The Cambria Fire Department held a “Mass Casualty Incident” (MCI) drill on Saturday, Jan. 12, on Rodeo Grounds Road off Burton Drive by Santa Rosa Creek.

Other agencies participating were Cal Fire and the Cambria Community Healthcare District paramedics, plus Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers, some of whom played the role of victims in a mock collision between a bus and another vehicle.

Rescue personnel used the “jaws of life” to open an entry point at the front of the rolled bus. Nine victims were inside the bus with simulated injuries ranging from minor to serious, with one fatality.

The bus was donated by the Coast Unified School District, which had received federal grant funds to acquire a more energy-efficient bus and were required to donate the old bus they were replacing to a cause that would render it out of service.