ALSG 4th Edition | Major Incident Training in Manchester

Prepare to respond safely, systematically and effectively when a major incident overwhelms normal healthcare resources.

The Major Incident Medical Management and Support (MIMMS) Course is an internationally established programme developed by the Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) to train healthcare professionals in the organisation and delivery of medical support during major incidents.

PLAB Guide Training Centre is an ALSG-approved training centre, providing the official MIMMS 4th Edition programme in Manchester.

The course focuses not simply on treating individual casualties, but on understanding how healthcare professionals function as part of a coordinated major-incident response involving multiple casualties, emergency services, command structures, communication systems and limited resources.

The current programme consists of mandatory pre-course online learning followed by two days of face-to-face training.

What Is MIMMS?

MIMMS stands for Major Incident Medical Management and Support.

It provides a structured approach to managing the medical response at the scene of a major incident, particularly where the number or complexity of casualties creates demands that exceed immediately available resources.

The course helps clinicians understand how to move from normal individual-patient care to a coordinated incident-management approach involving:

• Command and control

• Safety

• Communication

• Assessment

• Triage

• Treatment

• Transport

ALSG describes MIMMS as an international standard in major incident medical management, with its principles integrated into both civilian and military medical practice around the world.

Who Is the MIMMS Course For?

The official MIMMS education programme is designed for candidates from a:

• Medical background

• Nursing background

• Paramedic background

It is particularly relevant to healthcare professionals who may be involved in the operational response to a major incident.

This may include:

• Emergency Medicine doctors

• Consultants

• Specialty and specialist doctors

• Junior doctors with an appropriate role

• Paramedics

• Advanced paramedics

• Nurses involved in emergency or pre-hospital care

• Emergency preparedness personnel with an appropriate clinical background

• Ambulance clinicians

• Pre-hospital care practitioners

• Trauma clinicians

• Military healthcare personnel

• Senior clinicians who may assume operational or team-leadership responsibilities

Candidates should check that they satisfy current ALSG eligibility requirements before booking.

What Is a Major Incident?

A major incident is an event where the number, type or severity of casualties creates exceptional demands on the emergency response and healthcare system.

Examples may include:

• Major transport incidents

• Multiple vehicle collisions

• Rail incidents

• Aircraft incidents

• Explosions

• Fires

• Structural collapse

• Terrorist incidents

• Hazardous-material events

• Natural disasters

• Large public gatherings

• Multiple burn casualties

• Incidents involving large numbers of children

MIMMS teaches a structured system that can be adapted to different types and scales of incident.

The CSCATTT Approach

A central component of MIMMS is the structured CSCATTT approach to major incident management:

C – Command and Control

Establishing appropriate command structures and understanding who is responsible for different elements of the response.

S – Safety

Ensuring safety at the scene before and during medical operations.

C – Communication

Establishing effective communication between healthcare teams, emergency services and command structures.

A – Assessment

Assessing the incident, its scale, risks, casualty numbers and likely resource requirements.

T – Triage

Prioritising casualties according to clinical need and the resources available.

T – Treatment

Providing appropriate treatment according to priority and the circumstances of the incident.

T – Transport

Coordinating appropriate casualty evacuation and transfer to suitable receiving facilities.

Candidates learn how these principles combine to create a systematic response when normal healthcare processes are no longer sufficient.

Command, Control and Coordination

A major incident cannot be managed safely by clinicians working independently.

Candidates develop an understanding of:

• Command structures

• Roles and responsibilities

• Medical command

• Multi-agency coordination

• Scene organisation

• Allocation of resources

• Escalation

• Communication between operational teams

• Decision-making under pressure

The programme helps candidates understand how healthcare professionals integrate into the wider emergency response.

Safety

Scene safety is a fundamental priority.

Candidates consider:

• Risks to responders

• Risks to casualties

• Environmental hazards

• Ongoing threats

• Personal protective equipment

• Hazardous scenes

• Safe positioning of medical resources

• Dynamic risk assessment

The course reinforces that effective medical support cannot be delivered without appropriate consideration of responder safety.

