FEMA to assist Puerto Rico with mass casualty training exercise

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that it is working with the Government of Puerto Rico to train emergency and healthcare workers to respond to mass casualty incidents.

FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is running a four-day training course from May 29 to June 1 at Ramón Ruiz Arnau Hospital in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Approximately 120 emergency responders and healthcare professionals will participate. The program is sponsored by the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency, the Puerto Rico Department of Health, the University of Puerto Rico, FEMA, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The training course is designed to prepare emergency responders and healthcare workers to respond to incidents involving chemical, biological, explosive, radiological and other hazardous materials. On the final day of the training session, there will be a mass casualty field drill. As part of the field exercise, the trainees will operate an emergency treatment area to triage contaminated patients.

This is the first time the Center for Domestic Preparedness has offered a mass casualty training outside of its campus in Anniston, Ala. The center trains about 50,000 emergency responders every year. The trainees are typically from state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as the federal government, foreign governments, and private companies. The training focuses on preparedness, protection, and response.