Mock disaster

'Emergency' situation Mock mass-casualty event gives emergency service personnel a chance to practice

Children screamed, emergency lights flashed and uniformed people converged on the scene. But to anyone who saw the school bus tipped over off U.S. 2 near the Flathead/Lincoln county line on Saturday: things looked much worse than they actually were.

Jeff Hardgrove, assistant fire chief of the Marion Rural Fire Department, organized the mock disaster. It was designed to benefit emergency services from Kalispell to Libby by establishing a protocol for departments to follow in the event of a mass-casualty event.

Saturday's scenario was a bus accident in which 41 people were injured or killed. To make the scene as realistic as possible, makeup was used to give the victims visible injuries.

One person acted as the scene's medical supervisor. He entered the bus and triage, marking victims according to the severity of their injuries.

Outside, four tarps were set up corresponding to the tags placed on each victim. Green tags were the walking wounded; once the medical supervisor cleared the bus, these people were asked to make their way to the green tarp.

Red tags were those in critical condition, the people who needed immediate attention. Yellow tags meant "delayed"; medics would get to them after they cared for the reds.

Black tags were those who died in the accident. A black tarp was set up, but no bodies were laid there.

Mike Meehan, Flathead County undersheriff, was on hand to act as coroner.

Five people were declared dead at the scene.

In a real emergency, they'd leave the deceased in the bus until everyone else had been cleared out, said James Brower, Marion fire chief. If they laid the bodies on the tarp, the victims' relatives might see them and become hysterical.

One man acted out that scenario. He ran, distraught, onto the scene when he learned his three daughters had been on the bus. Emergency services personnel restrained him as he tried to reach his kids and threatened to handcuff him if he didn't calm down.

The victims were all volunteers from the community. Marion Fire Department had visited schools and sent kids home with permission slips.

Originally the training was set up for 35 victims, Brower said, but people kept bringing in permission slips. Finally he had to cap it at 41.

"I think the victims have more fun on these things than we do, I really do," Brower said.

The victims took their jobs seriously. Some limped, painfully and pathetically. Others cradled their arms next to their bodies or lay perfectly still as they were loaded onto stretchers.

"I tell you what, the kids, sometimes they are the best actors in the world," Brower said. "They really get into it. They love it."

Emergency services personnel got into it, too, treating the training as a real disaster. Many were members of volunteer fire departments, giving up a Saturday morning to work.

"This county would be in deep trouble without all the volunteers," Meehan said. "The law enforcement people sure realize it."

Between 35 and 40 emergency services personnel were dispatched to the scene. Marion Fire Department, Marion Ambulance, Fisher River Valley Fire Department, Smith Valley Fire Department, Cabinet View Fire Department, Montana Highway Patrol, Flathead and Lincoln County sheriff's offices, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Montana Department of Transportation all participated in the training.

ALERT helicopter planned on attending but turned around because of the weather.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.