How medical community handles a mass shooting crisis

(WJBK) - On Sunday, October 1, hundreds of people were rushed to the hospital in Las Vegas after bullets rained down on them from above.

A gunman on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas Strip casino opened fire on an outdoor music festival, killing at least 58 people and wounding more than 515.

As we see this tragedy unfold, it begs the question - how is the medical community able to handle a crisis of this size?

Cristy Rankin, who is in charge of emergency preparedness at Beaumont in metro Detroit, says transportation coordination begins immediately between EMS agencies. When a hospital gets word of an incoming trauma of that size, they will also begin discharging patients who are ready to free up any beds.

Rankin says staff members will also be called in, and, in Beaumont's situation, staff could be relocated from one site to the other to assist with the incoming patients.

People attempting to find or get in touch with loved ones often won't be able to reach the hospital. Rankin says the city or county often will open up an information center for loved ones to contact.

If you're heading out into a crowd with children, Rankin suggests designating a safe meeting place that's outside. She suggests to tell your kids that in a crisis situation, get outside and to the safe spot as quickly as possible and do not wait for anyone.

"If whoever you're with is with you, then they go with you; but do not wait to look for someone. That's really where the danger starts," she says.