WSIU InFocus Video Player

This segment takes a closer look at how local emergency agencies might respond to a wide-scale disaster. In October 2006, the Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and the Southern Illinois Airport coordinated a disaster drill featuring the simulation of an airplane crash, which provided mock emergency situations for individuals training to be first responders. A triage system was set up, and each volunteer "patient" was treated according to his or her injuries. The exercise gave officials from local fire, ambulance, helicopter, and rescue agencies an opportunity to test their first responder skills and the capabilities of a surge unit, a new mobile hospital facility that can be transported by truck to the scene of a major disaster.