MANISTEE — U.S. Coast Guard air station Traverse City spent the day in Manistee conducting their annual mass casualty exercise that they said helps them save lives when emergencies arise.
Each year the Coast Guard teams up with other local emergency units to make sure they’re prepared for any instance when lives are on the line and seconds count.
The training includes multiple departments coming together to act out real life situations like plane crashes, cardiac arrests, severed limbs, hypothermia and drownings.
Lieutenant Nicholas Betts, with air station Traverse City explains how the training works.
“We’ll deploy a swimmer to be able to assess the simulated injuries that they find. Then they’ll make real time risk decisions to be able to determine the proper way to execute care for these individuals and ensure that they all get to the proper level of care that they need in a timely fashion,” said Betts. “We give ourselves a deadline of 30 minutes, that’s our response time”
Lieutenant Betts said a rescue was conducted last week when a jet ski sank near Beaver Island on Lake Michigan. Betts said those looking to enjoy water activities should always wear life jackets and be aware that prolonged exposure to the water could cause hypothermia. Even with the warm weather, the water is still hanging around 50 degrees.