The Dispatch Center is on the Frontline
Sagit Mordechai (38) from Mazkeret Batya has been working for MDA for 11 years at the organization's National Operation Center in Kiryat Ono. On the eve of Lag Ba Omer, Sagit arrived for the night shift - which turned out to be the most significant shift: "From the shift changing I felt ready for this night. I received the instructions and highlights for exceptional cases and started a shift. Any shift of this kind around a multi-participant event is more tense. There were routine calls from Meron even before the event. Calls for fainting and minor bruises," she says.
"The first call received reported a collapse of the tribune and immediately at this point a connection was established between the dispatch center and the command post in Meron to understand exactly what the scenario was, what the data was on the ground. At the same time, we organized at the dispatch center for a multi-casualty event. A lot of scripts ran in my head at the same time. A few minutes after the first call, a clear picture was received of all our professional bodies in Meron and that this is a multi-casualties incident event in which many resuscitations are performed."
“Although it is a very emotionally complex event, with the announcement of the MCI we were working on an automaton. We, too, also the Galil Dispatch Center in the north of the country and all the factors simply acted on an automaton in accordance with what we are always prepared for - there was less time for thoughts and understand the magnitude of the disaster. All that was before our eyes was to reach as many people as possible who needed help. "
There were no simple calls to paramedics at the hotline who answered calls 101. Some civilians and some MDA first responders who were on the mountain reported resuscitation and a large number of injured. The contact was also full of emotions from the crews in the field and could be heard.
At 5:30 it was possible to breathe for a moment and digest what had happened. Suddenly it was possible to get up and lift your head and see pictures, see news and suddenly, only then did I see everything with my eyes and it was significant because everything becomes more tangible. Now think about what happened to the guys who were there who encountered difficult scenes."
"We ended the night, despite the difficult event, with a sense of satisfaction because we acted in the most orderly and efficient manner. Using the most advanced technologies in the world at the MDA center that allowed us continuous communication with the staff in Meron, we responded as much as possible to the area. We were able to launch helicopters, we were able to talk to the hospitals and prepare them for the reception of the injured. Along with all the significant occurrence, it must be remembered that dispatch center provided a response to calls that arrived and were not related to the incident in Meron."
