EMS World

JUL 2016

EMS World Magazine is the most authoritative source in the world for clinical and educational material designed to improve the delivery of prehospital emergency medical care.

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EMSWORLD.com | JULY 2016 21 were going into while we sat there staging or were en route didn't allow chaos to form. We were very controlled on scene because we knew exactly what our objectives were and what needed to happen. I credit our battalion chief for thinking ahead and deter- mining those assignments ahead of time." It's never a good day for a terror attack, but on this day department personnel were already stretched. Two stations had recently closed, and several leaders were busy else- where: The fire chief was in a meeting at city hall, and a deputy chief and two bat- talion chiefs were away in Rialto (ironically attending an educational event on terror- ism). Some equipment had been set aside for a forthcoming drill. Available were Crews, the EMS coordinator, and an engineer on light duty. More battalion chiefs came in to assist, and a SWAT medic who was training with police near the incident scene also got there quickly. A fortunate break was that the local EMS agencies, dispatch and hospitals all had meetings or training events going on that day, making extra personnel available. With an MCI declared, triage, treat- ment and transport areas were quickly established outside the shooting site. The SWAT medic had begun initial triage, with officers dragging victims out and to care. More resources arrived with assignments in hand, averting duplication and delay. The IC assigned another battalion chief to unified command and oversaw operations himself. At AMR Molloy had been on a conference call when his supervisor rang in with the news and a request for more hands. They quickly mustered 15 units and three super- visors toward the IRC. As they approached, news helicopters hovered overhead, and "Are you OK?" texts from worried loved ones were already arriv- ing. The area was packed with cars, many unmarked law enforcement. Molloy looked up to see sheriff 's deputies with automatic weapons moving up the street, followed by a fire chief with lights and siren. They trailed them to the scene. By now covered bodies lay on the roadside there. From a golf course across the street, a helicopter lifted off. "It was the most intense scene I've seen in the 21 years I've been here," Molloy says. "What was interesting, though, was that although it was chaotic, I felt like every- body who was there—EMS, fire, PD—was in control." The patients were coming. In all 33 were struck by gunfire. Their care generally consisted of hemorrhage control, occlu- For More Information Circle 21 on Reader Service Card TABLE 1: STAFFING 10 medic engines with 3 personnel 2 medic trucks with 3 personnel 1 battalion chief assigned to the city 2 battalion chiefs in an antiterrorist class in Rialto Deputy chief in an antiterrorist class in Rialto Fire chief in a meeting at city hall EMS coordinator Engineer on light duty SWAT medic in training 2 battalion chiefs came in to assist

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