Seattle mass casualty planning passes test in SPU shooting

When a gunman opened fire Thursday in a Seattle Pacific University building, shooting two people, the Seattle Fire Department was ready.

“We have been practicing this type of thing for a long time because unfortunately, it seems like these events are becoming more common,” says Deputy Chief Jay Hagen.

Moments after learning of the shooting, the department activated what’s called its “Multiple Casualty Response Plan.”

The objective is to triage, treat, and transport the injured from a mass casualty scene as soon as possible, Hagen says.

“One thing that went right was our unified command in establishing a group of agencies working together, establishing a prioritized set of objectives and working through those.”

Hagen credits law enforcement with securing the scene and creating a transportation corridor that cleared a path for first responders from campus to the hospital.

Hagen says the first units arrived on the scene within five minutes from the first call. “One minute later we had hands on the first patient. We moved that patient to a medic unit around the corner. We were on the road in five minutes and at Harborview ten minutes after that.”

The shooting also triggered activation of the department’s “Disaster Medical Control Center” at Harborview Medical center, which helps direct patients to the most appropriate medical care for treatment, Hagen says.

The SPU incident was the first to test the system since the May 30, 2012 shooting at Cafe Racer in the Roosevelt neighborhood. A gunman opened fire and shot five people, killing four and wounding another. But Hagen says the department’s planning extends far beyond just shootings.

“We’ve practiced active shooter scenarios, we’ve practiced mass casualty incidents, we’ve practiced earthquake scenarios, improvised explosive device scenarios,” he says.