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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFD-14-95 THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON REPORT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE File# Date: Res. #LiA_L SEPTEMBER 18, 1995 By-Law# Report#: File#: FD-14-95 10.12.6 Subject: MOCK DISASTER - MAY 10, 1995 Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: THAT report FD-14 -95 be received for information. 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 On the May 10th,1995 a mock disaster was held in an attempt to review the capabilities of various agencies to handle an accident involving a large number of casualties. The driving force behind the exercise was the Bowmanville Memorial Hospital. 1.2 The exercise that was developed by the committee was one involving a collision between a school bus filled with students on a field trip and a tanker truck. This type of accident is quite possible because of the number of school buses on the road at any given time during the school year. Committee may remember the actual accident that occurred on the Highway 401 at Holt Road in 1993 involving a bus of tourists, which tested the abilities of the emergency care providers. The proposed exercise would involve 45 students suffering various levels of injury from minor to life threatening. Continued..... FD-14-95 - 2 - 1.3 2 -1.3 Other participants in the mock disaster exercise along with Memorial Hospital were the ambulance service, Durham Regional Police, Charterways Bus Lines, the various school boards and the Clarington Fire Department. All of these groups had representation on the planning committee, as it was also an opportunity to test of their response to such an incident. 1.4 The exercise was well received and when completed all agencies presented their findings to the committee for review. The purpose of this report is to inform Council of the findings in an effort to show the work that is and will be ongoing in an effort to insure that the residents of the Municipality, as well as those who visit here, are well served in the case of any emergency. 2. COMMENTS 2.1 Following are the findings of the various agencies and their recommendations on addressing any concerns that may have arisen. 2.2 The representative for Charterways Bus Lines found some items to be addressed were that a common command post, where representatives of all responding agencies could gather and share information, would be of assistance. Everyone agreed and the police and fire departments acknowledge that this was a necessity and would be set up jointly at such an incident. Charterways Bus Lines also thought that more transportation was needed, as well, the availability of a list of those on the bus would have helped. I 2.3 The school boards' representatives had several suggestions related to how they would deal with such an emergency. They suggested that a representative of the school or schools involved would go to the site, as well as another respond to the hospital, to assist with identifying the casualties. A list should be sent or delivered to the hospital emergency room, administrators should prepare a statement in order to notify parents and fellow students of the accident, and the schools should ensure that emergency lists will be generated. Communication between the schools and the boards must be enhanced. The hospital should be able to give regular updates and improved communication between the hospital and parents and school representatives is required. These issues are all presently being reviewed by the parties. 2.4 The ambulance service representative noted the following issues. They felt that the triaging worked well, but a second bus would have been helpful to transport the less seriously injured patients. They also felt that cellular phones would have aided in communications, and they advised the committee that had this been an actual incident that more ambulances and staff would have been made available. Continued..... 802 FD-14-95 - 3 - 2.5 3 -2.5 Durham Regional Police's representative advised that in the event a real incident had occurred that the most senior officer on the scene could request the mobile command post to assist with the establishing of the recommended command post for all agencies to utilize. They also advised that the duty sergeant or inspector would have the authority to call in additional staff as required. 2.6 The Clarington Fire Department advised that should this have been a real incident additional staff would have responded to the scene to assist with extrication and patient care. As it was, during the exercise firefighters accompanied ambulances to hospital to assist with the most seriously injured patients. This is our practice with life threatening incidents at present, allowing for better patient care. As previously mentioned, we agreed with the need for a command post and is part of our normal practice at our emergency scenes. It was not done at this exercise and this has been addressed with those involved in the exercise. 2.7 Memorial Hospital's representative had some concerns related to their operation which consist of, the triage of patients, communications with parents and guardians, more staff to do triage, and more user friendly forms. These issues are being looked at by the hospital staff and they are confident that they will be addressed. 2.8 Some additional common concerns that were raised and are being addressed are the need for one agency i.e. police or fire to be the lead agency. It was agreed that the police would be the agency in such an incident as the others [fire and ambulance] would be heavily involved in the care of patients. Security at the scene was also addressed in a need to keep everyone but emergency personnel out of the way. Some manner of identifying key personnel from the various agencies was needed as well as improved initial communication for some agencies. 2.9 Everyone involved in the exercise found it very useful and educational. It was agreed that such exercises would be conducted every two years and the committee would get together about six months prior to develop the scenario to be addressed in the exercise. 2.10 All the agencies involved will be addressing the various concerns related to their agency and the changes will be tested at the next exercise. i I Continued..... 803 FD-14-95 - 4 - 3. 4 -3. RECOMMENDATION 3.1 It is respectfully recommended that report FD-14-95 be received for information. Respectfully submitted, Reviewed by, Michael G. Creigh;on, AMCT(A), CMM1 W. H. Stockwell, l Fire Chief. Chief Administrative Officer. MC/sr August 31, 1995 i i i 8 ,94