20 Sep 2007
PRISTINA/PRISHTINE, Kosovo-Smoke everywhere, bodies lying all around, blood coming from people's ears and many other situations were faced by Kosovo Force and Pristina Airport first responders in a mass casualty exercise Sept. 20, 2007.
KFOR's Multi-National Task Force Centre, in conjunction with the airport's emergency services, practiced their response skills and coordination efforts by treating more than 15 patients, with realistic-looking injuries, in the face of a smokey terminal that looked to be on fire.
"The exercise scenario is that there is a fire in the passenger terminal followed by a secondary explosion," said Lt. Col. Robert Steed, deputy medical advisor for KFOR. "We wanted to have an exercise the fire department could really participate in, and at the same time, we don't want to bother the civilian airport."
The exercise victims were made-up to look burned and bloodied, and they were taught to play the parts of confused or unconscious people who had just been through a horrible ordeal.
As soon as the exercise started, Pristina Airport responders quickly pulled victims from the smokey building. The scene was realistic enough that the responding firemen needed oxygen and a working fire hose to enter the terminal. As soon as the first firefighters concluded that there were too many victims for them to treat in a quick fashion, coordination was made to have KFOR respond.
"The most important thing is getting the civilians and military working together," said Colonel Steed. "The civilian responders need to know how to get a hold of us, and we need to know how to respond."
(Story by Tech. Sgt. Jason Smith)
