TROY, Pa. — Dozens of first responders gathered at the Troy Fairgrounds, but there wasn't an emergency. Bradford County Emergency Management simulated a situation where a vehicle drove through the crowd at the Troy Fair. It was all to ensure first responders were prepared for the worst-case scenario.
"Leaving multiple patients injured, obviously, it's not something we ever want to happen or have any type of mass casualty incident, but it is definitely an incident that would stress the resources in the hospital system," said Jeff Rosenheck, Bradford County emergency management coordinator.
About 50 first responders took part in the drill, which involved treating 33 patients and transporting them to the hospital.
"All personnel assisted with back-boarding patients and transporting them to the triage area. We had two providers assist in the triage area, then we used our squad to transport green tags, which were the walking wounded, to Troy Hospital," said Canton Fire Chief Ray Miller.
Rosenheck says the drill went smoothly.
"There were some things that exceeded our expectations as well, so we will certainly work to improve the things that we can work on, but overall, I think it went very well. All of the patients were transported and treated within a good, reasonable time frame."
While first responders hope never to have to put these trainings to the test, they say it's always best to be prepared.
"Unfortunately, these incidents do occur. We see them on the news across the country, and while we have a plan, it's not something that we exercise or do on a regular basis, thankfully. So, we decided this would be a good opportunity for us to take this to that level and to try it out and see how we can improve and be better prepared in the future," said Rosenheck.