Magen David Adom & Philippine Red Cross Collaborate on Multi-Casualty Incident Workshop & Drill in Manila

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, DECEMBER 18, 2016 — Multi-casualty incident (MCI) simulation in Manila today, Dec. 15, 2016, concludes a successful series of workshops held in participation with Magen David Adom and the Philippine Red Cross. The two organizations summoned back in September, 2016, to conduct workshops on MCI preparedness for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and trainers of EMTs. The drill aimed at implementing the knowledge they’ve acquired in the field and had been organized with the assistance of the JDC and the American Red Cross.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service, is a member of the International movement of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and has been working in collaboration with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) for over a year. The collaboration between the two societies mainly focuses on providing effective emergency response and enhancing the capacities of the PRC to respond to the many challenges they may face as a disaster prone country.
The Philippines Red Cross has approached Magen David Adom with a request to support in a series of workshops aimed at training Philippine emergency medical personnel as advanced EMT (based on MDA’s curriculum), and share MDA’s expertise in MCI response, in order to facilitate the creation of a PRC MCI protocol. MDA staff who participated in the workshop included the organization’s Disaster Management Coordinator, Chaim Rafalowski, as well as a team of managers and paramedics.
The MCI drill, which was the most complex exercise ever organized by the PRC, took place in Manila, and aimed to simulate a car accident involving a bus, a truck and a private vehicle. The drill had 70 participants acting as victims wounded in the crash, as well as 13 ambulances, a fire truck, a rescue truck, a 6×6 truck and two HHUMVEEs.
Magen David Adom and the local Philippine medical first-responders spent five days preparing for the highly complex drill, in which they implemented the new MCI protocol formulated during the series of workshops in the fields of search & rescue, health, mental support, renewing family ties, operations center, etc.
Before the drill, Philippine Red Cross Chairman, Richard Gordon, said: “This MCI drill will showcase the capacity of the PRC in handling multiple casualty incidents. It is also an opportunity for us to show the strength of the PRC in handling and managing MCIs, showcasing not just our logistics, equipment and capacity of our trained staff and volunteers but our coordination in case such scenarios do happen.”
Magen David Adom Director General, Eli Bin: “Magen David Adom has vast experience in medical response to multi-casualty emergencies. However, as much as experience is important in drawing conclusions for future optimization of operations, MDA believes that exercises and drills are just as significant in ensuring utmost preparedness for any kind of scenario. MDA values any opportunity it is given to share its knowledge and skills with other EMS bodies around the world.”

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For more information please contact the International Newsdesk of Magen David Adom: Bar Zukerman +972-524448998 & Lia Averbuch +972-525999166
About Magen David Adom:
Magen David Adom (MDA) is Israel’s national ambulance, blood-services, and disaster-relief organization, serving as emergency medical first responders for the state’s more than 8 million people. For more information, please visit www.mdais.co.il, our Twitter or our Facebook.

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