that lack adequate infrastructure and frequently also lack other basic services.
Communicable Disease – an illness due to a specific infectious agent or to toxic products that arises through transmission of that agent or its products from an infected person or animal to a susceptible host. (Contrast with infectious disease)
Communicable Disease Cluster – two or more cases of a confirmed or suspected communicable disease with a suspected common source diagnosed or exposed within a twenty-four hour period. A communicable disease cluster might represent a notifiable condition.
Communicable Period – the time during which an infectious agent may be transferred directly or indirectly from an infected person to another person, from an infected animal to humans, or from an infected person to animals, including arthropods.
Communication – transmitting the message
Communications - the system by which the message is communicated.
Compound – a substance composed of two or more elements. For example, table salt (sodium chloride or NaCI) is a compound.
Concentration – the amount of a substance present in a certain amount of soil, water, air, food, blood, hair, urine, breath, or any other media.
Condition of Public Health Significance – a term defined in regulation (7NMAC 4.3) meaning a condition dangerous to the public health or safety. A Condition of Public Health Significance includes, but is not limited to, infectious diseases. (Contrast with threatening communicable diseases).
Consistent - free from variation or contradiction.
Construct – A working concept, a point of view
Contact – a person or animal that has been exposed to an
infected person or animal
or a contaminated environment.
Contaminant – a substance that is present in an environment
where it does not belong
and may be harmful.
Contingency Plan – targets a specific issue or event that
arises during the course of
disaster operations and presents alternative actions to respond to the situation.
COOP – Continuity of Operations Plans
Cooperating Agency – an agency supplying assistance other than direct operational or support functions or resources to the incident management effort.
Coordinate – to advance systematically an analysis and exchange of information among principals who have or may have a need to know certain information to carry out specific incident management responsibilities.
COPS – Community Oriented Police Services
Core Function - A well-defines process that clearly outlines the scope of work
Counterterrorism – the full range of activities directed against terrorism, including preventive, deterrent, response and crisis management efforts.
Covert – not openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown.
Credibility - the quality or power of inspiring belief.
Credible Threat – the FBI conducts an interagency threat assessment that indicates that the threat is credible and confirms the involvement of a WMD in a developing terrorist incident.
CREST - Critical Response and Emergency Systems Training; a health and medical emergency response training program provided by the University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Center for Disaster Medicine. The program provides training to healthcare professionals so that they may recognize indications of a terrorist event or other public health emergencies; meet the acute care needs of patients; rapidly and effectively alert the public health system of such an event at the community, state, and national level; and participate in a coordinated, multidisciplinary response to terrorist events.
CRI – Cities Readiness Initiative
Crisis Management – a law enforcement function which includes measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism. (Contrast with Consequence Management).
Critical Care Transport (CCT) - an ambulance transport of a patient from a scene or a clinical setting
CRT - Civil Response Team (National Guard)
CST – Crisis Support Team
Cutaneous – relating to the outer layer of the skin.
CYFD – Children, Youth and Families Department (NM)
