Magen David Adom (MDA) plays a critical role during wildfires in Israel, acting as the nation’s emergency medical service and first responder.
Their responsibilities include:

• Evacuation and Emergency Care: MDA teams work tirelessly to evacuate individuals from affected areas, providing immediate medical care to those injured or suffering from smoke inhalation.
• Coordination with Firefighters: They collaborate closely with firefighting units to ensure the safety of both civilians and emergency personnel.
• Rapid Response Vehicles: MDA deploys specialized vehicles, including ambulances and mobile intensive care units, to reach remote or hazardous locations swiftly. This fleet now includes an intensive care bus, designed based on lessons from emergencies, capable of treating multiple patients simultaneously with advanced medical equipment and a sophisticated oxygen system.
• Blood Supply Management: They oversee the collection and distribution of blood units to hospitals and the Israel Defence Forces, ensuring readiness for emergencies.
• Volunteer Mobilization: MDA’s extensive network of volunteers is activated to assist in rescue operations and provide support to affected communities. Their dedication and efficiency make them a cornerstone of Israel’s disaster response efforts. It’s truly inspiring to see their commitment to saving lives under challenging circumstances.

Press Release

MDA Teams Assist in Evacuating Nursing Home Patients in the Shoresh Area and the Jerusalem Corridor Due to Fire

Magen David Adom teams are currently assisting in the evacuation of nursing home patients in the Shoresh area in the Jerusalem Hills, following a fire in the region. Over 20 ambulances have been mobilized for the operation, including mobile intensive care units, as well as MDA’s intensive care bus, which is designed for the mass evacuation of patients in complex conditions.

The evacuation is being carried out to alternative nursing homes in Jerusalem, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines, while ensuring the safety of the patients and the continuity of their medical care.

MDA remains on high alert, ready to respond to any emergency and provide the necessary medical care.

Zaki Heller
MDA Spokesperson

Press Release

33 injured, including 6 in serious condition, 7 moderate, and 20 mild, after being struck by truck in Ramat Hasharon

At 10:08 today (Sunday), a report was received in MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center of a truck that struck dozens of people near a bus stop in Aharon Yariv Blvd, in Ramat Hasharon.

Large numbers of MDA teams were dispatched to the scene, including ambulances, mobile intensive care units (MICUs) and Medicycle responders who were rapidly on scene, provided medical treatment and evacuated 37 casualties to Ichilov, Beilinson, Hasharon, Wolfson, Shamir-Assaf Harofe, Sheba in Tel Hashomer, Laniado and Meir Hospitals. Among the injured:

– 6 in serious condition

– 7 in moderate condition

– 20 in mild condition

– 4 anxiety victims

The casualties were divided to the following hospitals:

Ichilov Hospital – 5 casualties (3 serious, 70 year old male in head and limb injuries, sedated and ventilated, 72 year old male with multi-trauma injuries, and an 80 year old male with limb injuries; 1 moderate, 60 year old female with multi-trauma injuries, 1 mild) and 2 with anxiety symptoms

Meir Hospital – 9 casualties (3 serious, 40 year old male with a head injury, a 70 year old male with multi-trauma injuries, 72 year female with face and limb injuries. 3 moderate, 60 year old male with limb injuries, 65 year old male and female with upper body injuries, and 3 mild with limb injuries)

Meir Hospital – 4 casualties (2 moderate, 82 year old female with a pelvic injury, and a 60 year old male with limb injuries, and 2 mild)

Laniado Hospital – 6 casualties (1 moderate and 5 mild, males and females in their 70s with limb injuries)

Wolfson Hospital – 3 mild (male and female aged about 75 with limb injuries and 30 year old male with limb injuries)

Shamir-Assaf Harofe Hospital – 2 mild (male and female in their 60s with limb injuries)

Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital – 3 mild (65 year old female, 60 and 29 year old males with limb injuries) and 2 with anxiety symptoms

Hasharon Hospital – 1 mild (73 year old male with head and limb injuries)

During the incident, Magen David Adom’s Blood Services supplied 90 units of blood and blood components to Beilinson, Ichilov and Meir Hospitals

MDA Senior EMT Elior Yosef: “When we arrived on scene we saw a truck that had struck dozens of people who had alighted from a bus and were standing at the bus stop. 8 casualties were trapped under the truck, and a number of further casualties were either lying or walking near the truck. We performed a primary survey to assess the injuries, immediately began treating the casualties, and then evacuated them to hospital.

