By James B. Bartle
The Sullivan Fire Department will serve as a regional Mass Casualty Incident team following the activation of a new 16 ft. long, 7 ft. wide, enclosed trailer complete with vital equipment needed for any type of disaster incident.
Sullivan assistant chief, Larry Fletcher, spoke with the Independent News on Friday regarding the new addition to the fire district which was purchased through funds by the Homeland Security Administration and distributed by the Meramec Regional Planning Commission. The two government bodies inspected the new MCI trailer and equipment on Friday during the audit.
Fletcher stated that the district is one of only two in the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) region to receive grant funds for the program; the other is at Phelps County Hospital.
A Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) is an incident in which there are more than four patients and one in critical condition.
The new Sullivan MCI trailer is equipped with a generator and lighting for night work, along with medical equipment including up to 48 backboards for patients, oxygen tanks, medical bags, disposable blankets and other needed items carried by an ambulance. The trailer is also equipped with 48 body bags and bags for personal contents to send with each patient.
Fletcher stated that dispatchers in Crawford County, a county within the MRPC, has a protocol to follow should a mass casualty incident be deemed necessary.
“If we would have a mass casualty incident, the first fire unit to the scene would begin providing triage,” said Fletcher. “They would divide the patients into three groups that would be critical, noncritical and deceased. Each person would have a tag placed with them such as a green tag, meaning uninjured; a yellow tag, injured but not urgent;  a red tag, critical; and a black tag, deceased.”
“These teams would quickly access each patient at an incident scene. The first medical team to the scene would then treat the red tag patients first and then go down the line. While this is going on, the emergency dispatcher would begin following protocol for bringing in more units needed at the scene.”
Fletcher stated that an MCI drill was held last year in Crawford County and one thing learned was that patients being flown by helicopter would need to be flown to outlying hospitals while ambulance patients would go to local area hospitals; otherwise, the local hospitals would be overrun with patients and lengthen the time for treatment. This drill simulated 40 patients with four helicopters and four ambulances transporting patients.
The MCI training program will hold a training in March, where Fletcher plans to use a bus to simulate transporting eight patients with an ambulance crew and firefighter assistance to see if this would be a feasible program, if ever needed.
The cost of the trailer and equipment was funded through a grant at $24,800.
“We will be applying for future grants to provide additional equipment for the trailer, including outside or portable shelter and more patient oxygen tanks,” said Fletcher. “This MCI trailer, the district has said, will go anywhere needed. Obviously, we will respond anywhere in the MRPC region and Franklin County, and there is another MCI unit in St. Clair as well. “
“We have several firefighters on this department that are EMTs and some that are medics, and most of our firefighters are trained in being a first responder to an incident scene.”
The new MCI unit is being held at Sullivan Station One in downtown Sullivan and is available for public viewing.