A new onsite method of dealing with injured during a disaster — implemented after last year’s tornadoes — proved to be effective during the March tornadoes, according to Hamilton County’s EMS director.
After last year’s disaster, when storm survivors flooded emergency rooms in area hospitals, officials decided it would be more effective to set up an injury triage system in the area of the disaster, said Tony Reavely, head of the EMS.
Speaking this week at Erlanger Health System’s Trauma Symposium, Reavely said that, as part of the change, three trauma surgeons — two from Erlanger and one from Memorial Health Care System — went to the scene when an EF3 tornado hit the Harrison Bay area on March 2. As injured people were brought out of the storm-damaged area, the doctors decided whether they needed to be sent to hospitals or simply treated at the scene.
“We think it worked really well,” Reavely said.
Only six people were transported to hospitals during March 2, compared to 152 transported by Hamilton County EMS the day of the April 27 storms.