Interagency Partnership Drives Full-Scale Mass Casualty Readiness Training in Southern Maryland
Hallways typically filled with students became a proving ground for regional preparedness Saturday morning as first responders converged on Spring Ridge Middle School. The full-scale active assailant drill brought together dozens of emergency apparatus, dispatch personnel, law enforcement tactical units, and volunteer rescue squads from across Southern Maryland to test collective readiness and operational coordination in a high-intensity mass casualty scenario.
Jointly organized by the St. Mary’s County Volunteer Rescue Association and the St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services, the large-scale evolution incorporated law enforcement officers from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police; Naval District Washington Fire and Emergency Services; local volunteer fire and EMS companies; and county dispatchers operating on dedicated tactical channels.
The exercise began early in the morning as moulage teams applied simulated prosthetic trauma and makeup. Each volunteer patient was given a scripted scenario outlining how their signs, symptoms, and vital signs would progress based on the care they received. If responders missed critical checks or delayed basic interventions, the patient's condition was programmed to deteriorate or expire.
Among the simulated patients positioned across the training site were five active-duty hospital corpsmen from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Patuxent River, who volunteered to assist with the county’s training scenario by serving on the receiving end of care. The Sailors represented a variety of plausible emergency presentations, portraying casualties with penetrating abdominal trauma, head and eye injuries caused by flying debris and glass, a stress-induced cardiac event, severe lacerations from falls, and blunt thoracic trauma.
For the corpsmen, lying on the floor surrounded by simulated chaos provided a unique perspective on emergency care as they experienced firsthand the vulnerability, sensory limitations, and uncertainty felt by injured patients awaiting rescue. Their firsthand observations on communication, patient reassurance, and physical handling during triage and transport were incorporated into the exercise's after-action report.
"An exercise of this scale relies entirely on the dedication of our regional partners, including the St. Mary's County Department of Emergency Services, the Volunteer Rescue Association, our volunteer fire and EMS departments, the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police, St. Mary's County Public Schools, and Naval District Washington Fire and Emergency Services," said Kim Collins, St. Mary’s County Training Assistant and past EMS Assistant Chief with the Second District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, who helped coordinate the event. "We are also grateful to community volunteers, including the Sailors from NMRTC Patuxent River, who stepped up to serve as patients and offered thoughtful input on how care felt from the receiving side."
Capt. Ken Radford, commanding officer of NMRTC Patuxent River, emphasized the importance of community partnership and shared preparedness. "I’m thrilled that our Sailors participated in the St. Mary’s County Mass Casualty Exercise," said Radford. "Our participation in public readiness efforts continues to build on our relations and trust with the local communities of Southern Maryland."
Operating across dedicated tactical emergency radio channels while coordinating patient triage and rapid movement, the exercise reinforced unified cooperation among municipal, county, state, and military support agencies, ensuring emergency teams remain synchronized, resilient, and prepared to protect the community.
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