A mock disaster, led by Kevin Kupietz and sponsored by Halifax
Community College, was held recently involving Halifax EMS, Halifax 911
Center, Halifax Regional Medical Center, Roanoke Rapids Fire Department,
and the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad.
Students (Benjamin Abernathy, Teiokey Sykes, Tobihia Ramsey and
Kereon Sykes) from the School of Tomorrow in Weldon played victims (as
well as two mannequins) in a severe automobile accident. The accident
scenario was as follows:
Two groups of teenagers were drag- racing down South Hamilton Street
when a man walked in front of the speeding cars causing them to wreck.
He was trapped beneath one of the cars while the other burst into
flames.
Kevin Kupietz, HCC Fire/Rescue Services Coordinator, and the local
fire and rescue teams involved in the training exercise immediately
sprang into action.
The fire was quickly extinguished with foam and the patients were
triaged, treated and transported to the hospital by rescue workers.
Hospital staff who had already been placed on alert from the moment the
first responders radioed the "disaster" from the accident
scene treated the "injured" at Halifax Regional Medical
Center.
According to Kupietz, "Drills like this are always very
important because they allow us to test the system under realistic
conditions. These drills show areas of strength and point out those that
need improvement. They also train and familiarize participants about
large-scale incident responses and all the actions that will need to be
carried out and considered under real conditions."
