Florence County EMS News - October 23, 2000 Mass Casualty Drill

Mass Casualty Drill at Florence Airport on October 23, 1999

The only information that the responding agencies were given was that a passenger plane was having difficulty on approach to the airport. Just as the units arrived at the control deployment point for the airport, dispatch advised that the control tower reported contact was lost with the plane as the pilot reported that he was landing. The tower reports that a total of 17 persons were onboard. The first in ambulance and fire unit find people scattered along the runway, with some distant fire hazard.

With the first EMS unit on scene,
the senior person establishes
on-scene command.

Here, his partner starts the
triage process, assisted by fire
department personnel.

With reports received from the scene, Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement units arrive to set up a control point for all further operations to go through, the Incident Command. The senior arriving EMS person establishes
Medical Command for the
on-scene Triage Officer.
All arriving agencies will stay
outside this point until needed
on the scene

A Staging Officer has been assigned to keep up with arriving units, and make them available to the Medical Command. This is along the staging area set up for EMS and rescue squad vehicles and personnel. This is outside the Incident Command area.

Next-in EMS and Fire units
continue the triage process, and
start the treatment and transport process.

A triage area has been set up.
Patients are initially triaged and
then moved here as they are treated.
As their condition becomes
better, or it becomes apparent
they will not survive, they are
moved to the appropriate area.
Transportation priority is assigned
by the Triage Officer here.

A Transportation Officer has been
assigned to assist the Triage Officer
with moving the patients to the
EMS units they need to go with.
Both will co-ordinate with the
Medical Control at the Incident
Command point to determine
availability of resources at the
various hospitals.

All patients have been triaged, treated, and then transported
to the appropriate facility for their injuries.
Additional units stay on scene to
provide back-up to other personnel
that have to remained to finish
up their work on this incident.

	With the first EMS unit on scene, the senior person establishes on-scene command. Here, his partner starts the triage process, assisted by fire department personnel.
	With reports received from the scene, Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement units arrive to set up a control point for all further operations to go through, the Incident Command. The senior arriving EMS person establishes Medical Command for the on-scene Triage Officer. All arriving agencies will stay outside this point until needed on the scene
	A Staging Officer has been assigned to keep up with arriving units, and make them available to the Medical Command. This is along the staging area set up for EMS and rescue squad vehicles and personnel. This is outside the Incident Command area.
	Next-in EMS and Fire units continue the triage process, and start the treatment and transport process.
	A triage area has been set up. Patients are initially triaged and then moved here as they are treated. As their condition becomes better, or it becomes apparent they will not survive, they are moved to the appropriate area. Transportation priority is assigned by the Triage Officer here.
	A Transportation Officer has been assigned to assist the Triage Officer with moving the patients to the EMS units they need to go with. Both will co-ordinate with the Medical Control at the Incident Command point to determine availability of resources at the various hospitals.
	All patients have been triaged, treated, and then transported to the appropriate facility for their injuries. Additional units stay on scene to provide back-up to other personnel that have to remained to finish up their work on this incident.