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Mass Casualty Incident Preparedness for Airport Emergencies: Report From an Aeroplane Crash Simulation at Guglielmo Marconi Airport, Bologna (Italy)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2024

Alfonso Flauto Open the ORCID record for Alfonso Flauto [Opens in a new window] ,
Lucia Marcis ,
Paolo Pallavicini ,
Federico Calzolari ,
Tommaso Nanetti ,
Antonino Giovanni Scopelliti ,
Martina Fabbri ,
Stefano Cremonini  and
Guglielmo Imbriaco Open the ORCID record for Guglielmo Imbriaco [Opens in a new window]
Alfonso Flauto
Affiliation:
Centrale Operativa 118 Area Omogenea Emilia Est, Prehospital and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Maggiore Hospital Carlo Alberto Pizzardi, Bologna, Italy
Lucia Marcis
Affiliation:
Italian Red Cross Bologna Committee, Bologna, Italy
Paolo Pallavicini
Affiliation:
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Federico Calzolari
Affiliation:
Centrale Operativa 118 Area Omogenea Emilia Est, Prehospital and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Maggiore Hospital Carlo Alberto Pizzardi, Bologna, Italy
Tommaso Nanetti
Affiliation:
Centrale Operativa 118 Area Omogenea Emilia Est, Prehospital and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Maggiore Hospital Carlo Alberto Pizzardi, Bologna, Italy
Antonino Giovanni Scopelliti
Affiliation:
Centrale Operativa 118 Area Omogenea Emilia Est, Prehospital and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Maggiore Hospital Carlo Alberto Pizzardi, Bologna, Italy
Martina Fabbri
Affiliation:
Centrale Operativa 118 Area Omogenea Emilia Est, Prehospital and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Maggiore Hospital Carlo Alberto Pizzardi, Bologna, Italy
Stefano Cremonini
Affiliation:
Italian Red Cross Bologna Committee, Bologna, Italy
Guglielmo Imbriaco*
Affiliation:
Centrale Operativa 118 Area Omogenea Emilia Est, Prehospital and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Maggiore Hospital Carlo Alberto Pizzardi, Bologna, Italy Critical Care Nursing Master Course, University of Bologna, Italy
*
Corresponding author: Guglielmo Imbriaco, Email: guglielmo.imbriaco.work@gmail.com
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Abstract

Background:

Airport emergencies are rare but potentially catastrophic; therefore, system preparedness is crucial. Airport emergency plans include the organization of emergency drills on a regular basis, including full-scale exercises, to train and test the entire rescue organization.

Objective:

This report describes a full-scale simulation at Bologna International Airport, Italy, in October 2022, involving local EMS resources.

Methods:

A full-scale aeroplane crash was simulated on the airport ground, activating the Airport emergency plan, and requiring the intervention of supplementary resources (ambulances, medical cars, and other emergency vehicles).

Results:

Twenty-seven simulated patients were evaluated by EMS: START triage assessment was correct for 81.48% of patients; 11.11% were over-triaged and 7.41% were under-triaged. All patients were transported to the hospitals of the area. The simulation ended 2 hours and 28 minutes after the initial alarm.

Conclusion:

The response time proved a good response. Triage accuracy was correct in more than 80% of simulated patients. The availability of a trauma centre within 6 kilometres allowed the transportation of a quota of patients directly from the event, without affecting transportation times. Areas for improvement were identified in the communication within the different agencies and in moving ambulances within the airport runway without airport personnel guidance.

Keywords

accident prevention (MeSH)aviation accidents (MeSH)emergency preparedness (MeSH)emergency medical services (MeSH)simulation training (MeSH)
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 18 , 2024 , e5
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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