How many citys are planning for the AFTER Aurora? What are they doing for BEFORE?

Seattle officials ready to respond to Colorado-like terror

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By Brandi Kruse
97.3 KIRO FM

How would authorities in the Puget Sound area respond if faced with a tragedy like the shooting in Colorado? (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)

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listenListen: Seattle officials ready for Colorado-like terror

Local officials say they have a plan in place to respond to a mass shooting like the one in Colorado. 97.3 KIRO-FM's Brandi Kruse reports.

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In the wake of the massacre at a Colorado movie theater on Friday, many are asking "what if?" While it is an almost unthinkable scenario, officials in Seattle have a plan in place to respond to such a tragedy.

A shooting like the massacre in Aurora, Colo., would launch first responders into the city's Mass Casualty Incident plan, and would activate an Emergency Operations Center at the request of the police incident commander to provide logistical support. The center would act as a central command post.

"What we realize is if we have a situation like in Colorado [...] this will become a regional problem. This is not a Seattle problem," said Kyle Moore, public information officer for the Seattle Fire Department. "We're going to need the assistance and mutual aid of other agencies."

Under the MCI plan, first responders to a scene similar to the shooting in Colorado would immediately set up a triage center and call in ambulances and medic units from surrounding areas. Moore said partners such as AMR, or American Medical Response, could have 20 ambulances to the scene within minutes.

Victims are categorized on a four-color scale depending on the severity of their injuries.

Green patients are considered the "walking wounded," Moore said. They do not need immediate care. Victims who are labeled yellow are more seriously injured, but can survive without immediate transport to a hospital. Red patients are critical and need immediate care. Finally, victims who are labeled black were dead upon arrival.

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http://mynorthwest.com/11/710660/Seattle-officials-say-theyre-ready-for-Coloradolike-terror

h/t Mike Kirkpatrick