Freeman Health System is adding two 24-foot-long box trailers equipped for mass casualties to its three-hospital system, The Joplin Globe Globe reported.
After a tornado struck Joplin in 2011, rescue efforts were strained because of communication troubles and a lack of medical supplies. This inspired the Joplin, Mo.-based system to invest in two trailers packed with communications equipment and supplies for dangerous weather and other large casualty events, such as a mass shooting.
Jason Smith, EMS director for the city's Metro Emergency Transport System, said these trailers would have been crucial after the 2011 tornado, which was one of the deadliest in the U.S. after killing nearly 160 people and injuring more than 1,000, according to the National Weather Service.
"When that happened, we resorted to going through our supply room at METS and unloading everything we could into spare ambulances and our wheelchair van and dropping them at various points across the city," Mr. Smith told the outlet. "Having something like this would have saved a lot of time and effort."
The trailers have internet equipment intended for use in areas with limited cell service, an oxygen condenser to treat multiple patients at once and other supplies for a mass casualty event. The trailers can store enough trauma equipment for between 100 and 200 patients, according to the outlet.