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What would you do? First Aid Scenario to discuss for wannabe Medics.

A London Street Medic | 05.05.2003 20:18

An internet Training Scenario for wannabe and actual Street Medics in Britain. This will be discussed/chatted about at nightly sittings of our chat room. Please note you will need to subscribe to our (virtually dead) Yahoo Group to access the chat

You have been called to assist the rescue services at a construction site at the city airport. A group of environmental protesters have dug themselves into tunnels under the proposed new runway. It is estimated
that six tunnels exist and there is no further info about how the tunnels branch out.

One of the protesters, about half an hour ago, raised the alarm by mobile phone that one of the tunnels had collapsed and maybe three or four of the group are trapped beyond the rubble. She is adamant that two are actually caught under the rubble as they were trying to shore it up at the time.
Another of the protesters, named Cecil, is a trained mine engineer and has been down the tunnel to check. He confirms that there is one person he can see trapped up to their waist and voices beyond. From shouting through he says that apart from the chap who is buried the others are calling back though obviously frightened.

Police have managed to keep a civil and sometimes friendly rapport with the environmentalists. This can not be said of the construction contractors who have been known to throw bricks at the protestors and sometimes flair up into fist fights.

Apart from yourself, the response vehicle and the enclosed equipment you have the following on site;

Two ambulances (1 paramedic 1 technician each)
Fire rescue team (four crew, inc one trauma tech. full extrication equipment)
Numerous police officers
One junior doctor (protester named Alf)
Pothole rescue team has been called out but will take one hour to arrive.
County air ambulance is based at airport but is grounded due to torrential rain.

Initial discussion, queries and actions ?

To be discussed later?

Further developments:
Access to trapped occupants is only by the one tunnel.

A head count of the protesters now indicates that there are
a possible five trapped. One is certainly buried, status unknown.
The heavy rain is starting to cause a problem and it is estimated by the mine engineer that the tunnel may be totally flooded within three hours.

On the medical front: It is reported that the visible entrapment is lying on his back, face up and buried from the waist down. There is believed to be another trapped with just legs sticking out on the other side of the collapse. Two more are conscious, one with a
possible broken leg and the other has had a bang on the head.
The third is unconscious.

Resources available:

Three ambulances (1 paramedic 1 technician each)
Fire rescue team (four crew, inc one trauma tech. full extrication equipment)
Numerous police officers
One junior doctor (protester named Alf)
Pothole rescue team has been called out and is due within half an hour.
County air ambulance is based at airport but is grounded due to torrential rain.
Mine rescue time has been called out and will be with you in twenty minutes from when the sufficient crew have all got to the station.
A group of contractors are on hand and willing to help. They won't put themselves in any danger but will help to prop up the remaining tunnel and operate their pumping equipment (will handle sludge and mud).

All heavy equipment and vehicle movement has been banned within the site perimeter.

The scene is yours:
Good Luck!

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What would you do, besides shit yourself?

Any ideas?

I will be running a nightly discussion about the above scenario, tomorrow Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, to try and breathe life into our Street-Medics group here in London. Running from 8-9pm GMT nightly on 6-7-8 May. Please note you will need to join our HealingUK YahooGroup in order to participate in our Chat, you must also download Yahoo chat.

A London Street Medic
- Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/healinguk/