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Scenario: Traffic accident with mass casualties and hazardous materials
GROSS-GERAU DISTRICT – A serious traffic accident involving hazardous materials and 25 injured people was the scenario for a training exercise on Saturday at the former Ticona site in Kelsterbach (Airport City West). The exercise simulated a so-called "mass casualty incident" (MCI) with contaminated individuals.
Accident scenario as a starting point
The scenario involved a collision between a small van carrying hazardous materials and a car in a residential area. A following bus had to brake sharply, resulting in a rear-end collision with two other vehicles. Some of the hazardous material spilled onto the road and onto the occupants of the van.
350 emergency personnel deployed
Around 350 full-time and mostly volunteer personnel participated in the exercise. These included fire departments from across the district, aid organizations, rescue services, disaster relief units, practical instructors, and actors portraying injured persons from the German Life Saving Association (DLRG), the German Red Cross (DRK), and the Realistic Accident and Emergency Simulation (RUND) from the Bergstraße district.
After the alarm was raised at 9:30 a.m., a realistic scene unfolded: actors portraying injured people called for help, screamed in pain, or lay motionless on the ground. Emergency responders had to quickly assess the situation, report their findings, and initiate appropriate measures: establishing operational sectors, setting up a patient collection point, extricating the injured from vehicles, providing medical care, and setting up a decontamination area. Only after decontamination could those affected be transported to the hospital. Support also came from rescue services in Frankfurt, the Offenbach district, and the Bergstraße district.
Importance of cooperation
“The cooperation of the various helpers is extremely important and can be practiced very well here today,” explained District Fire Inspector Friedrich Schmidt to District Administrator Thomas Will, who accompanied the exercise on site.
Initial assessment
According to the organizers, participants were very satisfied with the exercise. A detailed evaluation by the exercise observers is still pending. This includes the analysis of 32 feedback reports on the comprehensibility of the bilingual warning messages, which were tested after the exercise.
(Gross-Gerau-Red/PSGG)
Photos: Many "injured" people had to be treated during the disaster relief exercise last weekend. Photos: District Administration
