First Responders Participate In Preparedness Drills Following Severe Weather
MONROEVILLE (KDKA) -- Today's drill was all about how to respond if a tornado hit the area. Multiple departments were involved in this, including fire departments, police departments, ambulances, even student volunteers.
Outside of Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, people could be seen laying on the ground badly injured. Some were even being taken away by paramedics.
There were 25 victims.
"We have our command center and our hospital open, we have another team of police down by the emergency room managing crowd control," said Forbes Hospital COO, Krista Bragg.
At times, it was intense.
But it was all an exercise. A much-needed exercise so that this hospital and these departments know how to work together when severe weather strikes.
And with the recent storms in our area, this drill came just in time.
However, KDKA has learned it isn't so much the cause but more of the response.
"The main goal here is to care for patients in a timely, efficient fashion so we get everybody with the correct level of care as quickly as we can," said Forbes Hospital EMS Medical Director, Chadd Nesbit.
"Receiving these patients and being able to care for them as they come in," said Benjamin Carter, a nursing student.
Benjamin Carter and Cheyenne Stewart are nursing students at West Penn Hospital.
They were in this morning's drill as "tornado victims."
"So I was in an exam room and got hit with glass. But I think it's a great way to understand how stressful these situations can be," said Cheyenne Stewart, a nursing student.
"We care about our community, we're very dedicated to our community and we demonstrate that by being ready," said Bragg.
