Mass casualty disaster simulation

  • Published
  • By Maj. Frank Howard
  • 181 IW/Wing Executive Staff Officer
It was a scene of carnage and chaos as emergency responders reacted to a mass casualty exercise. "Casualties" littered the ground. Screams, emergency sirens, and cries of pain resonated in the air. Seem horrifying? It's supposed to.
The 181st Intelligence Wing Medical Group recently participated in a mass casualty exercise at the Terre Haute International Airport - Hulman Field, Ind. The exercise purpose was to simulate an aircraft crash with multiple casualties.
The exercise included approximately 80 participants, including members of the 181st IW, students in Indiana State University nursing program, students from Ivy Tech Community College paramedic program, participants from Rural Health Innovation Collaborative Simulation Center, Indiana Homeland Security's Task Force 7 Mass Casualty Unit, and the Terre Haute International Airport.
The event marks the first time multiple Terre Haute medical and disaster response organizations have participated in a mass casualty exercise.
The exercise evaluated nursing students on triage and introduced them to disaster community involvement. The 181st IW Medical Group provided the instructors for the nursing students.
1st Lt. Nicole S. Hall, an instructor for the drill, and a clinical instructor for the Community Health Course at ISU, said the mock exercise helped military medics and nurses go through casualty procedures.
"This exercise helps the medics determine who they have to deal with first and get them used to the anxiety and how they deal with it, so when a real world situation comes they will have a little bit more knowledge to draw on," said Lieutenant Hall.