At least five people are dead and another 50 are in hospital, six of them in critical condition.

This is the balance of a train incident in Philadelphia.

The 188 Regional Train was going from Washington to New York when it derailed in the Port Richmond neighbourhood of Philadelphia about 9:30 p.m. , the cause was not immediately known but so far there are no sign of a terrorism act.

Firefighters went from car to car this Wednesday morning, armed with flashlights, in order to find and save passengers inside an Amtrak train that derailed and tripped over in Philadelphia.

“It is an absolute, disastrous mess,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to CNN about the crash site. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

A Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) can be defined as an incident that has produced more casualties than a customary response assignment can handle.

EMS providers constantly practice and prepare for the routine incidents. They study protocol books, participate in station drills on firefighting tactics, attend classes to stay sharp on medical emergencies, practice with ladders, etc. However, they must not forget to practice their MCI-related skills as well.

 

Here you can find an interesting document, explaining what to do in Mass Casualty Incidents. The focus of the document is on:

Initial Triage;

Patient Extraction;

Secondary Triage/Medical Treatment;

Transportation of patients.

Those are also the basic steps that an EMS provider should follow in case of MCI.

 

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