Purdue Fire Department better equipped to respond to area mass casualty events with new partnership

The Purdue University Fire Department recently formed a partnership with two county agencies to share resources that better positions them to help groups of injured people in the community.

The Tippecanoe County Health Department received several grants that allowed it to purchase a mass casualty incident trailer that can be used for sustaining basic levels of life support when the need arises.

Additionally, PUFD and the Tippecanoe County Emergency Management Agency each contributed supplies and equipment to stock the trailer, and grant funds were used to purchase additional materials.

“This newly formed partnership better positions all involved agencies to serve the Lafayette-West Lafayette community in times of need,” said Kevin Ply, Purdue fire chief. “We all benefit by pooling together our resources.”

For such needs, PUFD previously used a hazardous materials trailer, which was smaller than the current trailer and at the end of its 30-year life. The new trailer is 24 feet long and 8.5 feet wide and allows for more supplies and equipment to be transported to treat more people than before.

Color-coded triage pods are provided with materials including bandages, splint supplies, tarps and tourniquets that may be needed to treat a variety of injuries of different levels of severity.

“The color-coded pods make it easy for emergency responders to have access to the supplies they need quickly, which means they can do their job more efficiently,” Ply said.

New supporting equipment includes a generator, triage tents, special needs communications boards, portable stretchers and portable lighting.

The mass casualty incident trailer is useful for situations where a group of people need medical assistance at once.

“People with less severe injuries may be treated on site from the mass casualty incident trailer while more critical conditions are transported to hospitals for care,” Ply said.

In total, nearly $60,000 was provided to the county health department from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Indiana State Department of Health. The mass casualty incident trailer is the first of its kind in the nine-county district.