DOVER- A major incident recently took place at Mount Snow when a chairlift derailed and left several skiers seriously or critically injured. Rescuers scrambled to the accident scene. A triage station was set up in the main lodge. Ambulances transported victims to nearby hospitals and emergency medical technicians worked frantically to save as many lives as possible. It was the worst accident at Mount Snow in recent memory. Luckily, it was all a drill.

Last Sunday, the Mount Snow ski patrol, Deerfield Valley Rescue Inc., and a Southwestern Vermont Medical Center representative took part in a mass casualty drill at Mount Snow. The drill is a simulated response to an event that involves numerous casualties ranging from mild to severe. Tony Agrillo, Mount Snow rescue manager, said many ski patrollers were participating in their first mass casualty response. All personnel faced an extremely difficult task. The chairlift incident left many people “injured” and there were not enough resources to assist everyone. Agrillo said the Mount Snow ski patrol can handle several incidents on the mountain on any given day. But in this situation, medical personnel were handling as many as 30 major injuries, all at once. “It definitely maxes all our available resources. This drill helps us to manage our resources and efforts effectively,” said Agrillo.

The main lodge at Mount Snow was set up as a triage area. Ski patrollers brought in the injured and turned them over to emergency medical technicians. The challenging part for ski patrollers and EMTs was deciding which patients needed immediate medical attention. In a mass casualty situation, some people’s needs are sacrificed. As a result, many rescuers were forced to make difficult choices. “The concept is to do the most good for as many patients as possible,” said Agrillo. “What happens is you have to make the tough choices. You decide who’s treatable and who’s not, and who’s transportable. You have to prioritize and that’s a tough decision to make.”

Overall, Agrillo said the exercise went smoothly. Patients were transported from the hill to the triage area in a timely manner. EMTs assessed all the patients in a thorough and efficient manner and the ones needing the most attention were immediately transported to local hospitals. In this particular situation, patients could be transported to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, or to hospitals in Greenfield or North Adams in Massachusetts.

The biggest challenge participants faced was the lack of space. Ski patrollers, EMTs, and other medical staff said the main lodge wasn’t large enough to handle the high number of patients. Participants opened up the Sundance Lodge, but getting the lodge up and running took precious time away from handling patients’ needs. As a result of the exercise, participants learned firsthand how to handle situations when a lack of space can compromise rescue efforts. “There were some fatalities, but it wasn’t due to patroller error,” said Agrillo. “When you do your triage you recognize that you’re trying to do the most good for the most patients.”

Agrillo was duly impressed with the participants’ overall communication skills. All the participants understood the roles they played and the tasks they were assigned to. Agrillo said the mass casualty drill gives them a starting point on what to improve on and how prepared they are for a major incident, like a chairlift derail, at Mount Snow. “Logistically, it could have run a lot smoother. But this will give us something to build on for future drills and developing mass casualty plans,” said Agrillo.

Chris Phelps, of the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, helped out with preparation for the drill. Phelps has participated in several mass casualty drills in the past. Sunday’s exercise was the first time he had participated with Mount Snow and Deerfield Valley Rescue. Phelps said it was “a great drill” and he commended Agrillo, ski patrollers, and Deerfield Valley Rescue EMTs for all of their efforts. “A lot of time and effort was put into planning this event. I thought it went excellent and it was a great opportunity to assess what’s in place now and what’s needed in the future for all parties involved,” said Phelps.