Managing mass-casualty incidents

As first responders, emergency medical services (EMS) play a key role in the management of mass-casualty incidents, being responsible for the triage, treatment, and transportation of patients to emergency care. Sadly 2015 has been littered with reports in the media of incidents involving large numbers of casualties. For example, the US alone has seen 353 mass shootings this year, the most recent on 2 December at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were killed and 17 injured (Mass Shootings Tracker, 2015). Additionally, November will be remembered for the worst attack on France since World War II and the deadliest in the European Union since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. On Friday 13 November, multi-site terrorist shootings in Paris left 130 people killed and over 300 in intensive care. A state of emergency was declared by President François Hollande, and temporary border checks introduced.