hello, it's thursday, it's 9am, i'm victoria derbyshire. welcome to the programme. our top story today... the vultures are swooping on theresa may, with some tories questioning how long she can stay on as prime minister after this speech. applause she coughs strength shared around the globe... really keen to hear your views throughout the programme. do get in touch in the usual ways and we'll hear from some of you throughout the programme. also this morning... did former british prime minister ted heath sexually abuse boys? a police report is expected to say there would be grounds to question him on allegations, were he alive today. his godson tells us the investigation is a witchhunt. it seems to have begun with the conclusion it wanted to reach. and so

conclusion it wanted to reach. and so it has behaved in a way that would enable that to happen. so i do not think it began with the police saying, let us see what we find. it began with the police saying, this is what we want to find and we will do our damnedest to make sure we get there. we'll bring you that full interview in about 15 minutes‘ time. plus, the government wants to introduce an opt—out system for organ donation in england, so that it's assumed everyone wants to donate their organs after death unless they specifically opt out. we'll get reaction from some of those currently waiting for organs. hello, welcome to the programme. we're live until 11 this morning. we'll bring you the latest breaking news and developing stories throughout the morning. a little later, the high court will rule on the case of a terminally ill man who's challenging the law on assisted dying. noel conway, who's 67 and has motor neurone disease, wants a doctor to be allowed to prescribe a lethal dose

of drugs when his health deteriorates further. so that he can choose how and when he dies, rather than waiting, as he puts it, to die of suffocation. we'll bring you that result as soon as it happens. do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning — use the hashtag victoria live and if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. our top story today... senior ministers have been rallying behind theresa may after her speech at the conservative party conference was overshadowed by a series of mishaps. however, the bbc has learned the prime minister's performance has caused unease among some mps who are considering asking her to resign. our political correspondent, eleanor garnier, reports. a clear of the throat before what was meant to be theresa may's comeback and the start of the conservatives‘ revival, but it soon became clear this would be a speech remembered not for its words but for its interruptions.

first, a prankster who managed to make it to the podium... boris, job done there, given her the p45. ..and hand mrs may a fake pas redundancy notice. but as she tried to press on, to make the case for markets, new plans for housing and capping energy bills, her voice began to falter. what were meant to be bold statements were repeatedly choked by coughs. cabinet ministers rose to their feet for ovations to give the prime minister time to recover, and the chancellor even tried to help with a cough sweet. i hope you noticed that, ladies and gentlemen, the chancellor giving something away free. laughter. as if a prank and a terrible cough weren't enough, the party's slogan then literally fell apart as she spoke. but with determination, she ground on.

let us to fulfil our duty to the british people, let us fulfil our duty to our country, let us fulfil our duty to britain and let us renew the british dream. thank you. applause. cabinet colleagues gave loyal support and praised her resilience. i think it was really ambitious, some clear proposals for reforms, ambitious on housing, which i think is what we all know needs to be addressed. it was a brilliant speech and i think the most important thing is that she set out her vision as to how to renew the british dream. a hug from her husband, not perhaps in celebration but, instead, of comfort. theresa may eventually found what she needed to soothe her sore throat as she tried to make light of what had been a terrible, terrible day. eleanor garnier, bbc news, westminster. let us talk to our political

correspondent live at westminster. who and how many backbench mps are considering mrs may —— considering asking mrs may to resign and why? no names and numbers. but what is happening as conversations on the phone and text messages being exchanged, discussing the possibility of making some kind of move to suggest to theresa may her time is up. at this stage, that is all it is, nobody is coming out in public saying that should happen and it will only happen if those people having the discussions are confident they have the numbers and enough support to do it quickly and clea nly. support to do it quickly and cleanly. it does not seem like that is the case at this stage yet, so for now, theresa may stays on the job. any potential challenger, the

foreign secretary, boris johnson, and lot of attention again on him?l lot of attention throughout the conference on him. he proved he is capable of stealing the limelight and grabbing the headlines in only the way he can. we heard in the report praising the prime minister, being loyal to her, saying it was a great speech, he tweeted it put housing at the centre of the british dream. those are the things theresa may would like is to be speaking about this morning, the themes of her speech. the foreign secretary was out and about early this morning. is the prime minister going to resign? borisjohnson this morning, not having anything at all to say, remaining tight—lipped with the question about the prime minister's future. he is one name people mention when talking about a

possible successor to theresa may, but the fact is, one of the factors, there is no movement at this stage against theresa may, in the job, there is no movement at this stage against theresa may, in thejob, is there is no clear successor. several possible contenders but no one name around which people or united. thank you very much. e—mailfrom rob, courageous woman, theresa may. she should stay, it is the media who are the vultures. tommy said, i thought she did well when everything went wrong, she has gone up in my estimation. where was the security? craig says, if appreciating, time for the p45. get in touch. you can message me on twitter. you consent asa message me on twitter. you consent as a text, whatsapp, e—mail. —— you can send us. we will speak later about organ donation, whether we should have presumed consent, so if you do not want to donate organs,

