Emergency responders participate in mass casualty drill at North Iredell Middle School
STORY BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
PHOTOS BY KEVIN IMM
The back parking lot at North Iredell Middle School was transformed into a multi-vehicle accident scene Saturday morning.
The mock disaster was staged to allow emergency crews from northern Iredell County an opportunity to practice their skills and for rookie emergency medical technicians to gain knowledge and confidence.
The mass casualty drill was the brainchild of Morgan Kennedy, a member of the North Iredell Rescue Squad, which was one of several agencies that participated, said Assistant Chief Jason Mullins.
For weeks, Kennedy put the plan in place and arranged for the other agencies, ranging from fire departments to Iredell EMS to the N.C. Highway Patrol, to participate in the drill.
One important — but sometimes overlooked — partner in these exercises is the provider of the vehicles on which the emergency teams could practice. Ultimate Towing and Recovery delivered a recreational vehicle and four passenger vehicles for use in the drill.
The two scenarios involved multiple vehicles in a crash on Interstate 77.
Mullins said that was chosen because it’s the major highway through the North Iredell area and has been the scene of some of the agencies’ most serious crashes.
“We’ve got to be ready to handle it,” he said.
For Iredell EMS, it was a different type of exercise, said Training Officer Lynn Hooper. Many of the participants in the exercise will be the paramedics of the future.
They are part of a program through Iredell EMS and Mitchell Community College that allows them to be employees of EMS while undergoing the training required to become paramedics.
Hooper said the support for the program comes from the top, citing Iredell EMS Director Eric Morrison. “Eric’s a great leader,” he said.
The apprenticeship program, he said, has been positive for both the county and the students. Iredell EMS absorbs the costs of putting the students through school and, after they graduate and receive their certification, then the county has a new contingent of paramedics.
Saturday’s exercise gave them the opportunity to put those classroom lessons into practice. They assessed “patients” and learned to work with firefighters and rescue squad members in extricating victims and preparing them for transport.
“It’s as real as it can possibly be,” Hooper said.
The scenarios faced Saturday are not outlandish, he explained.
“It’s going to happen,” he said, and “they need to be ready for it.”
Mullins said that was the goal for Saturday’s drill — to prepare everyone to deal with such emergencies and for them to practice working together as a team.
Mullins praised Kennedy for her initiative and the hard work involved in putting the drill together.
“It is a great success,” he said.
The agencies involved include North Iredell Rescue, Harmony, Union Grove and Central fire departments, the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Iredell County Emergency Communications and Interstate Motor Assistance Program (IMAP)
North Iredell Rescue Squad Chief David Cook said this exercise will help emergency crews be better prepared for multiple accidents spread out over some distance.
Before the exercise ended and the participants headed into the middle school for lunch, Mullins said the drill was just the beginning.
“We’re going to try to make this a yearly thing,” he said.
Photos
