This exercise will provide local emergency response agencies with a valuable opportunity to test their emergency response capabilities to a scenario involving an aircraft accident at the Portsmouth International Airport.
For everyone involved in the exercise, the roles played, the problems identified, and the resolution of these problems are of life and death importance. Deep appreciation is expressed in advance for all who volunteer to assist in this most important effort.
Simulated victims provide the necessary stimuli to allow emergency personnel to respond in their defined roles. There is a great deal of satisfaction derived from serving as a simulated victim in a mass casualty exercise. Being a simulated victim can also be a fun experience. There is a sense of drama and excitement, as well as teamwork and education. Each volunteer can feel pride in contributing toward the goal of improving the Seacoast community’s capability to respond to a mass casualty event.
Volunteers will be assigned their roles on the day of the exercise. Most volunteers will play simulated victims and will be assigned to one of three levels of survivable injuries. Some, but not all, volunteers will be transported to one of (five) area hospitals: Exeter, Wentworth-Douglass, Frisbee Memorial, Portsmouth, and York.
All volunteers will receive debriefing and lunch at the end of the exercise.
Some volunteers will be asked to play other roles such as family members of crash victims or serve as “trackers” at the temporary morgue being operated by the Office of the NH Chief Medical Examiner. Volunteers between age 12 – 16 will not be separated from their accompanying parent or legal guardian.
No moulage (injury makeup) will be used during this drill and clothing will not be cut or torn.