Communication

Major incidents require structured and reliable communication.

Training includes principles relating to:

• Communication within the medical team

• Communication between emergency services

• Radio procedures

• Information flow

• Reporting to command

• Requesting additional resources

• Avoiding communication overload

• Maintaining situational awareness

Communication, including radio procedures, forms part of the formal MIMMS workshop programme.

Major Incident Assessment

Candidates learn how to rapidly assess an incident and identify:

• What has happened

• Potential hazards

• Approximate casualty numbers

• Types and severity of injuries

• Available resources

• Additional resources required

• Access and evacuation routes

• Immediate priorities

The objective is to create a shared understanding of the incident before resources are committed.

Triage

Triage is one of the most important elements of major incident medicine.

Candidates learn the principles of prioritising casualties when the number of patients exceeds the ability to provide immediate individualised care to everyone.

Training considers:

• Primary triage

• Secondary triage

• Prioritisation

• Resource allocation

• Reassessment

• Documentation

• Evacuation priorities

The purpose of major incident triage is fundamentally different from ordinary Emergency Department triage and is taught within the wider context of limited resources and multiple casualties.

Treatment

Candidates consider how treatment priorities change during a major incident.

The focus is on providing interventions appropriate to:

• Casualty priority

• Available resources

• Incident conditions

• Transport capability

• Number of casualties

• Overall medical strategy

Candidates learn to balance the needs of an individual patient with the requirements of the wider casualty population.

Transport and Evacuation

The course explores the principles of coordinated casualty evacuation.

This includes:

• Prioritising patients for transport

• Matching casualties to appropriate receiving hospitals

• Avoiding overwhelming individual hospitals

• Communicating with receiving organisations

• Coordinating ambulance resources

• Maintaining casualty tracking

Effective transport is part of the overall incident-management process rather than simply arranging an ambulance for each patient.

Special Circumstances

The MIMMS curriculum also considers major incidents that present particular challenges.

The current 4th Edition includes preparation for situations such as:

• Hazardous-material incidents

• Natural disasters

• Mass gatherings

• Multiple burn casualties

• Incidents involving significant numbers of children

The wider curriculum also addresses the importance of planning, equipment, communication and the psychological aspects of major incidents.

Pre-Incident Planning and Preparation

Effective major-incident management begins before an incident occurs.

Candidates learn about:

• Emergency preparedness

• Major incident plans

• Roles within response systems

• Equipment preparation

• Communication arrangements

• Training and exercises

• Organisational readiness

• Understanding local and regional response structures

The goal is to ensure that responders are familiar with systems before they are required during a real emergency.

Post-Incident Considerations

The MIMMS programme also recognises that major-incident management continues after immediate casualty treatment has ended.

Candidates consider:

• Post-incident actions

• Debriefing

• Documentation

• Recovery

• Learning from incidents

• Psychological effects

• Organisational review

Course Structure

The current MIMMS 4th Edition comprises two main elements.

Pre-Course Online Learning

Candidates complete mandatory learning through the ALSG Virtual Learning Environment before attending the course.

The current MIMMS VLE contains seven topic areas:

• Introduction

• Preparation

• Planning

• The incident

• Special circumstances

• Post-incident actions

• Knowledge check

Candidates should allow sufficient time to complete the required pre-course learning before the face-to-face programme.

Two-Day Face-to-Face Course

Following completion of the online learning, candidates attend two days of face-to-face training.

The programme includes a combination of:

• Lectures

• Workshops

• Table-top exercises

• Practical exercises

• Discussion

• Triage exercises

• Command-and-control scenarios

• Assessment

ALSG specifically identifies lectures in command, control and coordination, assessment and triage, together with workshops in command and control, safety and communication.

Table-Top and Practical Exercises

MIMMS is not designed as a lecture-only programme.

Candidates apply major-incident principles through interactive exercises involving:

• Incident management

• Command structures

• Triage

• Communication

• Resource management

• Changing incident information

• Operational decision-making

The use of table-top and practical exercises helps learners understand how different elements of a major incident interact.