you do not want to donate organs, you opt out, pretty much the opposite of now when you have to opt in. after 10am. the rest of the morning's news before all of that. the findings of a police investigation into allegations of child abuse against the late prime minister, sir edward heath, will be published this morning it's understood the investigation, led by wiltshire police, has concluded if sir edward were still alive, there would have been sufficient grounds to question him about some of the claims. 0ur our home affairs correspondent reports. sir edward heath at the height of his power. his four—year 1970s government took britain into the european union. in his later years, he lived in this mansion in salisbury. he died 12 years ago. it was outside his gates that, in 2015, police made the highly controversial decision to ask anybody he might have sexually abused to give their accounts. i'm really appealing to anybody that's been a victim of crime or a witness to anything that may have taken place involving sir ted heath,

please come forward. the bbc has been told a significant number did. today's report is expected to conclude that there would have been grounds for questioning the former prime minister based on the allegations of around seven people who say they were abused. but there were inconsistencies in the accounts of the majority who came forward. police will offer no final conclusion as to whether sir edward did abuse children. that, they say, would be for a jury to decide. sir edward's supporters are planning a fierce assault on the police and this investigation. they say it's a witchhunt. the police say they've simply gone where the evidence lead them. tom symonds, bbc news. the high court is expected to rule on the case of a terminally ill man who is seeking the right to die. noel conway, who's 67 and has motor neurone disease, wants a doctor to be allowed

to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs when his health deteriorates. campaigners opposed to legalising assisted suicide say the current system protects the vulnerable. the government has said it will hold a consultation into introducing an optout system for organ donation in england currently anyone who wants to donate their organs after death has to opt in through the donor card scheme, but the new scheme, where it will be presumed an adult‘s body can be used in transplants, despite there being no express permission, will now be considered. the girlfriend of stephen paddock — the man who killed 58 people in las vegas — says she did not know he was planning the attack. marilou danley, who was in the philippines at the time of the shootings, was questioned by the fbi when she returned to the united states yesterday. a mother in the us state of michigan has been jailed for seven days after she refused a judge's order to have her son vaccinated.

rebecca bredow would not let her nine—year—old son be immunised, after initially agreeing with the father to do so. he has now be awarded temporary primary custody in order to get the boy vaccinated. a fire crew has been suspended from carrying out community work after a firefighter wrapped two children in cling film. essex fire service said a thorough investigation was under way after the incident which involved the children of a crew member at a fire station in southend. the children's mother said the incident was meant as a joke and the youngsters enjoyed it. that's a summary of the latest bbc news — more at 9.30am. this e—mail on organ donation and the factories in may is going to launch a consultation on whether we change the system —— and the fact theresa may. i feel strongly change the system —— and the fact theresa may. ifeel strongly about this, whilst i totally agree with

organ donation and i encourage people to register, i have every sympathy with those waiting for such operations, but in this world, pretty much the only thing that totally belongs to the individual is their body and with that their organs. to automatically have the right to take a person's body parts, he feels, is a step too far. we should stick to registering to donate, not having to opt out. make more efforts to encourage voluntary donations via the media instead. lauren sends a very saudi males, in 2004, my wife was in hospitalfor a heart transplant —— a very sad e—mail. when a heart became available, she was prepared to receive it. at the last minute, we we re receive it. at the last minute, we were informed the relatives had refused permission for it to be used, even though the patient had a donor card. later another heart became available and my wife had the operation but she never woke up from

that and she did die several days later. thank you, lawrence, for sharing that. we will talk more about that after the news at ten am. the sport now. harry kane is going to captain england again in their world cup qualifier against slovenia but we do not know who will be captain in russia next year. that is the question that remains. plenty of action happening tonight. harry kane will captain england as they take on slovenia who they will be hoping... a win for them could mean it guarantees a place for them in russia. southgate was perhaps the obvious answer, incredible season so far, 13 goals for club, equalling christian —— reynaldo in the premier league. perhaps because of nutrition and looking at aspects of his game off the pitch. i've been working on

finishing, my physical condition, recovery, 01’ finishing, my physical condition, recovery, or things that will be important, especially going into the world cup where you play so many games ina world cup where you play so many games in a short space of time, a lot of it is physical and mental as well. as for scotland, make or break for them tonight. they need to win their last two matches to have any chance of going through and there are various scenarios where it is possible for them to draw and to make it but they will be looking for two wins, starting with slovakia tonight for gordon strachan‘s side. it should be a little bit more straightforward hopefully for northern ireland. appoint frontenac‘s game will give them a play—off spot, but they are up against the world champions germany. later on this week, wales take on georgia for their world cup qualifier and that is on friday. all of the home nations in action. really big match for syria. that is right. not something you think of when we are so busy talking

