Stories From the Streets: MCI Drill Follows Tragedy

On a Tuesday night in May, just five days after the Meron crowd-crush tragedy that killed 45, United Hatzalah held a mass-casualty incident (MCI) training drill in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. The drill simulated a motor vehicle accident involving two minibuses that left patients of various ages with different injuries. Participating in the drill with United Hatzalah was the Israel Defense Forces; the Upper Galilee and Mt. Hermon search and rescue units; United Hatzalah’s psychotrauma team, run by Dr. Moshe Farchi of Tel-Hai College; the fire department; and the police department.

The drill simulated more than 30 casualties with various injuries. The use of makeup and special effects helped create a realistic scenario in which emergency medical service personnel from all the different organizations could identify and treat the injured. 

Vicki Tiferet, head of United Hatzalah’s Upper Galilee chapter, spoke about the success of the drill: “The training drill was successful and incredibly helpful in providing our volunteers with a chance to hone their skills in treating severe trauma victims while working in partnership with the other rescue forces that would arrive in such a situation,” she said. “Everyone, both the United Hatzalah volunteers as well as the other emergency personnel who responded to the incident, worked really hard and surpassed my expectations.” 

United Hatzalah President and founder Eli Beer said drills like this are important, especially following the Meron tragedy.

“Last month we held an MCI training drill in Nahariya,” Beer said. “The volunteers who participated in that drill were better prepared to respond to the tragic event that took place in Meron, and I have no doubt the training they received resulted in a faster response in Meron and better care for the injured. I have no doubt that the emphasis United Hatzalah places upon constantly training our volunteers, especially MCI training, resulted in lives being saved in Meron. That is why we continue to conduct these training exercises—so all our volunteers can participate in these drills and experience the chaos that can occur during an MCI and learn how to make order out of it on every operational level, from the head of our operations and medical departments to each and every volunteer.

“During an MCI, the decisions made by each individual volunteer, as well as larger operational decisions, can save many lives. We need to be ready because the next MCI is not a question of if but when. The more joint exercises like this we do, the better the cross-organizational cooperation will be during a real-life incident, and that will result in the patients receiving better care faster and more lives being saved.”

Raphael Poch is the international media spokesperson for United Hatzalah, Israel’s national volunteer EMS organization.