A prehospital approach to multiple-victim incidents

Although most prehospital systems have well-developed protocols for single-victim rescues and mass casualties, multiple-victim incidents falling between the two in scope have not been analyzed in detail. Forty-one audio tapes of incidents with four or more victims were evaluated for techniques and decisions that affected the runs' speed and efficiency. Common problems both in the field and at the base hospital were identified. Recommendations for management in the field and for paramedic and base station transmissions are given.