For Immediate Release
April 18, 2013
Three Northshore Fire Department Take Part in a Multi-Agency Drill
On Monday April 15, 2013 St. Tammany Fire Districts 1, 7, & 11 from
Slidell and Pearl River took part in a multi-agency drill at the Lafarge
mining facility in Pearl River. The purpose of the drill was to simulate
a trauma injury and how firefighters and Lafarge personnel would work
together to rescue a victim. The Lafarge mining facility utilizes hoppers
and conveyor belts that are 30 to 40 feet high to mine for the gravel
that is used in concrete. Due to the height of the equipment, any accidents
could result in traumatic injuries for its personnel. Firefighters are
trained in high angle rescue which would be needed should an accident
occur at the top of these platforms.
The scenario used for the drill involved a worker who fell 10 feet from a
40 foot platform and was incapacitated and unresponsive 30 feet above the
ground. Once firefighters made access to the patient they began treatment
by C-spine immobilization of the patient onto a spine board. The patient
was then loaded into a Stokes basket and lowered to the ground where a
waiting Acadian Ambulance unit transported the patient to a local hospital.
The drill provided valuable feedback on how communications work between
multiple agencies having a unified command. The lessons learned from this
drill will help with any future multi-agency situations involving technical
rescues or mass trauma.
For more information about St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 visit
us at www.slidellfire.org or follow us on Facebook – St. Tammany Fire District #1
and Twitter – @SlidellFire_PIO
Chad Duffaut
Chief of Fire Prevention/PIO
[email protected]
Cell: (985) 960-0976
