MDA: “We are preparing for every scenario”
Israel’s Magen David Adom has concluded a multi-system exercise aimed at preparing for a potential war in the north and blackout scenarios.
The exercise, which lasted three days required MDA teams to provide medical responses to casualties from various events in the northern and Sharon regions. As part of the exercise, MDA’s reinforcement unit was mobilized, working alongside the regular MDA teams to treat casualties from the simulated security incidents. Additionally, during the exercise, MDA teams practised a ‘blackout scenario’ with a focus on using satellite communication tools. The exercises involved the use of special technological and logistical tools and dedicated vehicles.
As part of the preparation process, an exercise was conducted in MDA’s situation room with MDA’s senior management team, and an additional exercise by MDA’s Blood Services involved practising emergency blood donations in a scenario with infrastructure shortages.
MDA teams on the ground and at MDA’s 101 emergency dispatch centre managed simulated responses at various locations according to numerous scenarios in coordination with the police, IDF, Home Front Command, Fire and Rescue, local emergency teams, and municipal authorities. One scenario involved a simulated rocket strike on a building in a northern kibbutz. MDA teams arrived at the scene with extensive resources including ambulances, intensive care units, motorcycles, a Unimog with off-road capabilities, an intensive care bus, and more. The first responders to the simulated event were the emergency team from Kibbutz Afek, trained as part of MDA’s “Emergency Teams Project,” a joint project with MDA, Home Front Command, the Ministry of Health, and local government aimed at providing medical emergency responses within the community to save lives during emergency situations. The exercise was conducted in close cooperation with all relevant agencies and with the Israel Police Northern District through its units – Northern District Bomb Disposal, Operations Division, Administrative Division, Regional Command Post, and the Regional Commander, Superintendent Chaim Sargrove, along with Zevulun Station Commander, Deputy Superintendent Nir Gamber, officers, detectives, and patrol officers from Zevulun Station, all of whom participated in the exercise. After the scene was “cleared” by police bomb disposal experts, MDA and Fire and Rescue teams arrived and provided medical care for a simulated mass casualty event involving 50 simulated casualties. MDA headquarters staff, including Carmel Regional Director Erez Geller and Asher Regional Director Eli Peretz, oversaw and monitored the exercise.
Felix Lotan, Head of Emergency Preparedness at MDA, said: “MDA teams have completed a very successful exercise spanning three intensive days. As with every exercise, the most crucial part is the preparation phase, which was demonstrated through the excellent work of the medical teams and regional management, alongside excellent cooperation from the Israel Police, Fire and Rescue, IDF, and emergency team members. MDA teams and the organization’s management are now better prepared to provide medical responses to various security incidents, including dealing with blackout scenarios and using satellite tools. The insights gained from this multi-domain exercise will be incorporated into the organizational work plan to enhance the organization’s readiness for escalation and disaster scenarios.”
MDA Director-General Eli Bin attended the exercise. He said: “Magen David Adom has just completed three days in which the reinforcement unit and the regular teams were mobilized to respond to various incidents. This exercise provided MDA personnel with real tools for handling and responding to scenarios in real-time. The exercise was conducted in collaboration with police forces, the Home Front Command, Fire and Rescue, and our emergency team partners in the Magen Project, with all MDA personnel contributing to three days of training for managing very complex events. In recent days, Magen David Adom has utilized very special tools, including in the absence of infrastructure and computerized resources. Magen David Adom is especially focused these days on preparing for any potential scenario to ensure the medical security of Israel’s citizens.”
