Belvoir, DeWitt hold mass casualty drill

DeWitt Army Healthcare Network emergency workers prepare one of the “injured” for transport to the hospital’s emergency room during a mass casualty exercise held at Fort Belvoir on Oct. 29.

By: Julia LeDoux | InsideNova
Published: November 08, 2009

Fort Belvoir’s garrison staff and DeWitt Health Care Network’s medical staff tested their ability to coordinate and respond in the event of a large-scale emergency by conducting a mass casualty exercise on post Oct. 29.
The exercise was designed to allow both staffs the opportunity to take a fresh look at the personnel, equipment and procedures required for responding to a catastrophic event. In the event scenario, a heating system exploded at Specker Field House while a large-scale flu vaccination was taking place.
More than 18 volunteers from various Belvoir agencies and Fairfax County acted as victims and were “injured” in the blast. Some were transported to a triage site in front of DeWitt’s emergency room.
“Testing the effectiveness of the emergency operations is essential,” said Mario Sumter, emergency management specialist with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. “The event went extremely well, all the agencies coordinated their efforts and followed training and procedures,” he said.
The last mass casualty exercise took place in May 2008, according to Sumter. In September 2008 the staffs used their training to respond to a real-world emergency at Fort Belvoir Elementary School.

Belvoir, DeWitt hold mass casualty drill

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