MDA Senior EMT Raziel Yosepovich: “I was rapidly on scene with an MDA Medicycle. I saw a number of people trapped under the truck. Along with additional MDA teams, I started treating the casualties, and assisted the ambulance and MICU teams who evacuated the casualties to hospital.

MDA Medicycle Unit Paramedic Yissachar Weiss: “This was an extremely difficult scene where a truck had hit dozens of people at a bus stop in Ramat Hasharon. The casualties with varying levels of injury were all conscious, with 8 trapped under the truck. We immediately began treating the casualties, including stopping any bleeding while extrication efforts continued. We managed to extricate 7 with the help of members of the public, and one with the assistance of the fire department. MDA’s teams who were on scene with ambulances and MICUs, rapidly evacuated the casualties to hospital, while continuing to provide treatment en-route.”

Zaki Heller
MDA Spokesperson

Press Release

Two police officers who recovered from their severe injuries visited the MDA helipad and met the paramedics who saved their lives on the Black Saturday: “This is very emotional; I never stopped thinking about you”

During the battles that occurred on the Black Saturday, two officers from the Segev Shalom police station were seriously injured, Operations Officer Or Yosef and Intelligence Officer Yoni Daskalo. This week, Chief Inspectors Or Yosef and Yoni Daskalo visited MDA’s helipad in the South, where they met, for the first time since the event, the paramedics who saved their lives.

“The first siren began as I was finishing a night shift. Because of the irregular number of sirens I understood the whole event was irregular,” Chief Officer Yoni Daskalo recalls. “Reports started to arrive on what was occurring over in Sderot and Ofakim so I began to head in that direction. Minutes later I met Or, and we had our first encounter with terrorists – a gunfight. On route to Ofakim, we had another. After the gunfire stopped, we evacuated more and more casualties from that area, but when we entered Re’im to proceed with the evacuation, we heard a violent explosion we recognized as an RPG. We knew that if we will stay in the vehicle we would die so we decided to get out, take cover and fight the terrorists from there. During the battle we were hurt by gunfire and shrapnel, I received a bullet to the stomach and Or suffered injuries to his limbs.

Chief Inspector Yosef Or: “We evacuated ourselves towards Ofakim, where we stopped and waved our hands at an MDA MICU which passed by us and stopped near us, Nisim the paramedic ran out towards us, immediately providing us with treatment and placing us in the MICU.”

MDA Paramedic Nisim Sasi spoke about the moment in which he met Or and Yoni: “As we began treating you, we put you in the MICU and at the same time reported your condition to MDA’s Dispatch Center. I knew your condition did not allow us to evacuate you in an ambulance to Soroka Hospital so I requested a helicopter to meet us at Beit Kama Junction. Those were some dramatic moments; we fought for your lives through the whole journey. During the evacuation Yoni said to me that he is going to die, I held his hand and answered him ‘you’re not going to die here, not on my shift.’ Seeing you here today, back on your feet, illustrates how important our fight for your lives was on the MICU. I was worried about you and I am excited to see you again.”

“We landed with the helicopter around Beit Kama and right after we joined the MICU. We rapidly put you in since we realized every second mattered and we needed to fly you to the hospital as fast as possible,” said MDA flight paramedic and head of the paramedic school, Dr. Shafir Botner, “Those were critical moments in the battle for your lives.”

MDA flight paramedic and medical division director, Rami Miller concluded: “We fight a battle for each patient. Every thought on who will survive and who will not – we leave out of our considerations. This is a real battle for the life of every patient, and today, two and a half months after the black Saturday, in which we battled for Yoni and Or’s lives, this is very exciting being with them here, brave police officers, who were badly wounded, standing here smiling. This is very emotional; I never stopped thinking about you.”

‘Where is the military?’: Civilian air medics jumped into action amid fighting, no GPS

The Times of Israel