about scotland, england, northern ireland and wales. syria is a really interesting team, not able to play on their own ground because of the ongoing conflict. they will host australia in malaysia. this is syria's neutral home, it is fair to say. the pitch is described as a field rather than a carpet. that is tonight in the first leg of the asian play—off. the syrians have never qualified for world cup and if they do, they will have to win another two leg play—off against a tea m another two leg play—off against a team from north america, possibly even the us, to qualify for the world cup in russia. the second leg is set for tuesday in sydney and the winners will have to have a play—off against a north american nation to reach russia. all to play forfor them. let's talk about tyson fury. will

ain? let's talk about tyson fury. will again? is really a divisive character, victoria. he has divided opinion, but whether we have seen the last of him in a boxing ring, we shall see. he said on twitter he has been thinking long and hard about his return, but not considering it just now. he said, "after the way they have handled things, no thanks." not sure what he meant by that, but that was something he said before as well in october 2016, saying, "i am the greatest and i am also retired. "whether or not people will miss him, as you say, quite a divisive character. that fight against wladimir klitschko, he claimed a few belts there. always an interesting one to watch, victoria. thank you. we will have more sports throughout the morning, as you would expect. this is sir edward heath — he was the british conservative prime minister in the 1970s. as pm he was at the very top

of the british establishment — he took britain into europe and took on the unions. now, 12 years after he died a police report into allegations that he sexually abused children over a period spanning 40 years will be published today. it's understood the report will say if he was still alive there would be sufficient grounds to question him. last year, the chief constable of wiltshire police, mike veale, said his officers had examined a "significant" number of allegations against sir edward heath from a "significa nt" number of people. crowd: we want ted! we want ted! the queen has asked me to form the next government, and i am indeed proud to accept. i'm really appealing for anybody that has been a victim of crime

or is a witness to anything that may have taken place involving sir ted heath, please come forward. from what i know of ted heath, iwould be... surprised beyond measure if they were proved to be true. earlier we spoke to lincoln seligman, ted heath's godson, who told us about the man he remembers. well, i remember him probably in two ways. in that he was my godfather, so i knew him when i was a child. when you're a child, really a godparent is just a friend of your parents. and as a child, you're not usually that interested in your parents‘ friends. the relationship was probably more to do with christmas presents. when i was older and went to university, and apart from anything

else, i went to his old college, so that was a link and he would come up to oxford quite often and we would have lunch in london. so over the years, i knew him extremely well. was there ever anything about his behaviour, from the time that you knew him, that caused you concern, that raised alarm, that you thought was unusual? no, not at all. i thought it was unusual that he had no girlfriends and was not married. but what was obvious to us, to me and my siblings, was that he wasn't interested in children at all, he was only interested in us when we got older and had something to say that amused him. and he came on holiday with us quite often. if there had ever been an opportunity to do anything untoward, there were a lot of opportunities, and we never saw anything. we never talked about it — it was just not an issue. so how did you react when you first heard

about the allegations against him? well, obviously complete surprise, but also i was appalled by how it was done. the broadcast outside his house, appealing for victims to come forward, it was immediately obvious that that would produce people who would call themselves victims. i know as well as anybody that there are victims out there of child abuse and that really needs to be handled extremely delicately, but there were no victims of edward heath. had you ever heard any rumours? before the police made that announcement outside the gates, had you ever heard any rumours about allegations against edward heath? of child abuse? no. there was obviously a lot of speculation about his sexuality, because people can't understand that it may come very far down somebody‘s list of interests. it was just not part of his life.

you say there were no victims, but people have come forward to the police. yes. i think that what we have out there are a list of allegations reduced from 40 about six. and of the six, those have been looked at, but from what i'm told, not in any great depth. because of the new guidelines that say you should believe the victim, it has just been treated like that. so there has been no looking for corroboration, because it was not deemed appropriate. so they are out there, these allegations, but that is all they are, and that is not enough to convict a man and destroy his reputation. you don't think it's

wrong that the police investigated the allegations? absolutely not. i don't think they investigated them in the right way, in that i don't think they talked to the right people and i don't think they sought corroboration. and from what i can see, i think they were credulous and believed a lot of people who at any glance would not be believable. but that's how it went. the chief constable of wiltshire police said his officers had examined a significant number of allegations against sir edward heath from a significant number of people. we understand most of the complainants were male and children at the time of the alleged abuse. that is right to investigate, though, is it not? of course. but i think you have to do it

intelligently and selectively,. and you don't think the police did that? i don't. 0k. also, what is your view about the police investigating whether there was a cover—up or not? as well. whether there was a cover—up of some earlier conspiracy, i have no idea, but i would doubt it, and i think a lot of that was debunked in operation midland, which was leon brittan and harvey proctor and lord bramall, and we know where that went. in terms of a cover—up now, there are people who are saying that we are trying to stop the police investigation. absolutely not. we are asking for exactly the opposite. complete transparency. we want a judge—led inquiry into the whole investigation, into all the evidence. have it all out there, and we think that will exonerate the man. so i don't think we can call that a cover—up.

