Mass-Casualty Incidents
As the military saying goes, “Prior planning prevents poor performance.” This phrase can be applied to preparing for mass-casualty incidents (MCIs). The FireRescue1 MCI resource page details best practices for significant incidents, including active shooter and terrorist events, transportation incidents like bus crashes or train derailments, and other incidents that could involve many victims.
Firefighters from Marine 4 pulled victims from the water near Hart Island while Marine 6 knocked down the blaze
Forty-eight active shooter incidents were reported in 2023; in 2024, the FBI identified 24 incidents
At least eight people were injured after a man attacked a pro-Israeli hostage rally in Boulder, the FBI is investigating as a terrorist act
Mayday training, preplanning, mutual-aid agreements and scene size-ups emerge as common themes in major incidents
Roughly 1,700 emergency workers were dispatched to the scene where ambulances lined streets and EMS providers and bystanders performed CPR
Darrell Brooks was found guilty of all 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide
The jury said that it could not unanimously agree that the shooter should be executed
Officials declared a mass casualty incident, bringing every ambulance in Allentown and more from surrounding municipalities
Five years after the Route 91 Harvest Festival MCI, a paramedic reflects on a frightening moment, and the lessons learned
Five years after the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting, first responders have access to a 50,000-square-foot high-tech tactical training center
CAL FIRE Captain Chris Wetzel and his treating mental health provider detail his road from defeat to appreciation in the aftermath of tragedy
At least 10 ambulance crews responded, according to the Chicago Fire Department, which asked for help searching the structure
The four-part series includes stories from first responders and new footage from the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history
What to do when the training chief blows off your idea for enhanced MCI training following a major incident
Cebollero, Dudley and Ludwig discuss honoring the legacy of 9/11
Fire Chief (ret.) Craig Daugherty recalled the day he responded to shots fired at the high school where his 15-year-old daughter was in lockdown
He was on scene as the EMS incident command and said more than 100 EMS, fire and police personnel from several municipalities and counties responded
Cell phone photos taken by law enforcement officers after the Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting were being spread the same night
The Public Safety Officer Support Act supports first responders who experienced PTSD or died by suicide following exposure to certain traumatic events
Review the criteria and consider making the switch
“We’re able to get the stretcher under the patient and drag them to what amounts to a safer area and use less rescuers,” said Fitchburg Fire Chief Joe Pulvermacher
The challenge now is how to show up every day, with the same energy, and resist the threats of indifference and complacency
Authorities said a 22-year-old man named as a person of interest in the shooting was taken into police custody Monday evening
Mo. firefighter Todd Covington described the derailment and aftermath, saying, the scouts “probably saved 20 or 30 people’s lives”
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For two weeks, rescue crews from near and far helped local teams dig through the Champlain Towers South pile in the search for victims
A grocery store assistant manager said she was berated for whispering; the call taker said she is “being attacked for one side of the story”
Focusing on swift triage, mastering the basics and having a plan for exfiltrating the wounded are essential steps to immediate lifesaving measures
It is important that you process the loss and what you experienced with your support network
An outpouring of support from the first responder community follows the fatal shooting of 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school
“Sadly, this isn’t the last time we will see these headlines, but for us, today, put the tourniquet away and focus on the heart and soul of those in our charge.”
Public safety leaders: invite and encourage your personnel to get support from mental health clinicians, peer-support teams and other resources as they have a need
Reflecting on the pain of 10 killed in a hate-driven shooting, 100,000 dead of drug overdoses and 1 million lost to COVID-19
