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Ulster County agencies identify communication, victim-tracking gaps after July mass‑casualty drill
Summary
A full‑scale July mass‑casualty exercise in Esopus tested triage, hospital surge and interagency command; officials reported successes and gaps including radio interoperability, victim tracking and responder heat exposure and said the county plans to run large-scale drills annually.
Ulster County emergency management officials told the legislature’s Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee on Sept. 3 that a July 12 full‑scale mass‑casualty exercise at the Headless Horseman property in the town of Esopus and a concurrent surge exercise at Health Alliance Hospital met many objectives but revealed several operational gaps.
Deputy Director Mike Madison of the county Department of Emergency Management, who led the exercise, said the drill involved about 125 participants across police, fire, EMS, hospital and public‑health agencies and that “between all participating agencies, we had 28 objectives” to test. The scenario simulated a small airplane crashing into a campground, igniting tents and vehicles and producing multiple casualties requiring extrication, triage and transport to hospitals.
The exercise’s nut graf: the county used a realistic, cross‑jurisdictional scenario to test on‑scene triage and patient movement, the Incident Command…
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