RLFD Training at Ski Mountain
Courtesy of Red Lodge Fire Rescue
Last Wednesday Red Lodge Fire and Rescue, Red Lodge Ski Resort, and Beartooth Billings Clinic participated in a mass casualty incident (MCI) training. The scenario was a chair lift derailment resulting in nine “patients” needing to be stabilized, prioritized for care, and transported from the ski hill to the emergency room.
The scenario kicked off at 4:00 p.m. It took responders a total of 50 minutes to get all seven patients needing transport off of the ski hill and on their way to the hospital.
"This was a great opportunity for all of us to work together during a simulated high stress incident. It allows all three agencies the opportunity to see where we shine and where we need to spend more training. All in all, we had a very successful training and the communications and exchange between all three agencies was excellent," said Torsten Prahl, Assistant Chief of Red Lodge Fire and Rescue.
Afterwards each agency performed an After Action Review assessing strengths and weaknesses, and then followed it all up with a spaghetti dinner at the Red Lodge Fire hall.
All three agencies want to especially thank the volunteer patients for their help. Participants ranged from 10 to 80 years old and had to endure the exposure to the cold weather.
Below are more photos taken during the training exercise.
It was all smiles after the “emergency” was over.
Red Lodge Mountain opens for the ski season today, November 29. Have fun, be safe, and rest assured that, if an emergency should occur, trained professionals are ready to work together to provide the best possible outcome. `