Drill shows emergency readiness

Author: Rachel Dunlap

Last Thursday at precisely 5 p.m., I lay unconscious with a head laceration in the front seat of a fifteen-passenger van. Another victim was stuck in the driver's seat with a neck injury, while seven others yelped about various dilemmas from an old camper vehicle. Suddenly, the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association, Brandon Rescue, the Middlebury Police and Fire Departments and the College's Department of Public Safety simultaneously swooped onto the scene.

"We've got an unconscious female, head lac, pulse 70, BP 150/70" an EMT worker called out, pinching my arm and playfully warning me to stop laughing. The drill had begun.

Each year, Porter Hospital is required to complete both an internal and an external emergency drill. Last week's rescue extravaganza, which has been in planning stages since last October, served as the latter. The exercise, developed by the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), also served to coordinate multiple local emergency rescue teams, which often lend support to areas outside of their immediate jurisdiction. "Rutland, Addison and Brandon try to cover one another in terms of emergency response," said the College's Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator Ed Sullivan.

Thursday's event involved approximately thirty individuals ranging from EMTs, to members of the Fire and Police Departments and representatives from the Department of Health and the LEPC. At Porter Hospital, an additional half-dozen physicians and twice as many nurses tended to the nine Middlebury students rushed through the ER doors.

After several slight problems with communication, the rescue team moved along smoothly, with all victims loaded into the four ambulances within 47 minutes. "It would have taken longer had it been real life, but our pace really impressed me," reported Sullivan. "I was impressed by how well everyone worked together. That was key." Sullivan argued that the issues with differing communication device frequencies were expected and that their coordination was a chief aim of the event.

Once labeled "Code Red," I was supported, neck-braced, lifted out of the van by what felt like many hands (at this point I was still "unconscious"), back-boarded and sent off in a silent ambulance (no need to alarm the community, who didn't receive our campus-wide email about the event). Once at Porter, I was looked after by a physician as well as several friendly nurses who tempted me to experience brief lapses of consciousness before I suddenly and dramatically fell under once more. After a disappointing down-grade to Code Yellow, my lipstick and chocolate syrup head wound was bandaged, my vitals were recorded, my reflexes were tested repeatedly and various sensors were stuck to my chest. Throughout the ordeal, the medical workers were incredibly calm and kind, leading me to feel slightly guilty when I consistently showed no signs of being able to feel my toes and continuously whined about my aching head.

With the drill completed, the victims jumped up from their gurneys in one surreal swoop and were treated to a pizza dinner with their "rescuers." Director of the Emergency Department Fred Kniffin and Emergency Management Planner from the Addison County Regional Planning Commission Tim Bouton both spoke, congratulating all involved on their cooperative accomplishment. Although the actual success of the experience will be determined by a future report, a debriefing and critiques from observers, morale appeared to be high by evening's end.

Sullivan emphasized in particular the importance of the students involved on both sides of the accident, explaining that student EMTs and firemen serve as a vital force in the community. He also stressed the value of the occasion and the important information it will provide for improvement. "You don't want a drill to happen perfectly," he said. "You always want to make it better."