NDMS Exercise Sat. at RDU

Wake County Emergency Management, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will be working with local, state and federal partners to execute a simulated, mass-casualty disaster exercise at the Army National Guard Armory located on the grounds of Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Saturday, July 31, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) exercise is a key component of the Raleigh/Wake Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) program that has successfully incorporated local, state and federal partners into a unified response mechanism.

The exercise will include delivery of injured individuals by the N.C. Air National Guard from Charlotte to RDU, with subsequent helicopter transport to regional hospitals provided by Duke University Life Flight and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Air Care. Wake County Emergency Medical Services, along with other Wake County rescue squads and adjacent county EMS units, will provide ground transport to area hospitals, which are also taking part in the exercise.

The purpose of the exercise is to prepare municipal, county, state and federal agencies to work together in a large-scale disaster situation and highlight interagency coordination and readiness.

The NDMS is designed to care for the victims of a disaster or other major emergency that exceeds the medical care capability of an affected state, region or federal medical care system. It is capable of treating the overflow of casualties injured in a major peacetime disaster or a national security emergency involving a conventional military conflict.

The National Guard Armory is located on National Guard Drive, off Aviation Parkway ¼-mile north of Interstate 40 (Exit 285).