RSS 2.0 FeedThursday, November 24, 2011, Wantagh Seaford Citizen
Wantagh FD practices mass casualty drill
Numerous departments respond to drill.
“You’re safe and in good hands now,” was the mantra at a recent Wantagh casualty drill.
In full cooperation with the Long Island Railroad the Wantagh Fire Department hosted a mass casualty incident drill (MCI Drill) recently. The incident, a major derailment, took place in a siding just east of the Freeport railroad station.
Prior to the drill, meetings were held as to what was allowed and disallowed on railroad property. In addition, the railroad hosted an instruction seminar about the types of trains, the dangers of working in and around trains, the dangers of high voltage and how their emergency equipment works, such as the opening of doors and windows.
Some 40 Explorers from the Wantagh, Levittown, Massapequa and Merrick Fire Departments met at Wantagh’s Station 6 at around 7:30 a.m. There they were met by four young ladies of the GC Tech Cosmetology Class, who applied various moulages to the Explorers.
The Explorers were taken aboard with injuries ranging from lacerations to compound fractures, from chest pains to hysteria and included those that were to be unconscious or combative.
Once railroad and fire supervisors were in place and all actors aboard the train, the alarm was transmitted at 9 a.m. through Wantagh’s Field Com 4. Fire units from Wantagh arrived, made a quick assessment as to what occurred, set up a command post and put the wheels in motion for additional help.
Additional ambulances from Wantagh along with ambulances from Bellmore, East Meadow, Levittown, Massapequa and the Seaford Fire Departments, responded. In addition, the Wantagh/Levittown Ambulance Corp. responded to provide assistance in the event that any of the actor/players actually were injured. The Office of Emergency Management, the MTA Police, the Nassau County Fire Service Academy and the Nassau County Police Ambulance Bureau with an MCI Unit also responded. The MCI units carry additional medical equipment that would be needed in such an incident.
As rescue personal opened emergency doors and entered the train, a medical command post was set up along with a Triage Area.
The Explorers aboard the train all had cards of various colors to indicate the type and severity of their injuries. They were tagged by rescuers and removed from the train. Those that could walk did so while others were backboarded and carried from the train. Upon assessment of the severity of their injuries, they were classified and placed in ambulances for removal to the hospital (Freeport Fire Headquarters).
At about 10:45 a.m. the drill concluded. All the injured were accounted for and a short critique ensued by observers of the drill. Except for a few minor discrepancies, such as a dangling strap on a backboard, the drill went off without a hitch. Some things that were instituted (sked-stretchers) to make the removal of victims easier were praised.
At precisely 11 a.m. the train, right on schedule, began to move from the siding to be placed back in service. All units that responded to the scene were thanked for their assistance, and fire units that relocated in Wantagh’s Station 1, East Meadow with an Engine and Ladder, Massapequa an Engine, North Bellmore an ambulance and North Merrick an ambulance were released “with thanks.”
