The IDF and United Hatzalah held a joint drill on Monday evening simulating a direct missile hit in Kvutzat Yavneh, a religious kibbutz in central Israel.
United Hatzalah respondents simulated rushing to the scene of a strike and treating injuries while the IDF's search and rescue, commando and paratrooper units simulated a mass casualty incident.
The simulated incident was a direct missile strike on the kibbutz's dining room.
Dozens of United Hatzalah EMTs, paramedics, doctors, and psychotrauma and crisis response unit members participated in the drill, which involved the use of ambulances, ambucycles, a mobile command and control vehicle and several drones.
Director of United Hatzalah’s Operations Division Gilad Solomon explained the objectives of the drill, saying that “in any large-scale emergency situation, United Hatzalah’s medical teams will be among the first to arrive at the scene. The goal is to prepare for any scenario by perfecting the cooperation and synchronization with other emergency bodies such as the IDF, with an emphasis on the smooth transfer of information from the field.”
Participants were not told about the scenario itself prior to the start of the drill and arrived at the kibbutz with just the information that a missile strike had occurred.
As members of the different emergency bodies responded, they were forced to practice combined search and rescue efforts with information that there were likely several people who were trapped under simulated debris.
A bad situation turned worse
Twenty minutes later, the drill took a turn of pace as a second simulated missile “struck” the kibbutz’s busy dining room, leaving several dozen kibbutz members injured with a variety of injuries ranging in severity.
Volunteers from United Hatzalah and the IDF soldiers practiced their collaboration in the triage, treatment and evacuation of the wounded under the guidance of United Hatzalah’s mobile Command and Control center.
Teenagers from the kibbutz participated in the drill and acted as injured persons while covered with horrific moulage injuries.
To add simulated chaos, the teenage actors were instructed to run around the kibbutz screaming, as would likely happen in a real scenario. Adding to the chaotic atmosphere were artificially-generated smoke and the recorded sound of ambulance sirens that helped create a realistic atmosphere.
“The objective was for our volunteers to practice providing a quick and efficient medical response in an extremely challenging environment. Being able to make sense of the chaos that characterizes events such as MCIs is the only way to reach a positive outcome should a real instance occur. The professionalism and investment of all the forces that participated in the drill were remarkable,” Director of United Hatzalah’s Medical Division Elad Bachar said, praising the participants.
"The objective was for our volunteers to practice providing a quick and efficient medical response in an extremely challenging environment."
Director of United Hatzalah’s Medical Division Elad Bachar
“We wanted the chapter’s volunteers to practice an MCI and thought about the scenario of a missile strike because only 40 kilometers separate us from the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, the scenario of a direct hit on a populated area is very plausible," Nir Better, deputy head of United Hatzalah’s Hevel Sorek chapter said.
"In the event of such a scenario, cooperation with government bodies as well as local bodies will be key. We wish to thank the leadership of the kibbutz as well as the IDF for partnering with us to make this drill the success that it was. We are very pleased with the performance of all involved and with the smooth inter-agency communication that developed.”