GFD receives new rapid response medical bags for mass casualty events
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that records all the gun-related violence and injuries in the U.S., there have been more than 385 mass shootings in the U.S. since Sept. 5. The Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more victims are shot or killed.
These mass shootings have killed 385 people and injured another 2,000.
There haven’t been any mass casualty events in Gallup in recent years, but the Gallup Fire and Police Departments are trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario, so they’ll know what to do and how to help people in case something does happen.
During the Sept. 10 Gallup City Council meeting, Gallup Fire Chief Jon Pairett addressed the council and requested new equipment for the fire department. He explained that the department recently received a grant from the New Mexico Department of Health, the Fiscal Year 2025 Trauma System Development Grant, which provides the GFD with over $3,000 to purchase 14 rapid response medical bags.
The bigger medical bags that EMS carries during their day-to-day operations, such as a medical call for someone suffering from a heart attack, contain oxygen, different types of bandages, and blood pressure cuffs. But during a mass casualty event where multiple people sustained injuries, the medical personnels’ top concern is stopping any bleeding. Thus, the smaller bags hold only bandages and tourniquets.
Pairett said the medical personnel’s primary duty during these events is stopping any bleeding, and they typically only want to spend 20-30 seconds with a patient before moving on to the next person. If they come upon a person who has been shot in the arm or leg, they stop the flow of blood with a tourniquet and then move on.
GFD is requesting 14 bags, and Pairett believes that will be enough so that almost everyone responding to a scene will have the proper equipment.
CHANGING THE WAY THEY OPERATE
All of this is part of a strategy implemented by the GFD and the GPD about six years ago.
Pairett remembers a time when protocol meant that a police department would enter a possibly dangerous situation first and clear out the suspect while the fire department and EMS personnel waited to help any victims at a site off to the side. Pairett explained why this old model wasn’t working.
“What started happening in these school shootings was that people were injured, whether they were shot or injured in other ways, and the reason they would die is because they didn’t have timely medical care,” he said. “If you look at a lot of these school shootings, there’s been people who had gunshot wounds they could’ve survived from, but because it took EMS so long to get into the building, they bled to death.”
Now, an initial team of law enforcement officers will enter a building, with a second team and medical personnel following close behind.
This initial team, what Pairett calls a triage team, works quickly. They find any victims and stop any significant bleeding. Then, the rescue team comes in and escorts the injured out of the building after law enforcement contains the threat.
Once the victims are out of the building, they receive any additional medical care they need, and then they’re often placed into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital.
TRAINING TOGETHER
When Pairett joined the fire department 25 years ago, he never imagined he’d be running into buildings wearing a ballistic helmet and a vest, ready to assist anyone during these hostile events.
But now, that’s a part of the job, and the GFD must prepare for any situation. About six years ago, the GFD and GPD formed an emergency task force to help them prepare for a mass casualty event.
The two entities often train together. The GFD runs drills at shooting ranges while the GPD shoots targets. This helps the firefighters become accustomed to working while gunfire goes off behind them.
They also take time to learn from other tragedies around the country. After a mass casualty event, the fire and police departments that responded will write an after-action report detailing what could be done to improve the response. Departments across the nation, including GFD and GPD, review these reports.
“Instead of waiting for us to have one of those incidents and have those same problems, we’re going to fix this problem before it ever becomes a problem here,” Pairett said. “We know another agency had this issue, so let’s figure out how we’re going to fix it….”
Some of those issues include starting with a uniform command and limiting any confusion about who’s in charge.
The GPD, GFD, McKinley County Sheriff’s Office and the Navajo Nation Police Department don’t work together regularly, but Pairett said they’re ready to join forces if a mass casualty event ever occurs in McKinley County.
“When it comes to a situation like that, we don’t care about jurisdiction,” Pairett said. “We’re going to go where people are hurt and people are injured.”
The city council approved the grant for the rapid response medical bags. Pairett said his department would purchase them as soon as possible.
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
