On March 23, staff and physicians participated in a in a mass casualty training exercise at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. The exercise, which involved a fictitious tanker truck colliding with a city bus, tested Capital Health’s readiness to respond to casualties requiring decontamination. A volunteer looks on as he awaits treatment for his simulated wound. The man’s nurse, a Dalhousie student, also volunteered in the exercise.
Mock Disaster Exercise - March 23, 2013
On March 23, staff and physicians participated in a in a mass casualty training exercise at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. Photos by Scott Munn.
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Awaiting treatment
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Suiting up
Hospital staff are fully equipped in decontamination suits as they prepare to treat contaminated casualties. The exercise focused specifically on the procedures for treating patients who have been in contact with dangerous chemicals.
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Staff brieifing
Chief Emergency Department Physician Dr. Sam Campbell briefs his staff on the details of the mock mass casualty.
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Acting the part
A volunteer grimaces in simulated pain as hospital staff attend to his care. Each mock victim in the disaster was assigned a back story and was encouraged to act true to his or her assigned injuries.
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Discussing the situation
Two members of the decontamination team discuss matters inside the ambulance bay - the site of the decontamination centre - at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.
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Treating the wounded
Staff perform emergency care on a “victim” in the mock disaster exercise. As the exercise encompassed the entire hospital, an ongoing challenge was managing the admitted volunteer casualties.
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Staying organized
A staff member updates a floor chart during the mock disaster exercise. The mock mass casualty posed challenges that ranged from decontaminating patients to managing hospital beds.
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Simulated surgery
Physicians review information as simulated emergency surgery takes place during the mock disaster exercise. The exercise encompassed the entire hospital and aimed to cause issues that would arise in a real situation, such as accommodating other patients and performing emergency procedures.