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May 10, 2010 Three Potential Major Incidents Highland BASICS GPs already this year!

Three Potential Major Incidents Highland BASICS GPs already this year! 2010 has proven to be lucky for Highland BASICS GPs with three potential major incidents having been narrowly averted. During the new year holidays, a BASICS GP was called out to a derailed train in a snow storm at Carrbridge Station. Thankfully, the train turned out to be a freight train with only two people on board, neither of who were seriously injured. The train had headed down a steep embankment at speed and had the carriages been full of passengers the consequences would have been horrendous, especially given the prevailing weather conditions. The last two months have also seen two potentially serious coach crashes, both on remote stretches of the A9. In the first incident on a Friday morning in April, a coach carrying elderly passengers overturned at Dalwhinnie and BASICS GPs from Kingussie and Laggan were mobilised. Thankfully, only the driver was seriously injured. Other minor casualties were triaged and treated locally in Kingussie. And this weekend, a coach carrying 31 teenagers clipped a barrier at the Berriedale Braes south of Dunbeath on Friday evening. A potential major incident response swung into action. Two local MIMMS trained BASICS doctors were called to the scene to assist the emergency services and helped to triage, sort and treat the casualties, aiding the paramedic crews with decisions about the need for further assesement or discharge at the scene. Another MIMMS GP located himself at Ambulance Control in Inverness to provide additional support. Once again, thankfully only one person was seriously injured although the potential for a challenging scenario in a remote location was not lost on anyone. Paying tribute to his colleagues, BASICS Highland coordinator Dr Mike Langran was thankful that the GPs major incident training was not tested to the maximum. "Having VLS units and equipment bags funded by the Sandpiper Trust ensured that these GPs were easily identified by the Ambulance Service and equipped to respond. These incidents do highlight the potential all around us for a major accident and the need to be prepared for such an eventuality. I am proud of the responses mounted in difficult circumstances many miles away from definitive help." Web links http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1548455 http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1695056 http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1727556

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