MASS-CASUALTY DRILLS USUALLY ARE FOCUSED around an outdoor event, such as a transportation incident, because there is room to stage lots of victims and space for observers.

But in Wales this week, three departments used their imagination and came up with a good, practical scenario that could be used by others.

The South Wales Echo describes it:

FILM-GOERS were relaxing in their seats at the Theatre Royal in Barry when the cinema was plunged into darkness.

There were shouts of panic as a fire at the side of the big screen began to grow in intensity. The room quickly filled with acrid smoke, causing the audience to choke and their eyes to run.

But thankfully, the fire was not real. The emergency had been staged as a training exercise by firefighters from Barry, Penarth and Ely.

Chris Legg, crew manager with Green Watch said such exercises helped to prepare his firefighters for some of the worst incidents they would have to deal with.

“We hope something like this never happens for real, but it is vital that we are trained to cope if it did,” he said.

The operation, which included casualties being treated on site for burns and smoke inhalation, involved 22 firefighters.

Firegeezer prefers practical evolutions like this one.  It would be good to see more imagination and variety in multi-company drills like this.

Whenever it’s possible, it is also good to include the local hospital in these drills and to transport the “victims” to the emergency room.  The hospital staff gets the benefit of all these triage makeup patients to work on, too.  And you get the benefit of an evaluation of your field work by a medical professional.

Barry Fire Station

South Wales Fire & Rescue Service WEBSITE.

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