We became involved in disaster preparedness in 1980.  At that time there was little being done to prepare for mass casualty incidents.  Yes, we had Disaster Management Agencies which in many cases were underfunded operations with maybe one full time staff member.  They were happy if they had enough money in their budget for salaries and an office.

There was rarely enough money to purchase equipment and supplies that would be needed in the event of a MCI.  When asked about being prepared, they would only reply that they were working on their disaster plan.  It was generally felt that hospitals would be able to handle the injured in an incident.  That really didn’t take into account the need of setting up triage and treatment sites in the field.  Additionally, almost no one realized the need for casualty collection points or CCP.  There was a need to establish collection points where the more seriously injured could be cared for until they could be transferred to a hospital.  This continued until September 11, 2001.

For any questions, you can contact us at
Disaster Preparedness Consultants
480-285-7555

In part 3 we will discuss where we are today.