Victim-tracking cards in a community disaster drill

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Disaster Management
• Public Health Preparedness

Background:

• Effective triage is critical during mass casualty incidents.
• Evaluating the efficiency of victim management during disaster drills is essential for improving response protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a tracking card system in evaluating triage during a disaster drill.
• To determine the accuracy of victim route tracing in a simulated mass casualty event.

Main Methods:

• A disaster drill was conducted at Detroit-Wayne County Metropolitan Airport in September 1978.
• A tracking card system was implemented to follow "victims" from the initial "make-up" to the treatment facility.
• Data from tracking cards were collected and analyzed to evaluate victim handling.

Main Results:

• The tracking card system provided an accurate method for evaluating victim management.
• Several problems were encountered during the implementation and use of the tracking card system.
• Despite challenges, the system successfully traced victim routes and assessed handling during the rescue effort.

Conclusions:

• The tracking card system proved to be a valuable tool for assessing triage effectiveness in a disaster scenario.
• Improvements to the tracking system could further enhance its utility in future disaster preparedness evaluations.
• The study highlights the importance of robust data collection methods in evaluating emergency response operations.