GAMSAT Emergency Response Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a mass casualty incident, a patient is breathing at 8 breaths per minute with a weak radial pulse. Under START triage, this patient is classified as:
- Immediate (Red) (Correct answer)
- Delayed (Yellow)
- Minimal (Green)
- Expectant (Black)
Correct answer: Immediate (Red)
Respiratory rate below 10 or above 30 per minute triggers Immediate (Red) classification under START triage regardless of pulse status.
Question 2: A hospital activates its Incident Command System (ICS). Which position is responsible for overall strategic direction during the emergency?
- Operations Section Chief
- Incident Commander (Correct answer)
- Logistics Section Chief
- Safety Officer
Correct answer: Incident Commander
The Incident Commander holds overall authority and responsibility for managing the incident response.
Question 3: When decontaminating a conscious patient who was exposed to an unknown chemical agent, the first priority action is:
- Administer antidote
- Remove clothing and irrigate with water (Correct answer)
- Establish IV access
- Perform respiratory assessment
Correct answer: Remove clothing and irrigate with water
Removing clothing eliminates up to 80% of contamination, and copious water irrigation dilutes residual agent before further treatment.
Question 4: A patient in anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting has stridor and urticaria. The immediate first-line pharmacological intervention is:
- Diphenhydramine IV
- Hydrocortisone IV
- Epinephrine 1:1000 IM (Correct answer)
- Salbutamol nebulizer
Correct answer: Epinephrine 1:1000 IM
Intramuscular epinephrine 1:1000 (0.3–0.5 mg) in the lateral thigh is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis.
Question 5: A firefighter collapses at the scene of a structural fire. Bystander CPR is initiated. What is the recommended compression-to-ventilation ratio for a single adult rescuer?
- 15:2
- 30:2 (Correct answer)
- 15:1
- 30:1
Correct answer: 30:2
Current AHA guidelines recommend a 30:2 compression-to-ventilation ratio for a single adult rescuer performing CPR.
Question 6: In hospital evacuation procedures, which patients are evacuated first when a fire is in the same wing?
- Ambulatory patients
- ICU patients on ventilators
- Patients in the immediate area of the fire (Correct answer)
- Patients in the basement
Correct answer: Patients in the immediate area of the fire
Patients in the zone of immediate danger are evacuated first to remove them from direct threat.
Question 7: A patient presents with pinpoint pupils, excessive secretions, bradycardia, and muscle fasciculations after a farm chemical exposure. The antidote of choice is:
- Naloxone
- Flumazenil
- Atropine (Correct answer)
- N-acetylcysteine
Correct answer: Atropine
Organophosphate poisoning causes cholinergic toxidrome; atropine blocks muscarinic receptors to reverse hypersecretion and bradycardia.
GAMSAT Emergency Response Procedures 2
During a mass casualty incident, a patient is breathing at 8 breaths per minute with a weak radial pulse.
Under START triage, this patient is classified as: