Professionalism in the face of terror

It is with great sadness that November will be remembered for the worst attack on France since World War II and the deadliest in the European Union since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. On Friday 13 November, multi-site terrorist shootings in Paris left 130 people killed and over 300 in intensive care. A state of emergency was declared by President François Hollande, and temporary border checks introduced. While the outcome of the attacks left the country devastated, it is worth highlighting the proficiency at which Paris organised an effective medical response to the attacks, which ensured that many lives could be saved.

Triage and pre-hospital care for victims of the attacks was organised by the emergency medical services (service d'aide médical d'urgence, SAMU). SAMU were mobilised immediately following discovery of the attacks, and the crisis cell at the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP) was opened. The APHP crisis unit has the ability to coordinate 40 hospitals with a total of 100 000 health professionals, a capacity of 22 000 beds and 200 operating rooms (Hirsche et al, 2015).