Health First Emergency and Trauma Teams Drill With EMS First Responders for ‘Worst-Case’ Scenario

Trauma HAL – lifelike simulation mannequin purchased by Health First Foundation – serves as primary patient.
April 12, 2023

Melb Mock Disaster (8).png

TRAUMA HAL serves as the primary trauma patient at a simulated disaster scene at the City of Melbourne Fire Training Center. HAL is a technologically advanced mannequin – a patient simulator that has true-to-life anatomy and physiology and can simulate everything from strokes to gunshot wounds.

 

The initial call that echoed over radios at approximately 9:10 a.m. on April 7 apprised of a building fire with possible injuries. But as first responders arrived on the scene, they would find much more.

Luckily, the disastrous and chaotic scene unfolding was only a practice event simulating a true-to-life emergency including overturned vehicles, multiple medical-attention scenarios and accident victims.

The Emergency Medical Services mock drill was a collaboration between Health First Trauma and Emergency Department teams and local EMS teams – including the Melbourne Fire Department and the Satellite Beach Fire Department – conducting a full-scale training exercise at the City of Melbourne Fire Training Center on Hughes Road.  

It was a multi-situation scenario beginning with a car crash and building fire, first responders arriving on site, extricating and stabilizing a patient, triaging, and finally, transporting the trauma patients via air or vehicle to be treated at the hospital.  

“This is a very important drill for our team at Health First, as well as the EMS teams we have assembled here today. We are able to see firsthand how care is rendered in the field directly to the patient, which gives us a better understanding for how they will arrive to us at the hospital,” said Dr. Mark Pessa, Health First Trauma Medical Director.

READ the full story that appeared in Space Coast Daily HERE.