·          To provide an organized framework to effectively manage MCI’s

·          To coordinate resources

·          To identify responsibilities and lines of authority

·          To provide an orderly means of communication and information processing

·          To provide a common terminology

·          To identify a process for transfer of command

·        Incident Commander: provides control and direction

·        Sector officer and personnel for each sector (depends on the nature and extent of the incident if each section will be operational)

·          Transportation

·          Treatment

·          Extrication

·          Staging

·          Supply

·          To sort or prioritize patients to allow for the most effective use of limited resources

·          To quickly determine the number of victims and the overall severity of their injuries

·        The only interventions that are performed during triage are those that are immediately life saving (i.e. opening the airway, pressure to control bleeding)

·        Priority is given to the most seriously injured victims that are likely to survive.

·        Valuable resources are not used on patients that are likely to die due to the nature and severity of their injuries

·        Triage is a dynamic process and patient categorization may change.

·        Each victim should be triaged in less than 60 seconds

·        Each victim is triaged using the following

·          Ventilation

·          Perfusion

·          Level of Consciousness

·        Minor

·          Walking around

·          Have them walk to a designated area

·          Complete assessment will be done when time and resources permit

·          Must be re-evaluated periodically to determine if triage status remains unchanged.

·        Delayed

·          No immediate life-threatening injuries

·          Respiratory rate less than 30

·          Capillary refill < 2 seconds or palpable radial pulse

·          Normal mental status

·        Critical Immediate

·          Critically injured victims requiring immediate transportation

·          Respiratory rate above 30 or needs assistance to maintain patent airway

·          Capillary refill > 2 seconds or absent radial pulse

·          Altered mental status

·        Dead/Non-Salvageable

·          Obviously dead or have mortal wounds

·          If ventilation is inadequate the rescuer will open the airway and remove debris

·        Expanded Medical Emergency

·          5-15 patients with at least 5 critical

·        Major Medical Emergency

·          16-50 patients

·        Medical Disaster

·          More than 50 patients

·          Manageable with local resources

·        MAC: “Medical Alert Center” located at the Department of Health Services

·          Used during multiple casualty incidents to coordinate efforts of prehospital care personnel with hospital resources

·        HEAR: Hospital Emergency Administrative Radio used for communication between the hospitals, prehospital personnel, and MAC

·        HERT: Specialized teams of physicians and nurses that can be mobilized to assist with on-scene medical management at MCI’s

·          “Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment” (transport)

·          Quickly allows a few people to triage a large number of victims

·          Rapidly assess and categorizes victims which allows the scene to be sized up and resources mobilized rapidly

·          Limited medical training is required to make the simple triage decisions regarding ventilation, perfusion, and LOC

·          Open the airway

·          Control profuse bleeding

·          Know and understand your department MCI plan

·          Know and understand the L.A. County MCI plan

·          Be prepared to assume almost any role during an actual incident

·          Know your scope of practice and work within its parameters

·          Maintain essential equipment and supply inventories at all times

·          Seek professional stress debriefing following major incidents