Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) are disasters in which local management agencies and the healthcare system are overwhelmed due to a high number of victims. Emergency medical services (EMS) provide a vital role in triaging, stabilizing, and transporting victims to a higher level of care during MCIs when there may be large numbers of victims who will need care. Strategies and plans for effective management, communication, and collaboration during MCIs are essential. Training for these events builds up confidence and allows first responders the ability to optimize the learning process and provides opportunities for feedback and evaluation.
Plymouth Volunteer Ambulance Corps. realized the importance of being prepared in the event an MCI occurs in their town. Coordinator Jim Dubowsky, Chief of Service at Plymouth Ambulance, teamed up with Saint Mary’s Trauma Department to prepare and train for such an incident. This included STOP THE BLEED® training to all Fire and EMS personnel by Roxanne Tapley, MSN, RN Trauma Program Manager at Saint Mary’s. Wes Kyle, M.D., Emergency Department physician, provided a lecture on MCIs and EMS field triage. In addition, a drill took place at Terryville High School and simulated an active shooter in the school. The drill included ten victims and trained emergency operations individuals to observe how police, fire, and EMS would respond. Lifestar participated with Bristol EMS to simulate mutual aide. “It was impressive to watch the event unfold and the organized response by our first responders,” said Tapley.