County Fire participates in a multi-agency mass casualty incident drill in Joshua Tree

In a critical effort to enhance emergency preparedness and coordination, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District participated in a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill at Joshua Tree National Park. The large-scale exercise brought together multiple agencies to simulate a traffic collision involving a tour bus and multiple vehicles, resulting in dozens of injured victims.

“It’s so important that we keep the drill realistic because it adds stress,” said County Fire Battalion Chief and Agency Incident Commander Jeff Allen. “We want it to be as real as possible.”

Training for real emergencies

This year’s MCI drill focused on the unique challenges posed by incidents in remote areas, particularly those straddling multiple jurisdictions. Joshua Tree National Park was selected as the location due to its proximity to two counties, communication hurdles and extended response times.

Emergency responders from County Fire, Cal Fire Riverside Unit, the National Park Service, Morongo Basin Ambulance, San Bernardino County Sheriff, California Highway Patrol, Combat Center Fire, REACH Air Ambulance, Mercy Air and other cooperating agencies worked together to respond to the simulated mass casualty event.

The drill scenario involved a tour bus colliding with several vehicles, resulting in numerous injured individuals scattered across the desert landscape. Thirty volunteers portrayed victims with varying degrees of injuries, helping responders practice triage, treatment and transport logistics.

The importance of interagency collaboration

“When we look at an incident of this magnitude, it takes all of these agencies coming together to successfully treat and care for the injured,” said County Fire Public Information Officer Ryan Beckers. “We know time is of the essence. Our goal is to get patients from the accident to a hospital within the ‘golden hour’ – the critical window for lifesaving care.”

During the drill, responders triaged victims using a color-coded system:

Green (Minor) – Walking wounded
Yellow (Delayed) – Injuries requiring medical attention but not immediately life-threatening
Red (Immediate) – Critical patients needing urgent care
Black (Deceased) – Fatalities

The exercise tested command structure, patient tracking, resource deployment and transport coordination – key elements in any real-world mass-casualty response.

Putting training into action

While tabletop exercises and discussions are helpful, officials emphasized the necessity of real-world training.

“We can all sit in a room with the air conditioning on and discuss a plan, but you have to put boots on the ground,” said Battalion Chief Jeff Allen. “We need to get on the same page in a training scenario because once a real emergency happens, it’s too late to figure it out.”

By practicing realistic scenarios, agencies ensure that firefighters, paramedics, law enforcement and emergency management teams can work seamlessly together when disaster strikes.

A unified approach to public safety

County Fire and its partners extend a huge thank you to all participants, volunteers and support staff who contributed to this vital training exercise.

“Residents don’t care whose jurisdiction an incident falls under – they just need help,” said San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe. “By working together in multi-agency collaborations like this, we can ensure that when a real disaster happens the response will be swift, coordinated and effective.”

For more information about County Fire’s emergency preparedness efforts, visit sbcfire.org.

Additional County Update News – March 13, 2025