US Air Force,
PRISTINA/PRISHTINE, Kosovo: Smoke everywhere, bodies lying all around, blood coming from people’s ears and many other situations were faced by Kosovo Force and Pristina Airport first responders in a mass casualty exercise Sept. 20, 2007.
KFOR’s Multi-National Task Force Centre, in conjunction with the airport’s emergency services, practiced their response skills and coordination efforts by treating more than 15 patients, with realistic-looking injuries, in the face of a smokey terminal that looked to be on fire.
“The exercise scenario is that there is a fire in the passenger terminal followed by a secondary explosion,” said Lt. Col. Robert Steed, deputy medical advisor for KFOR. “We wanted to have an exercise the fire department could really participate in, and at the same time, we don’t want to bother the civilian airport.”
The exercise victims were made-up to look burned and bloodied, and they were taught to play the parts of confused or unconscious people who had just been through a horrible ordeal.
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A Finnish Kosovo Force emergency responder treats an exercise
victim during a mass casualty exercise at the Pristina (Kosovo) Airport Sept. 20, 2007. KFOR's Multi-National Task Force Centre, in conjunction with Pristina Airport's emergency services, practiced their response skills and coordination efforts by treating more than 15 patients in the exercise. More Military Pictures
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As soon as the exercise started, Pristina Airport responders quickly pulled victims from the smokey building. The scene was realistic enough that the responding firemen needed oxygen and a working fire hose to enter the terminal. As soon as the first firefighters concluded that there were too many victims for them to treat in a quick fashion, coordination was made to have KFOR respond.
“The communication and getting KFOR involved is the important thing,” said Fisnik Dalipi, Pristina Airport fire inspector. “This is a benefit also because we get to practice going into this situation with all of our equipment.”
After all of the exercise victims were transported to a holding area, local medical professionals went to work on them deciding which patients needed moved immediately and which ones could wait for the next available ambulance.
While the initial patients were receiving their treatment, a new batch of exercise victims, and much more smoke, was ready for responding KFOR members.
“We’re detailed to do security, but we’re helping with the casualties right now,” said Lt. Kate Hanrahan, a responding KFOR member from the Irish Army. “We’re ready to help however we’re needed. This is good practice working together.”
Just like the initial phase of the exercise involving airport responders, KFOR emergency personnel moved all of the victims from immediate danger to a safe place where doctors could asses their needs.
“The most important thing is getting the civilians and military working together,” said Colonel Steed. “The civilian responders need to know how to get a hold of us, and we need to know how to respond.”
The exercise did serve as a medium to get people working together. At the end of the exercise, those involved gained experience, which most hope they will never need, on how to respond to a multi-national, mass casualty emergency in Kosovo.
