A “patient” is loaded into the Medflight helicopter.
Photos and info by Mike Kellems
(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)
It looked 100 percent real for good reason, but it was all for practice: Several area fire departments, ambulances, the Red Cross and a Medflight helicopter responded to the Camp Summit juvenile boot camp for a “gas explosion and fire with multiple injuries” Saturday morning, Oct. 26, 2013. Not to worry — the “disaster” was a mock drill coordinated by members of the Center Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Employees and students at the camp on Johnson Road participated by acting as victims injured in the mock disaster. Medflight responded to the scene and transported the most critical of “patients.” The Center Township Volunteer Fire Department was assisted during the exercise by LaPorte County EMS, Coolspring and Scipio township volunteer fire departments and representatives of the LaPorte County Red Cross.
Following the drill, all participants gathered for a debriefing. As mentioned by the Medflight crew, this is a great opportunity to share ideas and learn how to best respond to emergencies and disasters. Training with the fire departments and local paramedics gives the flight crew a great opportunity to not only get to know each other, but also understand everyone’s capabilities.
Emergency workers tend to an “injured patient with an arm amputation.”
The Medflight helicopter takes off.
Center Township Fire Chief Marc Christiano confers with LaPorte County EMS Paramedic Tron Gorbonosenko.