First responders from eastern Washington and northern Idaho convene for exercise April 28  

SPOKANE, Wash. – April 26, 2011 – On Thurs., April 28, 2011, numerous local and regional agencies will participate in a simulated mass casualty exercise to evaluate health care system emergency response plans. This important training will test current procedures and help identify operational strengths and weaknesses in multiple counties, and between Washington state and Idaho. 

The exercise will be coordinated from the Spokane Emergency Coordination Center, 1618 N. Rebecca Ave, 99217, from 9 a.m. until noon. Press and official guests are welcome to attend all or part of the exercise to observe the functionality of systems and management of the emergency. Participants include local, regional and state first responders from law enforcement, fire/emergency medical services, hospitals and emergency management. 

Thursday’s functional exercise will utilize a simulation cell and artificially produce a mass casualty incident, specifically, an accident involving multiple vehicles along two state highways, one in Whitman County and one in Spokane County. Role-playing response activities will be tracked as “patients” are moved through the health care system in the best manner possible. Responders will be guided by the Disaster Medical Hospital Control plan. 

The exercise is sponsored by Washington State Region 9 Health Care Coalition, which works to strengthen the emergency preparedness and response planning for all aspects of health care. The Region 9 Health Care Coalition includes the 10 counties and three tribal nations in eastern Washington. It is a group of 250+ committed responders who work in health care across the region. The coalition works with local and regional partners across Washington state and Idaho, and with the Washington state Department of Health. For more information on the coalition, click here.