MEDIA CONTACT:
Christa Hyson, MPH
Senior Manager, External Relations
(513) 247-5254
For Immediate Release
MASS CASUALTY EXERCISE: AFTER THE ACTION
Hundreds of Participants in the Greater Cincinnati Region Tested Disaster Readiness
CINCINNATI, OH – On September 19th, on the eve of Cincinnati’s annual Oktoberfest celebration, hundreds of volunteers, regional emergency management agencies, hospitals, and first responders gathered to participate in the 2019 Mass Casualty Incident Exercise.
The morning-long exercise included the east end of The Banks and the Fan Zone area at Great American Ball Park. A two-prong terrorist attack was simulated, actions were slowed down to focus on understanding and practicing the response process. A few artificialities, like response time and preparedness existed so that first responders can go through the motions of responding in a no-fault learning environment. Practicing response skills like these strengthen our community resiliency.
One of the many benefits of this exercise was Emergency Services was able to use OHTrac on the scene. OHTrac is a State of Ohio tool for patient tracking used during any Mass Casualty Incident or disaster situation for family reunification. This is the first time in our region OHTrac was practiced by EMS.
Major training exercises like these are held once every three years. Partnerships are the reason this exercise was a success.
The breakdown:
- 305 Actors/Victims
- 90 High School Students applied moulage
- 170 First Responders
- 94 Exercise Staff
- 35 Fire Departments from Ohio & Kentucky
- 12 hospitals with over 100 staff members participated (including AirCare Mobile Care)
The official after-action report is expected to be published by January 2020.
Please click the links below for additional media coverage:
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About The Health Collaborative: The Health Collaborative is a non-profit organization that leads data-driven improvements that result in healthier people, better care and lower costs. For more information about The Health Collaborative, visit healthcollab.org.
