If a local emergency presents with multiple locations with trapped persons reported, you will need to prioritise the location where the next arriving crews begin operations. This initial information is critical - personnel carrying out triage cannot get involved in rescue operations. The value of acquiring knowledge, quickly sharing information and subsequent deployment of rescue crews will result in more lives being saved.

Wide area disasters use a formal structural triage process to determine priority and then deploy resources. Structures are triaged into categories based on confirmed victim information, void size and rescue resources required. Category "A" work sites become the first priority for rescuers before work commences on Category "B" work sites. "F" is the lowest priority category.