Weston Forum
Buckle heads new task force
Weston EMTs receive mass casualty training
Aug 2, 2007

by SUSAN JORDAN
Weston EMS

Sandy Buckle, crew chief for Weston EMS, understands what preparedness is all about. Because of that, she has been asked to head a new task force for Weston EMS that will focus on mass casualty readiness.

“As EMTs (emergency medical technicians), we are trained to deal with health emergencies and, for the most part, that care is one on one.”

Ms. Buckle added, “We are also trained to deal with what we call a mass casualty event, or an incident involving multiple patients. It could be an automobile accident, a train wreck, or the bleachers collapsing at a football game. We need to be ready for a mass casualty, too.”

The training for a mass casualty incident involves staging drills like the recent mock school bus accident, held July 16. During that drill, the communication and coordination between the Fire Department, the Police Department, and EMS was tested.

There are many jobs to do when a large-scale incident occurs — triage, treatment, transport — and the efforts have to be coordinated under one unified command.

“We have drills every month to stay up to date with our skills. We are putting more attention now on the mass casualty readiness. It’s using our skills in a more complex environment. We need to be ready for whatever happens,” Ms. Buckle said.

© Copyright 2007 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers