UPPERCO August 10, 2013 – On Saturday morning, fire companies from Baltimore, Carroll, and Howard Counties converged on the Arcadia Volunteer Fire Company's carnival grounds for a hay wagon accident with 15+ victims requiring immediate medical treatment and transport. The victims, however, were actors, and the accident, staged. The scenario was designed to be a drill for first responders to evaluate the way that they would handle a real-life mass casualty incident. The drill was conducted at the Arcadia Volunteer Fire Company and taught by highly knowledgeable, local instructors including John Donnahue of the Maryland Institute for the Emergency Medical Services System, Scott Goldstein, a Lieutenant at the Pikesville Vol Fire Co, and Scott Weiner, Chairman of the EMS Committee for the BCVFA. Captain Dan Uddeme of the Chestnut Ridge Vol Fire Co, and Battalion Chief Charles King of the Howard County Department of Fire Rescue were also on hand to assist with the drill, as well as demonstrate their unique resources. The first, from Chestnut Ridge VFC, is a Special Operations Response Team trailer, or SORT-50 for short. This trailer is capable of assessing and treating up to 30 patients. The SORT team also comes with a portable generator and all terrain vehicle for remote access locations. SORT-50 is the only resource of its type in the Baltimore County region. The second vehicle, from Howard County, is a Medical Ambulance Bus. This bus is capable of treating and transporting 13 patients on stretchers, or 26 patients seated, and comes equipped with advanced life support medications and monitoring equipment. The bus, or MAB-13 as it is known, is one of only five in the state. All Terrain Vehicles, essential in limited access scenes, were also on hand from the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company, Hereford Volunteer Ambulance Assoc., and Chestnut Ridge. Additional companies attending the training included the Hampstead Volunteer Fire Company in Carroll County, Reisterstown Volunteer Fire Company, Boring Volunteer Fire Company, as well as Baltimore County Fire Department's Franklin Station Engine and Medic 56, EMS Supervisors 5 and 1, and Battalion Chief Hill. The members of Box 234 Association, Rehab 156, provided firefighter rehab services.

Designed to simulate a collision involving a hay wagon ride and an ATV, this drill was the first of it's kind to be held in the area. Members of the Junior Fire Companies from Arcadia, Hampstead, and Reisterstown, as well as members of the community pretended to be the victims in the accident. A total of 15 victims were involved and ranged in severity from immediately life threatening to deceased. Utilizing a technique called moulage, the patient's were dressed with life-like wounds and fake blood. A variety of other simulation techniques were used to replicate the hazards and distractions of a true-life incident. Arcadia's units were the first to arrive at the simulated scene and quickly identified the need for the additional resources that a mass casualty requires. Units were deployed to the scene using real-time dispatching provided by off duty dispatcher Ashley Crooks as resources were requested. While some personnel worked on triaging patients and identifying injuries and victims, others worked to rescue one victim who was trapped under the wagon, as part of the simulation. In total, the simulation lasted just over one-hour, a fairly close relation to what would be expected in a real event.

The drill was funded primarily by the Arcadia Volunteer Fire Company. "We feel its important to train ourselves on how to best handle a mass casualty incident, especially here in Arcadia", said Matthew Burgan, EMS Sergeant for the Arcadia Volunteers and organizer of the day's drill. He continued to explain "Arcadia is unique in that we are quite a distance from a significant amount of resources, so our providers will no doubt be taxed until help arrives. By hosting these drills, we know that our providers will be as best prepared as they can be for whatever type of incident that they may encounter."

"ALL IMAGES ARE SIMULATED INJURIES! SOME PHOTOS APPEAR EXTREMELY GRAPHIC!"

Photos courtesy of Michele Crumbacker.