Helicopter Crash Drill At Sutter Roseville Trains Crews For Worst-Case Scenario
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — A medical training drill in Roseville trained teams to prepare for the worst if a medical helicopter crashed into the Sutter Roseville Medical Center
Crews train for this every three years, and say this is critical training for their rescuers and patients.
A medical chopper struggling to land slams into the helipad of the hospital, bursting into flames. Severely injured patients and helicopter crew members litter the ground in this simulation. The training is four stories above a hospital's parking structure.
It's not a race against time on Wednesday, as the drill is about effectively coordinating three crucial first responders—police, fire and medical staff.
It's a long haul getting up to the injured.
"That's kind of the gist of the exercise," said Roseville Division Fire Chief Greg James. "How do we get fire hose up, water on the ground, extricate victims out of the helicopter."
"If there's fire or the elevator is out, we need to know how to evacuate those victims and get them down and taken care of safely," said emergency preparedness coordinator Erik Angel.
It's a worst-case scenario these first-responders hope is never played out in real life.