The NIGHTINGALE project conducted a mass casualty incident drill in Novara from 18 to 20 October 2023. The exercise aimed to put innovative technologies developed by NIGHTINGALE partners to the test in controlled but realistic conditions of mass casualty incidents, including such situations as terrorist attacks, building collapse, and transportation incidents.
A diverse group of volunteers, civil protection agencies, such as emergency medical services, fire brigades, and police, as well as civic volunteers, including members of Cittadinanzattiva -ACN, participated in the exercise. They tested the NIGHTINGALE tools and provided valuable feedback on how these technologies can enhance prehospital triage during mass casualty incidents. The technologies that were tested included emergency mobile applications for citizens, mobile applications for digital patient monitoring and tracking, incident management and command and control solutions, a next generation Public Safety Answering Point, a thermographic scanning system, and drones.

The event has been organised and hosted by the Centre for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health, Università del Piemonte Orientale (Novara, Italy) and the Italian Red Cross Committee (Galliate, Novara).
As mass casualty incidents become more sudden and challenging, the integration of new technologies can offer solutions to strengthen collaboration between emergency response agencies and communities at the scene of an incident. This leads to a more efficient and effective emergency and disaster response, ultimately saving more lives.