This week marks the 11-year anniversary of the . On April 15, 2013, beginning at 2:49 p.m.
, packed with nails, ball bearings, and shards of metal exploded 13 seconds apart, just shy of the marathon's finish line. The race had been underway for several hours by the time of the explosions and a large crowd was gathered, cheering on runners as they approached. Three individuals in the vicinity were killed immediately, and an additional 264 were injured.
Zero lives were lost among the transported to the city's five level 1 trauma centers -- a remarkable mortality rate. Now, over a decade later, the medical response following the bombing is still hailed as one of the most efficient and effective disaster responses in U.S.
history. The incident is widely cited in disaster preparedness manuals, and as the regional director of emergency management for 21 hospitals in California, this was the case study I used over and over to provide training and highlight the key elements of mass casualty response for healthcare workers enthusiastic about the field of disaster medicine. It's worth pausing to remember the event and consider: what went right? The success of the Boston response was not an accident; nor did it reflect random good luck.
Rather, the response was due to a decades-long history of disaster preparedness planning and a well-rehearsed set of plans. The Boston Marathon is one of the world's oldest marathons and it's massive: in 2013, the event attracted and approximately 500,000.
