I'm a Train Wreck.

For those who for some reason don't know at this point - I volunteer at a local hospital. It's fun. Today was really fun. It was a disaster drill involving many major hospitals in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C.

The Scenario: The VRE Train is bombed at Rippon Landing. There is a second explosion at the Crystal City Metro Station. Hazmat at second explosion.

The hospital I work at is the closest to the VRE explosion, thus becoming the command center for the incident.

I got to be a victim! Full on moulage style.

For those who don't know what moulage is, it is the application of fake wounds. It tends to engage the doctors more - making for a more memorable lesson and better visual aid.

Our hospital is not a full on County General or Seattle Grace - so we're not equipped to take too many red tags.

When you are a victim in a disaster or disaster drill - you are tagged based on injury suckness. Green is - you got lucky. Put a bandaid on and go home.

Yellow is - We think you might have gotten lucky. But you have some obvious problems

Red is - Well, that sucks. Hopefully you pull out of it.

Black is - I'm sure you can figure that one out.

I was a yellow tag. Crazy head laceration, broken arm/wrist and second degree burns on 30% of my legs. I also had a baby. But she was a red tag. Burns to 50% of her body, and glass sticking out of her head.

The outcome was that the baby died (lame - I know) and I was sent up to surgery as soon as the amputee was done.

I'm now going to post some pictures of the moulage process. If you're squeamish - Don't scroll down.

My head lac. It was pretty gruesome. They use a special wax and made it lumpy and swollen and stuff. It was grossing the nurses out. But hey - my hair looks pretty good for having been blown up on the train at 6am.

The "pregnant" lady's leg injury. We gave her a saline bag to cut once she got into the ED. Awesome.

Compound Tib/Fib.

Looks pretty awesome right? We made the ten year old sit like that for 3 hours. None of us old folk could have pulled that off.

Seriously fun. Can't wait 'til next year's drill.