Realistic Crash Hones Murrieta Firefighters Life-Saving Skills

Firefighters must inherently know what steps they will take when they are faced with a multiple casualty accident.

"We have to have an organized system," said Matt Corelli, engineer and spokesman for the Murrieta Fire Department. "For instance, if we have a bus flip over, we could have 60 to 80 people to deal with."

This week, the fire department held its annual Mutiple Casualty Incident drill to prepare firefighters for these life-or-death situations. The timed drills are carried out exactly as they would unfold had the department gone out a true call.

On Saturday, youth fire explorers acted as 11 victims of a multiple-car collision. They were college students who had been drinking and were driving home from a party when they collided, trapping several victims in vehicles. A car seat was flung out of one of the cars, with an infant laying nearby.

Firefighters quickly assessed victims, placing numbered identification tags on based on their vital signs. Victims were classified in four categories: minor (walking wounded), delayed (serious, non-life threatening), immediate (life-threatening injury, and morgue (pulse less, non-breathing). The colored tags help paramedics direct victims to color-coded mats set up in a triage area.

There were four minor injuries, two delayed, four immediate and one fatality. Crews used an ax and other tools to pry one of the victims out of the trunk of a car, while others were taken away on stretchers.

As victims, the high-school aged explorers experienced what it is like on the job should they become a firefighter, said Capt. Eric Ballard, who coordinated the drill.

Perhaps the hardest but most vital part is the planning that goes into the training. Agencies involved include the Murrieta Fire Department, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Mission Ambulance, American Medical Response (AMR), dispatchers, Inland Valley Medical Center and sometimes the Pechanga Fire Department.

According to Ballard, all agencies must be on board for a six-day training period, three of which are spent in the classroom and three of which are spent carrying out the training with mock situations.

"The best thing is having all the agencies cooperate," Ballard said.

For illustrations of the training, see attached video, shot by Maggie Avants and edited by Patch reporter Typhanie Sharfner, along with photos contributed by photographer Duncan Shand.