Forty-three persons from first response agencies across the Cayman Islands are currently undergoing training in Mass Casualty Management (MCM) at the Owen Roberts International Airport. The training, which started on Tuesday 19 September and runs until Friday, September 22 is sponsored by Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Some of the topics being covered during the course of the training include incident command systems, scene assessment and reporting, triaging and emergency medical care, field organisation, psychological first-aid, management of dead bodies among other areas.

In highlighting that local trainers will be gaining recertification, HMCI Director, Dani Coleman explained, “Working alongside PAHO, we have certified a number of local instructors in mass casualty management training over the years. As a result, they become responsible for delivering the content. Having local trainers is important for building resilience on our islands as well as for sustainability of the programme.

Course Coordinator and HMCI’s Operations, Response and Recovery Officer, Adan Powell-Jeffries stated that it is important for the response teams to maintain a state of maximum readiness for a major incident. “This training improves our preparedness and response capacity. It is important that we have pre-established procedures in place for mobilisation, incident site management and hospital reception for when we face a major incident, involving multiple victims requiring a multi-agency response.”

He further noted, “Because the Cayman Islands is small in size and population, we face some unique challenges. If we don’t practice before we face a major incident it could easily overwhelm us. Training of this nature allows a multi-agency response by emergency personnel and equips responders with a more coordinated and efficient use of resources.”

Participants in the training include representatives from the Cayman Islands Regiment, Customs and Border Control, Port Authority, Coast Guard, Department of Environmental Health, Prison Service, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Fire Service, Cayman Islands Airport Authority, health care workers as well as volunteer agencies such as the Red Cross and Community Emergency Response Teams.