Objective
The objective of this mass casualty incident is to swiftly and effectively respond to the emergency, prioritize and provide immediate medical care to the injured, minimize further harm to individuals involved, and coordinate rescue, triage, and transportation efforts in order to save lives and ensure the overall safety and well-being of the affected individuals and the surrounding community.
Defined
A mass casualty incident is defined as one that involves an incident with the number of casualties that exceed the resources normally utilized from local resources. According to the Department of Health Services, this usually involves an incident with 5 or more victims.
Notifications
- Watch Commander
- Command Staff
- Fire Department
- PIO
- Detective Personnel
- Forensics
- Hospitals (through Fire IC)
Resources to Consider
- Bearcat / Medcat
- Traffic Bureau
- Federal Law Enforcement (FBI/ATF)
- PIO
- Local Community Leaders
- Faith Based Leaders / Chaplains
- Red Cross
- Mass Transit: Buses
- Portable Restrooms
- Bomb Squad (if devices are suspected)
- Hazardous Material Response Team
- Cadets / Explorers (Staging area, scribes, traffic control etc.)
Post Incident(Things to Consider
- Family Reunification / Family Assistance Center (away from scene, CP and media)
- Hotline phone number for community members / family to contact
- Establish a volunteer center for people wishing to help
- Social Media blast
- Press Conference
- Town hall meetings. Allow family members to speak if they wish to do so
- Chaplains and Psychologists on standby
- Mental health for first responders (peer support, counseling services)
- Ensure the right personnel are selected for body recovery / clean up.
- Keep Survivors and Victims’ Families informed. (Detectives re: case and Victim Support Services for counseling etc.)
- Assign a liaison to every family affected by the incident. This could be a police officer or fire fighter
- Once the investigation is complete, allow family members to visit the incident sight.
- Designate an on-site memorial location for flowers, candles, pictures, balloons. This prevents crime scene contamination.
- Consider using clergy, close friends of community leaders when making death notifications
- Make sure family members are notified before releasing information to the media