Multiple Casualties Prevention or Procedure

1
Multiple CasualtiesPrevention or Procedure?

• Michael A. Elliott, District Commander
• Austin-Travis County EMS
• Special Operations

2
Austin-Travis County EMS System Evolution

• Year 1976
• Austin Emergency Medical Services
• from Austin Ambulance Service (1966)
• 4 ambulances
• 20-30 calls/day
• 1 Hospital

3
Austin-Travis County EMS System Evolution

• Year 2002
• Austin-Travis County EMS System
• 27 Ambulances
• 5 Rescue Ambulances
• 2 Helicopters
• 4 Inflatable Rescue Boats
• Mass Casualty/Support Vehicle
• First Responder System

4
Austin-Travis County EMS System Evolution

• Year 2002
• 80,000 responses/year
• average - 200 responses/day
• average - 8 calls/unit/day
• 8 Hospitals
• It would be nice if the calls were that evenly
  spaced.
• Busiest units average 15-20 calls/day
• Slowest units average lt1 call/day

5
Multiple Casualty Incident (MCI)Its not going
to happen here!!!!

• Natural Disasters (wind, flood, tornado, etc.)
• Man-made Disasters
• Fire
• Hazardous Materials Incident
• Food Borne Illness
• Cafeteria contamination

6
Multiple Casualty Incident

• Terrorism
• Explosive
• Combined with FIRE or HAZMAT
• Biological
• Intentional spread of biologic agent
• Chemical
• Gases
• Liquids
• Radiological
• Dirty bomb

7
What is terrorism?

• Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or
  violence against persons or property to
  intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian
  population, or any segment thereof in furtherance
  of political or social objectives.

8
(No Transcript)
9
Terrorism Preparedness

• Suspicious packages/mail
• Heavy for size
• Extra postage
• Residues (oily, powders, etc.)
• Electronic components (wires, timers, ticking,
  etc.)
• Handwritten
• Personal

10
Terrorism Preparedness

• Suspicious individuals
• Disgruntled employees/ex-employees
• Unexpected visitors
• Missing proper identification
• Inappropriate clothing for climate
• Visible photo IDs should be mandatory!

11
Terrorism Preparedness

• Suspicious vehicles
• Unattended delivery trucks
• Unexpected delivery trucks
• Unusual types of vehicles for your business
• Spray rigs (exterminators)
• Biohazard transport
• Know what is coming onto and leaving your place
  of business!

12
Terrorism PreparednessWhat You Need to Have

• Written Plans
• Evacuation
• Fire
• Weather
• Bomb threat
• Shelter in place
• Threats received
• Phone
• Mail (written and substances)
• In person

• Written Plans (cont.)
• Emergency Operations chain of command.
• Liaison who can make decisions!
• All staff know who to report to.
• Accountability of staff.

13
Multiple Casualty Incident Whats going to
happen when itoccurs at your site!

• Operations
• Extraction/Evacuation
• Triage
• Treatment
• Transport
• Decontamination
• Landing Zones

• Unified Command Post
• Staging
• Safety
• Public Information
• Logistics
• Finance

14
Triage

• A French word meaning to sort
• we must sort those who have the greatest chance
  of survival from those who dont.
• Usually done during a Multiple Casualty Incident
  (MCI), but can be used at any time.

15
Capital Area Emergency Medical Triage Tag

• Regional use by all medical providers in the
  major metropolitan areas of Central Texas.
• Hospitals and providers only have to learn to use
  ONE type of tag.
• Bar-coding systems for a more efficient tracking
  method. (under development)

16
Capital Area Emergency Medical Triage Tag
17
Response ProceduresThe Funny Suits
18
Public DecontaminationLets all get naked
19
Unified Command

• OR...

20
You Decide!
21
Our mission is your health and safety. Our job is
to maintain your quality of life.
22
What Happens When it All Goes Wrong?
23
(No Transcript)