PHOTOS: Walter Reed conducts mass casualty exercise

Last week, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland conducted a Code Green mass casualty exercise in conjunction with hospitals from across the region. 

The exercise simulated a tornado touching down in Silver Spring, Md. that resulted in a biohazard spill and multiple casualties.

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"We do these exercises really for two reasons," said Commander Matthew Lawrence. "To support readiness for mass casualty incidents in the community, but also to prepare staff that wear the uniform. When we go down range we deal with this on a regular basis so it's to train us in both of those readiness avenues. We like to stress our system as much as possible to see where it breaks so we can identify those areas in a drill scenario instead of in the real thing."

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is the world’s largest integrated military medical center that serves over 1 million patients a year in its 2.4 million square feet of clinical space.

"Once we get them in here there's no doubt we can take care of them very rapidly and give them the best care they need," said Chris Gillette, WRNMMC command emergency manager. "This tests the folks here that come from all over to augment the area — do they understand the process."

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The larger, collaborative exercises are held only once or twice per year — but portions of the exercise are drilled weekly. 

"Disasters don't care if you're busy so weekly we're training some aspect of this plan," Gillette said.