Learning Outcomes

By completing the programme, candidates should develop greater understanding of:

• The organisations involved in major-incident response

• Command structures

• Roles and responsibilities

• Multi-agency working

• Major-incident preparation

• The CSCATTT framework

• Scene safety

• Communication

• Incident assessment

• Major-incident triage

• Treatment priorities

• Casualty transport

• Resource management

A key objective is for candidates to be able to prepare for and implement a structured response to a major incident and to understand how medical support is delivered through triage, treatment and transport.

Assessment

Formal assessment takes place as part of the official MIMMS programme.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate an appropriate understanding and application of major-incident medical-management principles.

Successful completion is dependent upon meeting the assessment standards set by ALSG.

Attendance alone does not guarantee successful certification.

MIMMS Certification

Candidates who successfully complete the programme receive official MIMMS certification through ALSG.

Current ALSG information states that successful MIMMS certification is valid for four years.

Candidates approaching expiry may subsequently be eligible for the appropriate ALSG recertification route in accordance with the current regulations.

Continuing Professional Development

MIMMS represents substantial professional educational activity.

ALSG notes that modern CPD guidance focuses on the quality and relevance of educational activity and its impact on an individual's practice rather than simply accumulating numerical credits. It also notes that one CPD credit will normally equate to approximately one hour of educational activity, although individual learning value may vary.

Candidates should record and reflect upon the course within their own professional CPD portfolio where appropriate.

MIMMS or HMIMMS?

MIMMS and HMIMMS are related but different ALSG programmes.

MIMMS focuses principally on the medical response at the scene of a major incident.

HMIMMS – Hospital Major Incident Medical Management and Support focuses on the response within the hospital environment.

Healthcare professionals involved in pre-hospital, scene or operational major-incident response will generally find MIMMS particularly relevant, while those responsible for hospital major-incident planning and response may wish to consider HMIMMS.

Why Complete MIMMS?

The course may be particularly valuable for clinicians who:

• May respond to major incidents

• Work within Emergency Medicine

• Work in ambulance or pre-hospital services

• Have trauma responsibilities

• Hold leadership positions

• Participate in emergency preparedness

• Work at major public events

• Support disaster or humanitarian responses

• Need greater understanding of multi-agency incident management

• Want an internationally recognised structured approach to major incidents

Why Complete MIMMS at PLAB Guide Training Centre?

PLAB Guide Training Centre is an ALSG-approved centre in Manchester, providing healthcare professionals with access to official ALSG training in a dedicated clinical education environment.

Candidates benefit from:

• Official ALSG MIMMS training

• Experienced MIMMS faculty

• Mandatory ALSG pre-course VLE learning

• Two days of face-to-face education

• Interactive table-top exercises

• Triage practice

• Command-and-control exercises

• Communication workshops

• Scenario-based major-incident training

• Structured assessment

• A professional learning environment

• Convenient Manchester location

PLAB Guide Training Centre also delivers a growing portfolio of recognised resuscitation, trauma and emergency-care programmes, making the centre particularly suited to doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare professionals developing emergency-care skills.

Important Pre-Course Requirements

MIMMS requires preparation before attendance.

Candidates must:

• Meet current ALSG eligibility requirements

• Complete registration requirements

• Access the ALSG learning platform

• Complete all mandatory VLE modules

• Review the required course material

• Complete any required pre-course activities

• Attend the full face-to-face programme

Candidates should therefore book early enough to allow adequate preparation time.

Book the MIMMS Course in Manchester

Develop a systematic approach to one of the most challenging situations healthcare professionals may encounter: managing multiple casualties during a major incident.

Book the official MIMMS – Major Incident Medical Management and Support 4th Edition Course with PLAB Guide Training Centre in Manchester.

Course: Major Incident Medical Management and Support – MIMMS
Edition: 4th Edition
Course organisation: Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG)
Training centre: PLAB Guide Training Centre
Format: Mandatory pre-course VLE + 2 days face-to-face
Suitable for: Medical, nursing and paramedic professionals meeting ALSG eligibility requirements
Certification: Official ALSG MIMMS certification following successful completion
Certification validity: 4 years
Location: Manchester