Massachusetts Ambulance Task Forces

Ambulance Task Force

Massachusetts has been tasked with providing treatment and transport for 500 people per one million population: this means we have to treat and transport 3,500 patients in a 3 hour period.

Ambulance Task Force

This task has been accomplished by organizing and deploying Ambulance Task Forces throughout the Commonwealth.

Ambulance Task Forces

• There are fifty-eight Task Forces

• Each Task Force has 5 ambulances and a Leader or Alternate Leader assigned to it

• These Ambulance Task Forces can be either ALS,BLS or a combination of both

• Some Task Forces may also have an additional Paramedic vehicle assigned to it

• There are a total of 290 ambulances

• Depending on the condition of the patients, each ambulance can treat and transport 2 to 5 patients

• The ambulance then will return to the scene and transport additional patients

• This can be done several times

Activation

• A Task Force is activated only after the local and regional resources are exhausted and the Incident Commander determines additional resources are needed

• The I/C then notifies the Mutual Aid District Control Center, which then uses the NAWAS phone system to request the appropriate Task Force according to the Running Card

Once the District Control Center activates and deploys the ambulance Task Force, it will notify the Regional EMS Directors and the appropriate CMED’s about the activations and deployments.

MEMA

• The use of the NAWAS phone also notifies MEMA of the situation and thus statewide resource availability can be monitored

• In addition to the Task Forces, we also have the cooperation of the local regional transportation authorities (buses)– The buses can transport 25-60 non-acute

ambulatory patients (certified EMT’s would be assigned to the buses)

– The buses can also make more than one trip to the hospital

Emergency Transfers

• The Task Forces and buses can also be used for patient surge

• They can transfer patients from one hospital to another to make room for more acute patients

• They even can be used to evacuate a hospital should the need arise

How am I Activated?

• The Mutual Aid Control Center:– Receives the request for the Task Force– Notifies Task Force members as shown on

the resource listing for appropriate Running Card

• Notification done based on District policy and procedure

• Alternate used for fill-in for unavailable units

Organizations

• Your organization must be familiar with the Mobilization System and procedures

• There should be an S.O.P/S.O.G. to guide your own dispatcher and personnel when the Ambulance Task Force is activated

• Personnel to be involved must have a good understanding of NIMS and MCI operations

Massachusetts has purchased 12 Mass Casualty Incident Trailers. These trailers carry enough equipment and supplies to treat 50-75 people each.

These MCI trailers are located at various ambulance services or fire departments throughout the state. When requested, the trailers will be brought to the scene of a large scale event or incident by the host ambulance

service or fire department where they are stationed.

Additional Resources

Mass Decontamination Units

(MDU’s)

The MDU is a tent / shower type system that is used when a person has been or is believed to have been contaminated– The person can be showered or

“decontaminated” by either walking or being carried thru