News Release: Carson City agencies participate in mass fatality exercise
A fire chief, emergency manager; the sheriff; the coroner; a funeral director; the hospital security manager; a sheriff’s chief deputy and a captain, the health director and other health department officials met on Wednesday to assess the community’s ability to handle a critical incident causing numerous deaths.
Incidents resulting in fatalities that exceed the normal operating capacity of the Coroner’s Office are considered mass fatality and would trigger the activation of the Mass Fatality Management Plan.
In a half-day exercise facilitated by Dee Grimm, CEO of Emergency Management Professionals, participants walked through Carson City’s Mass Fatality Plan step by step and held it up for scrutiny. The scenario they used involved a tour bus on a snowy, 19 degree morning, resulting in scores of deaths.
As participants applied checklists to the scenario, the complexities and detail of handling such a crisis was apparent. Agencies having a role with such an accident might include the Carson City Sheriff’s Office and Coroner; Carson City Fire Department, Carson City Health and Human Services, Nevada Highway Patrol and Nevada Department of Transportation. Additional support would come from local funeral homes, the American Red Cross, and nearby sheriff and fire districts, as needed.
Carson City recognizes the need to strengthen fatality management planning and response if we are to be prepared for the possibility of mass fatality incidents such as natural disasters or acts of terrorism. The goals of mass fatality management are to recover, identify and effect final disposition of human remains in a dignified and respectful manner; preserve the scene and collect evidence (as needed); and provide family assistance to victims’ relatives and loved ones.
The Carson City Mass Fatality Plan establishes overall roles and responsibilities of the Coroner’s Office and describes the necessary collaboration with other response agencies and organizations involved in a mass fatality response. The plan is meant to be used in conjunction with established standard operating procedures and protocols, and coordinated with the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s office.
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