Triage in Disaster Management – DGMS Exam Notes

➤ Meaning of Triage Triage is a method of sorting casualties during an emergency/disaster based on severity of injury and priority for treatment.
Objective = "Treat the greatest number of people with available resources."

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Why Triage is Needed in Mines?

Disasters in mines often result in multiple casualties simultaneously (fire, explosion, water inrush, roof fall, gas poisoning).
Resources (doctors, stretchers, rescuers, oxygen, ambulances) are limited, so proper prioritization is essential.

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Principles of Triage

1. Prioritize treatment instead of first-come basis.
2. Assess breathing, circulation, consciousness, bleeding.
3. Focus on cases with high survival chances with immediate care.
4. Quick evaluation (30–60 seconds per patient ideally).
5. Re-triage continuously as conditions change.

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Triage Colour Coding System (Very Important for Exam)

Color Category	Priority Level	Casualty Condition	Action Required
Red	Immediate (Priority-I)	Severe but treatable	Immediate evacuation & treatment
Yellow	Delayed (Priority-II)	Serious but stable	Treatment can wait
Green	Minor (Priority-III)	Walking wounded	First aid, later treatment
Black	Dead / Expectant	No signs of life / minimal survival chance	No active treatment

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Red (High Priority)

• Severe bleeding, breathing difficulty, unconscious but pulse present, major fractures.
• Need urgent medical aid & rapid evacuation.

Yellow (Second Priority)

• Stable fractures, controlled bleeding, head injury but conscious, shock suspected.
• Treatment can be delayed without life loss.

Green (Low Priority)

• Minor cuts, abrasions, sprains, conscious patients who can walk.
• Provide first aid & psychological support.

Black (No Priority / Expired)

• No breathing, no pulse, burnt beyond recovery, decapitated.
• Tag, record & shift to mortuary zone.

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Triage Zones in a Mining Disaster Site

Zone	Purpose
Hot Zone (Incident Area)	Rescue, immediate removal of casualties
Warm Zone	First triage, stretcher loading
Cold Zone	Triage station, medical post, ambulance area

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Steps in Triage

1. Scene safety check – no rescuer should become casualty.
2. Assess casualties → Airway–Breathing–Circulation (ABC) rule.
3. Apply colour-coded triage tags.
4. Shift to appropriate zone for treatment.
5. Reassess at regular intervals.

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2. Quick One-Liners (Revision Points)

• Triage = Sorting of casualties by treatment priority.
• Objective = "Save maximum lives with limited resources."
• Red = Immediate care, Yellow = Delayed, Green = Minor, Black = Dead/Expectant.
• Triage done within 30–60 seconds per patient ideally.
• Most important parameters → Airway, Breathing, Circulation (ABC).
• Continuous re-triage is necessary during rescue.
• Used in mine fire, explosion, inundation, roof fall, methane explosions.

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3. Triage is the scientific method of prioritizing casualties during a disaster based on severity of injury and chances of survival.
In mine emergencies such as explosions, fires, roof collapse or gas poisoning, multiple casualties occur simultaneously and medical resources are often limited. Hence triage helps ensure that maximum number of miners are saved by allocating priority-based treatment. The triage system commonly follows

  four colour categories:

• Red – Immediate care: Life-threatening injuries but treatable.
• Yellow – Delayed care: Serious injuries but stable condition.
• Green – Minor: Walking wounded, require first aid only.
• Black – Dead/Expectant: No signs of life or negligible survival chance.

Triage is usually carried out near the incident site and patients are moved to hot, warm or cold zones depending on urgency. The first assessment should check airway, breathing, circulation, major bleeding and consciousness. Re-assessment is essential as patient condition may change rapidly. Thus, triage ensures systematic, fast and life-saving medical management during mine disasters and enables rescuers to utilize resources effectively.

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4. MCQs (20) – DGMS Exam Level 

Match the Following –

Q1. Triage means:
A. Evacuation of casualties
B. Sorting victims by priority
C. First aid method
D. Only treatment of severe patients
E. None of these
Answer: B
Solution: Triage = prioritising patients based on severity.

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Q2. Main aim of triage in mine disaster is:
A. Comfort the patient
B. Reduce rescue cost
C. Save maximum lives
D. Prepare medical reports
E. None
Answer: C
Solution: Priority-wise treatment saves highest number of victims.

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Q3. High priority (Immediate) patients are tagged with colour:
A. Black
B. Yellow
C. Red
D. Green
E. Blue
Answer: C
Solution: Red = Priority-I.

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Q4. Green colour tag represents:
A. Dead
B. Minor injury
C. Critical
D. Unconscious
E. Burnt beyond recognition
Answer: B
Solution: Green → walking wounded.

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Q5. Black tag indicates:
A. Delayed
B. Minor
C. Immediate
D. Dead / No survival chance
E. Require oxygen
Answer: D

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Q6. Yellow category means:
A. Survival chance low
B. Treatment can wait
C. Minor injury
D. No pulse
E. None
Answer: B

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Q7. First check in triage is:
A. Pain level
B. Airway–Breathing–Circulation
C. Identification
D. Temperature
E. None
Answer: B

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Q8. Triage helps in:
A. Saving resources
B. Increasing casualties
C. Post-mortem only
D. Delay rescue
E. None
Answer: A

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Q9. Re-triage means:
A. Checking again
B. Ignoring patient
C. Discharge
D. Transport only
E. None
Answer: A

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Q10. Triage is mainly used in:
A. Normal clinic
B. Disaster site
C. School
D. Laboratory
E. Office
Answer: B

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Q11. Which is not a triage colour?
A. Red
B. Yellow
C. Purple
D. Green
E. Black
Answer: C

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Q12. Triage time per patient ideally:
A. 1–2 min
B. 10 min
C. 30–60 seconds
D. 5 min
E. 15 min
Answer: C

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Q13. Highest survival benefit obtained when which group treated first?
A. Black
B. Green
C. Yellow
D. Red
E. None
Answer: D

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Q14. Triage prioritisation is based on:
A. First come basis
B. Severity & survivability
C. Age only
D. Experience
E. Luck
Answer: B

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Q15. In mine disaster, first responder should:
A. Enter blindly
B. Ensure area safety
C. Wait for ambulance
D. Ignore gas test
E. None
Answer: B

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Q16. Warm zone in triage is for:
A. Final treatment
B. First tagging
C. Rescue only
D. Ambulance parking
E. None
Answer: B

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Q17. Cold zone is generally used for:
A. Casualty triage
B. Medical treatment & transport area
C. Fire suppression
D. Gas detection
E. None
Answer: B

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Q18. Red tag casualty example:
A. Small cut
B. Minor sprain
C. Unconscious but pulse present
D. No breathing
E. Walking patient
Answer: C

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Q19. Continuous triage is necessary because:
A. Casualty condition changes
B. More light required
C. Vehicles arrive late
D. It is compulsory
E. None
Answer: A

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Q20. Triage system ultimately improves:
A. Casualty reporting
B. Survival rate
C. Firefighting
D. Mine development
E. Manual work
Answer: B