Module 10: Management of Mass Casualty Incidents

Mass Casualty Incident

• incident that exceeds the responders or receiving hospital’s capability to treat or transport

• emergency medical services resources are overwhelmed by the number and severity of casualties

• Important note: the longer the delay; the less chance for recovery

• Principle: to do the greatest good for the greatest number of casualties

Vulnerability groups

• young population

• older population

• PWDs

• Pregnant women

Emergency Medical Services

first responders, triage, ambulance services

Fire and Rescue

will perform all initial rescue-related operations. fire suppression and prevention

Police officers

secure and control to the scene

Components of MCI

• Initial triage

• Patient extrication

• Secondary Triage/Medical Treatment

• Transportation of victim

MCI Level 1

• will require local resources and responding agencies

• require additional resources within the region

• Size: 5-10 patients

• Hospitals: notification to local hospitals in area near the location of incident

• Triage: patients identified as red, yellow, green, following START Triage guidelines

• Communications: Phone, radio

MCI Level 2

• will require local resources and responding agencies

• require additional resources within the region

• Size: 10-20 patients

• Hospitals: notification to local hospitals in area near the location of incident/ city or parishes

• Triage: patients identified as red, yellow, green, following START Triage guidelines

• Communications: Phone, radio

MCI Level 3

• will require multiple regional resources and responding agencies

• require additional resources with the adjacent region

• Size: 20 - 100 patients

• Hospitals: notification to local all regional hospitals and adjacent regions

• Triage: patients identified as red, yellow, green, following START Triage guidelines

• Communications: Phone, radio, incident command, operational officers, and hospitals

MCI Level 4

• will require multiple regional resources and responding agencies

• require additional resources with the adjacent region

• Size: 100 - 1000 patients

• Hospitals: initial notification to all hospitals nationwide

• Triage: patients identified as red, yellow, green, following START Triage guidelines

• Communications: Phone, radio, incident command, operational officers, and hospitals

MCI Level 5

• will require nationwide resources

• Size: greater than 1000 patients

• Hospitals: initial notification to all hospitals nationwide

• Triage: patients identified as red, yellow, green, following START Triage guidelines

• Communications: Phone, radio, incident command, operational officers, and hospitals

Green - Minimal

Sick or injured, but expected to survive with or without care, sometimes referred to as “walking wounded”.

Delayed - yellow

Requires care that can be safely delayed without affecting probability of survival.

Immediate - Red

Requires immediate care for a good probability of survival.

Deceased - Black

A fatality with no intrinsic respiratory drive and no other signs of life.

Hot zone

• area immediately surrounding the incident site in which primary contamination may occur

• first aid is limited to airway and hemorrhage control

Warm Zone

• specific zone in the disaster area that first aider commence decontamination of victims

• surrounds the hot zone and contains the area where survivors and responding team members and their equipment are decontaminated

Cold zone

uncontaminated area beyond the warm zone in which resources are assembled to support the response

Clean zone

area in the hospital where victims are sent following decontamination

Components of Burn Disaster Plan

1. Preparedness planning

   • must occur at multiple levels

2. mitigation

   • prevention measures

3. response

   • activation of disaster plan