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Masoud Jobaneh1 
, Katayoun Jahangiri *2 , Mohammad Taghi Ashoobi3 , Jamshid Mohammadi4 , Milad Salimi5
, Katayoun Jahangiri *2 , Mohammad Taghi Ashoobi3 , Jamshid Mohammadi4 , Milad Salimi5
1- Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Tehran, Iran
2- Health in Disasters and Emergencies Department, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ,k.jahangiri@sbmu.ac.ir
3- Vascular Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Guilan, Iran, Guilan, Iran
4- Head of Emergency Medical Service, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Guilan, Iran, Guilan, Iran
5- English Department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Tehran, Iran
2- Health in Disasters and Emergencies Department, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ,
3- Vascular Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Guilan, Iran, Guilan, Iran
4- Head of Emergency Medical Service, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Guilan, Iran, Guilan, Iran
5- English Department, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (43 Views)
Objective: Fires in residential addiction treatment facilities are rare but devastating mass casualty incidents that require rapid interagency coordination and an effective health system response. This post-incident analysis examined the health system response to a fatal fire at an addiction treatment camp in Guilan Province, northern Iran, with a focus on operational strengths, response gaps, and lessons for future emergency preparedness.
Methods: This post-incident descriptive case analysis used direct field observations by one of the authors and other members of the emergency response team, together with Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operational reports, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatch records, official incident documentation, and hospital coordination reports. These sources were used to reconstruct the response timeline and identify key operational strengths and challenges.
Results: The incident resulted in 50 casualties, including 32 deaths at the scene and 18 injured patients transported to hospitals, four of whom subsequently died. Rapid activation of the Incident Command System, timely EMS deployment, interagency coordination, early activation of the Emergency Operations Center, expansion of burn care surge capacity, and establishment of a crisis communication team were identified as key strengths of the response. The main challenges were the limited availability of EMS bus ambulances in eastern Guilan Province, the absence of an integrated patient tracking system, and logistical difficulties related to family reunification and patient information management.
Conclusion: This post-incident analysis identified several priorities for preparedness, including fire safety measures, mass casualty preparedness, coordinated incident management, hospital surge capacity, patient tracking systems, and equitable distribution of specialized EMS resources. These lessons may inform planning and response for similar fire-related mass casualty incidents. This case adds practical evidence on health system response to a fire-related mass casualty incident in a residential addiction treatment facility, a setting for which published operational reports remain limited.
Methods: This post-incident descriptive case analysis used direct field observations by one of the authors and other members of the emergency response team, together with Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operational reports, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatch records, official incident documentation, and hospital coordination reports. These sources were used to reconstruct the response timeline and identify key operational strengths and challenges.
Results: The incident resulted in 50 casualties, including 32 deaths at the scene and 18 injured patients transported to hospitals, four of whom subsequently died. Rapid activation of the Incident Command System, timely EMS deployment, interagency coordination, early activation of the Emergency Operations Center, expansion of burn care surge capacity, and establishment of a crisis communication team were identified as key strengths of the response. The main challenges were the limited availability of EMS bus ambulances in eastern Guilan Province, the absence of an integrated patient tracking system, and logistical difficulties related to family reunification and patient information management.
Conclusion: This post-incident analysis identified several priorities for preparedness, including fire safety measures, mass casualty preparedness, coordinated incident management, hospital surge capacity, patient tracking systems, and equitable distribution of specialized EMS resources. These lessons may inform planning and response for similar fire-related mass casualty incidents. This case adds practical evidence on health system response to a fire-related mass casualty incident in a residential addiction treatment facility, a setting for which published operational reports remain limited.
Keywords: Mass casualty incident, Emergency Medical Services, Incident Command System, Fire safety, Addiction treatment facility, Disaster response, Burn disaster
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This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC-By-NC 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
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