Major Incident Management: Lessons from the Frontline

About this episode

The episode discusses lessons learned from major incidents and the implementation of triage frameworks in emergency medicine.

Major incidents challenge clinicians to balance speed, simplicity, and clinical effectiveness in highly dynamic environments. In this episode, Advanced Paramedics in Critical Care Keir Rutherford and Alec Wilding reflect on lessons learned from real-world major incidents and the findings of inquiries such as the Manchester Arena bombing. The discussion explores the early recognition of terrorist attacks and how responders can distinguish these events from more routine presentations in the initial stages of a call. A central theme is triage. Keir and Alec examine the implementation of the new NHS major incident triage framework, including the Ten Second Triage (TST) tool and the Major Incident Triage Tool (MITT). They discuss how these approaches are designed to rapidly identify patients who will benefit most from immediate life-saving interventions, while supporting efficient resource allocation in mass casualty events. The conversation also explores the relationship between triage, enhanced clinical care on scene, and the role of casualty clearing stations. Joining the discussion is Dr. Philip Cowburn, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and co-author of the Ten Second Triage Tool…

People in this episode

Host: Eoin Walker

Guests: Keir Rutherford, Alec Wilding, Dr. Philip Cowburn

Topics covered

• major incident management
• triage
• emergency medicine
• mass casualty events
• clinical effectiveness
• terrorist attacks

Keywords

• major incidents
• Ten Second Triage
• Major Incident Triage Tool
• patient outcomes
• resource allocation
• emergency response

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NHS

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