ABSTRACT
Introduction Present healthcare facility bed utilization is approaching near capacity. The potential of a large-scale mass casualty incident (MCI) places significant planning
Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................207 Mass Casualty Incident Planning ...................................................................... 208
The Need for GIS as Part of Mass Casualty Incident Planning ..................... 208 The Nature of Mass Casualty Incidents: Issues of Time and Space ................209 Mass Casualty Planning Requirements .......................................................... 211 Critical Infrastructure Analysis ......................................................................214 Geographic Features That Could Pose Difficulties .........................................216
Acknowledgments .............................................................................................219 References .........................................................................................................219
responsibilities on communities, healthcare facilities, and first responders. Hospitals are required to develop plans in collaboration with the community. These plans should realistically address the management of existing patient populations as well as the anticipated casualty surge from an MCI. Potential transfer of existing patients to other facilities as part of a community’s ability to surge patient care requires identification of transportation assets, personnel, and transportation routes. Effective and coordinated regional emergency planning requires a thorough knowledge of the locations of critical facilities and impacted populations through all phases of the emergency. In addition, regional planning requires careful evaluation of resources that could be utilized in the planning, response, and recovery phases of any MCI.
