CERT Triage & Mass Casualty Incidents 2

Question 1

Approximately how much time should a CERT member spend assessing each victim during initial START triage?

Accepted Answer

30 seconds

Answer

START triage is designed to be completed in approximately 30 seconds per victim, enabling rapid sorting of large numbers of casualties.

Question 2

In START triage, a capillary refill time greater than how many seconds indicates poor perfusion and places the victim in the immediate category?

Accepted Answer

2 seconds

Answer

A capillary refill time greater than 2 seconds suggests inadequate circulation, which places the victim in the immediate (red) category under START triage.

Question 3

What does a YELLOW tag indicate in CERT triage?

Accepted Answer

Delayed priority; injuries are serious but treatment can be safely postponed

Answer

Yellow tags indicate 'delayed' priority — victims whose injuries are significant but who can wait for treatment without immediate risk to their lives.

Question 4

During mass casualty triage with many victims, when should CERT members perform CPR?

Accepted Answer

CPR should generally not be performed during triage when resources are overwhelmed

Answer

In mass casualty triage, CPR is generally withheld because it consumes significant resources for one victim; non-breathing victims are tagged black so responders can help survivable victims.

Question 5

How is mental status assessed in the START triage system?

Accepted Answer

By asking the victim to follow simple commands

Answer

START triage assesses mental status by checking whether the victim can follow simple commands, providing a rapid indicator of neurological function.

CERT - Certified Community Emergency Response Team Practice Test

CERT - Certified Community Emergency Response Team Practice Test

CERT Triage & Mass Casualty Incidents 2