It’s been a mere 24 hours since the Boston Marathon bombings, and the tragedy continues to unfold. There will be a lot of armchair quarterbacking in the days to come: Was there a lapse in security? Did the medical response run smoothly? Was there a plan in place to mitigate such an unthinkable event?
These questions are important — for us to learn about what happened and learn from the actions of the public safety personnel. The bombings serve as a bitter reminder that we are not invulnerable to attack within the homeland, and that complacency cannot replace competence in response capability.
For example, it’s becoming very clear that this was in fact a purposeful event. The injuries inflicted by the blast include ball bearings being removed from bodies, and amputations of devastated lower limbs of victims — all signs of a bomb placed on the ground, designed to inflict misery and extreme injuries, just like any other IEDs found in war zones many thousands of miles away.
If it’s been some time since your last trauma management course, now may be the time to attend a review class.
Make sure your unit is stocked with the basics of gauze, bandages and tourniquets — it’s the simple items that will save the day.
In the end, it will be the preplanning we do that will prepare us for when “the big one” strikes.
We are part of the team that goes into the situations that others are running away from. Let’s make sure we are ready to help when called upon.
