Jacobi teams up with U.S. Army for mass casualty drill
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O 8 CTOBER 25-31, 2019 BTR
The decontaminated victims were sent to medically trained
soldiers for further care, and then sent to various area hospitals
for continued treatment.
Photo courtesy of NYC Health + Hospitals
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
A Bronx hospital
teamed up with Army
reserve soldiers on Saturday,
September 28 for
a mass casualty drill in
preparation for a possible
terrorist attack in
the city.
Approximately 100
Army reserve soldiers,
along with local, state,
and federal agencies
conducted a day of consequence
management
training in a Chemical,
Biological, Radiological
and Nuclear (CBRN) Response
Enterprise joint
training exercise at Jacobi
Medical Center.
“It is absolutely critical
that our fi rst responders,
emergency
prepared people and
our trauma centers are
hyper-aware and hypervigilant
and optimally
prepared for the next
terrorist incident,” said
Dr. Sheldon Taperman,
MD, trauma medical director
of Jacobi’s Level
1 Trauma Center. “We
hope that does not happen,
but that would be
foolish for us to not be
prepared for a bombing,
shooting, or a chemical
weapons attack.”
The drill scenario included
patients (trained
volunteers) who were
injured in a terrorist
bomb attack at a minimarathon
nearby the
NYC Health + Hospital/
Jacobi Medical Center
located at 1400 Pelham
Pkwy South.
Once the training
began at the hospital,
a constant fl ow of ambulances
delivered patients
awaiting Army
reserve soldiers who
quickly assessed their
injuries, and processed
them through one of
two decontamination
lines depending on the
nature of their injuries.
The decontaminated
victims were then sent
to medically trained
soldiers for further
care, and then sent to
various area hospitals
for continued treatment.
“They were incredibly
confi dent and well
trained. They brought
the decontamination
equipment and they
had many army members
dressed in high
tech hazmat suits,” Taperman
said.
According to Taperman,
Jacobi Medical
Center has signifi cant
capacity to decontaminate
10-30 people exposed
to chemicals, but
with the assistance of
the federal government
more than 100-plus people
could be quickly processed
with their equipment
and expertise in a
nuclear disaster or mass
terrorist event.
The training event
involved FDNY personnel,
soldiers from the
413th Chemical Company,
457th Chemical
Battalion, 415th Chemical
Brigade, soldiers
from the 456th Medical
Company (Area Support),
as well as training
coordinators and
supervisors from Army
North and L2 Defense.
“In years past the
discussion by New York
City offi cials was that although
they are the biggest
city in the country
and the most prepared,
they would still need the
Army’s help in a large
scale CBRN event,” said
Russell Accardi, director
of emergency management
programs, L2
Defense. “That discussion
sent a good message
that this type of training
is really important,
and in a real incident of
this nature, the fi rst responders
would count
on the Army coming in
to provide crucial assistance.”
Christopher Mastromano,
chief executive
offi cer for the Jacobi
Medical Center, closely
monitored the training
describing it as a fantastic
session with both
groups. “It’s been extremely
benefi cial to our
staff. They are always
interested in learning
more and knowing how
to get this right,” Mastromano
said.
While many of the
soldiers were busy
working at the hospital
scene, others were involved
in a mock subway
disaster with multiple
CBRN victims
requiring rescue and
decontamination with
the assistance of FDNY
personnel.