Response to large pileups reviewed

BANGOR – A flagging system for vehicles and a dedicated telephone line to hospitals could save time during chain-reaction accidents like the one that occurred two weeks ago on Interstate 95 in Hampden, emergency response personnel said Wednesday during a debriefing.

A committee will investigate the possibility of incorporating those measures into crisis management practices, Bert Ingraham, director of the Penobscot County Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday.

Ingraham attended the Rangeley Hall gathering along with representatives from Maine State Police, local fire and rescue organizations, area hospitals, the Department of Transportation, the Maine Emergency Management Agency and Hancock County Emergency Management Agency.

The colossal 50-car pileup Jan. 25 sent 22 people to area hospitals and stretched for more than a mile.

Officials pointed out Wednesday that the same vehicles were inspected over and over again as different personnel searched for victims.

Using a color-coding system to tag vehicles that already have been checked could avoid duplication, they decided.

Also, hospital phone lines were tied up with “redundant information” as Good Samaritans and emergency response teams used radios and cell phones to alert medical personnel and give details about victims, Ingraham said.

But a special line “just for incidents of this magnitude” could ease the crunch, the director said.

All in all, rescue efforts went smoothly, according to Ingraham.

“Everyone’s performance was outstanding,” he said. “A tragedy was averted because of well-trained personnel.”