Mass Casualty Incidents
As the military saying goes, “Prior planning prevents poor performance.” This phrase can be applied to preparing for mass casualty incidents. Check this page for articles and resources on ensuring you and your department are ready for the unexpected, as well as the latest updates on major incidents in the United States and across the world.
Video from Hoboken commuter train crash showcases best practices for staging ambulances at a mass casualty incident
The “Run, Hide, Fight” model lacks efficiency and flexibility to permit someone to evaluate the problem and choose the appropriate response
You responded as the first-in ambulance on a suspected active shooting scene; did you make the right call?
More than half of families surveyed had no plan for what to do in a major emergency
For a New York City paramedic who had seen it all, the attacks on 9/11 changed everything
What one medic found among the rubble was the caring and courage of those who died on 9/11
The changes that began on 9/12 have stretched into weeks, months and years
In your life in EMS, or in the fire service, what is the worst event you can imagine?
As the former National Coordinator of Disaster Volunteers for the American Red Cross, Dr. Kelly B. Close was on the front lines of the emergency medical response following the 9/11 attacks in New York City
While working at Ground Zero, responders inhaled jet fuel, soot, glass fibers, asbestos, crushed metals, cement dust, pesticides, dioxins and other contaminants
Man marched to a table of uniformed National Guard members before shooting each one of them
Mass-fatality incidents (MFIs) occur when there are more decedents or remains than the available resources can handle, when there are 10 or more fatalities, and when the incident involves a protracted and complex remains-recovery operation
Emergency responders used a range of sophisticated and even archaic tools to pluck people from raging floodwaters
Salvation Army locations across the United States have mobile feeding units able to provide hundreds of thousands of meals per day if needed
In many cases, the moment of maximum danger arrived well after the storm had passed
The Disaster Relief Coordinator with the Medshore Ambulance Service out of Anderson County and a team of EMS crews are watching Hurricane Irene closely
The Category 3 storm with winds of 115 mph — the threshold for a major hurricane — would be the strongest to strike the East Coast in seven years
Traffic was snarled for miles in downtown Washington as employers released workers early at the same time thousands of commuters tried to drive home or cram onto buses and trains
DC Fire and EMS spokesman Pete Piringer says numerous buildings have been damaged
Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated
Meagan Toothman, 24, was confirmed as the seventh person to die from the Aug. 13 stage collapse
They showed symptoms of nausea, vomiting and respiratory distress; two had mild convulsions
Ambulances and police cars raced to and from the site of the Pukkelpop festival, near the town of Hasselt, 50 miles east of Brussels, Thursday
The alleged bombing plot was planned minute by minute and the intent was to cause more casualties than the 1999 Columbine High School massacre
When he arrived in the infield four or five minutes after the collapse, Dr. Dean Silas found “pure chaos” as spectators and volunteers scrambled to aid the injured
Wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph toppled the stage, killing five and injuring about four dozen
Official says rescue crews are working to free a person trapped when a Greyhound bus overturned on the interstate
Rioting youths threw missiles at ambulance crews as they tried to help people injured in the violent disorder
None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening
Four people were airlifted to hospitals
The higher, erroneous figure emerged as police and rescuers were focusing on helping survivors and securing the area
