Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM Field Exercises

The initial message alerts us to a global catastrophe, with a possible subsequent call for mobilization. Further updates will be received only by those participating in the mission. The Emergency Medical Team PCPM, Poland’s first and only team accredited by the World Health Organization, is currently conducting training exercises. It is an opportunity to practice various scenarios in preparation for a real-world disaster.

Annual field exercises of the Polish Emergency Medical Team PCPM (EMT PCPM) feature full deployment of EMT Type 1 (a field clinic) operating in mock earthquake scenario in Morocco. This year, the medics are training for a mission in response to a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Morocco. The disaster has resulted in 2122 fatalities and 2421 injuries. Historical monuments, part of Morocco’s cultural heritage, have also been damaged. The team is deployed to Ait-Warir, 60 kilometers southeast of Marrakech, with hospitals in the center of Marrakech.

The EMT medics see over 100 patients per day, so acting at the full capacity as required by the World Health Organization. Cases range from post-disaster shock to life-threatening injuries. The medical simulation is implemented in collaboration with the staff of one of Warsaw’s premier hospitals. The Emergency Medical Team, as set up in the field, is self-sufficient, among others in purified water, electricity and satellite communication.

Route N9 towards the capital is accessible. The team received their first notification on Tuesday, with deployment scheduled for Thursday.

– Initially, they will set up a camp equipped with a field hospital. Subsequently, each mission participant will be assigned a specific role – explains Monika Piątczak, coordinator of the Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM.

Immediately after starting their shift, seven individuals in relatively good condition are waiting at the hospital, more curious than anything else. Their injuries range from minor wounds and sprains to asthma exacerbations and circulatory failure. After two hours, the patient count reaches 30. Subsequently, ‘red’ patients with critical injuries are brought in.

– We’re practicing the most challenging scenarios where patients arrive with severe, potentially fatal injuries, including those that ultimately result in death. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in such post-disaster missions. Here, we can practice everything in a controlled environment, analyze our actions, and draw conclusions – adds Monika Piątczak.

Team Origins

The team boasts over a decade of experience. The medics began their mission in 2014 at the Maidan in Kyiv. Just a few months later, they faced their first real test. On April 25, 2015, as Poles prepared for the long May weekend, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Before noon that day, Nepalese authorities had officially requested international assistance. The following day, at noon on April 26, the first group from the Emergency Medical Team was ready to depart.

A Decade Later

Our medics maintain constant readiness for such events. These exercises aim to refine procedures and enhance team coordination. In subsequent years, the Emergency Medical Team has participated in numerous missions, including deployments to Iraq (humanitarian crisis), Lebanon (Syrian refugee camp), Peru (mudslides), Madagascar (cyclone), Lombardy (COVID-19), and the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Team experts also supported evacuating children from the Gaza Strip, drawing on their unique experiences from the MEDEVAC HUB Jasionka.In 2019, the Emergency Medical Team became Poland’s sole WHO and EU-certified crisis response team, capable of undertaking global rescue operations and ready to deploy within 48 hours of an incident.

Poland Emergency Medical Team PCPM is a rapid response arm of PCPM Foundation and the only EMT in Poland classified by WHO (in 2019) and being part of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. The team has conducted over 12 international deployments since 2015. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EMT has foperated a first aid center at the largest refugee transit center in Warsaw and since September 2022 has managed a Medical Evacuation Hub near the Polish-Ukrainian border, funded by the EU.