Possible ‘Mass Casualty’ Response in Palm Springs Breathing Trouble

Palm Springs Fire Department posted to its Facebook page, “ALERT” – multiple fire units and AMR Ambulances are on the scene of MCI (mass casualty incident).

The Patch Reports around 2:30 p.m. the Palm Springs Fire Department posted to its Facebook page, “ALERT- multiple fire units and AMR Ambulances are on the scene of MCI (mass casualty incident) with approximately 15 patients complaining airway issues in the 900 block of North Farrell Dr.”

The Palm Springs Fire Department then described the incident as a possible “mass casualty incident” in a tweet at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday, and later downgraded it, according to fire department spokesperson Cpt. Nathan Gunkel. He said the term “mass casualty incident” is used whenever an incident involves five or more people.

The DMV is located at 950 North Farrell Drive.

There was no word on the severity of the incident or what was causing the breathing problems.

MCI is an acronym that typically stands for Mass Casualty Incident. … No matter which variation of the name, an MCI refers to an incident where emergency medical services respond to a single event with multiple casualties. No number of casualties qualifies one incident as an MCI over another.

#UPDATE

The Desert Sun reported that the call for service came in shortly after 2 p.m. About 20 people were feeling sick, but none of them were immediately sent to the hospital, according to the newspaper.

The DMV was closed and there was no word on how long that might last, according to reports from the scene.

Investigators were still working to determine the cause of the breathing problems.

The Palm Springs Fire Department initially described the incident as a possible “mass casualty incident” in a tweet at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday, but the incident was downgraded, according to fire department spokesperson Cpt. Nathan Gunkel. He said the term “mass casualty incident” is used whenever an incident involves five or more people.

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