you have described the investigation into edward heath as a vindictive witchhunt. why? i think because it seems to have begun with the conclusion it wanted to reach, and so it has behaved in a way that would enable that to happen. so i don't think it began with the police saying "let's see what we find" — it began with the police saying "this is what we want to find and we will do our damnedest to make sure we get there." why do you think that? because all the evidence points that way. and on mark -- and even on -- and even th remarks...

-- and even the remarks... have you seen all the evidence? no, i haven't. i have seen quite a lot of it. i am talking about the evidence of how the police have behaved, in particular dropping remarks very publicly about the chief constable's view of heath's guilt. it is known that it was said to a group of mps who he briefed that on a scale of one to ten, he reckoned heath scored eight out of ten in terms of being guilty. well, you can't do that when you're leading an investigation. you are effectivelyjudging the man and convicting him. perhaps he has seen a lot more evidence that you have. perhaps he has, but he still shouldn't be saying that. if the evidence is in his report and it turns out he was justified in thinking that, then that will be clear. but, still, he shouldn't have said it because he has destroyed a reputation without backing it up. the report that is due to be released later, we understand, will say that if ted heath were still alive, there would be sufficient grounds to question him. how do you respond to that?

i think like the former dpp, lord macdonald, who has pointed out robustly that when you call somebody in for questioning, it is a very low bar. if somebody is accused of something extremely bad, you are going to call them in for questioning. it doesn't tell you anything about whether they are guilty or not. and i think he also made the point that when the accused is dead, the bar is even lower. so it tells you nothing about the strength of the police case. it just effectively tells you they had to do something. do you think anyone is listening to your plea for a judge—led inquiry into the investigation into ted heath? that's a very good point. the person who ought to be listening is the home secretary, and there is a reluctance on the part of the home office

to have a judge—led review, which i would have thought was a big mistake, because if they don't do that and we don't know what the outcome might be, but if they don't, this will hang around forever and it can't be good for anybody and it can't be good forjustice. that was ted heath's godson. we can speak now to peter saunders from the national association for people abused in childhood. good morning to you. how do view this police investigation? firstly, i have to say as far as i am aware from everything i have read, seen and heard, the police have undertaken a very thorough investigation which was the job they we re investigation which was the job they were given to do. but i think it is also important to remember, the gentleman they're talking about ted heath, and i think he was his godson, you know, he said there are no victims. that is a very definitive statement. when theresa may, and there is a lot of theresa may, and there is a lot of theresa may bashing going on at the moment,

but when she set up i think very bravely and courageously set up the inquiry three years ago, into child abuse, andi inquiry three years ago, into child abuse, and i have to see you probably don't know this and many people probably don't know this, it was with a lot of opposition from most of her male colleagues in the cabinet i have to say, for establishment colleagues, and ifeel it is worth noting doing that she did what she felt was right in setting up that inquiry, and at the same time she said that child abuse isa same time she said that child abuse is a threat to our national security, and i think she was absolutely spot—on with that. if it turns out any of these allegations are true, and i don't know whether they are true or not, the police have done theirjob, they haven't passed judgment... have done theirjob, they haven't passed judgment. .. as far as you are concerned it is right the police have spent this much time and money on this investigation?” have spent this much time and money on this investigation? i think in a sense the money is irrelevant here. i think these are extremely serious crimes that need to be investigated. even though he has died and no action can be taken against him? ted

heath was pragmatist. if any of these allegations turn out to be true, and the police have not passed judgment. much of what you gallery—mac see in the press has been generated —— c has been generated by the press, much of what you see my heart always goes out to victims, alleged victims, and people still suffering from the effects of child abuse. i don't want people to be guilty because i don't want them to have committed these vile crimes, but where there is such a serious allegation, victoria, it has to be investigated, and i think the wiltshire police have done an excellent job. thank you very much, peter saunders, from the national association for people abused in childhood. still to come... as police continue to try and find out what motivated stephen paddock to carry out the deadly massacre in las vegas, we'll hearfrom one medic who helped treat dozens of people whilst the gunman was still shooting.

and the high court will rule this morning in the case of a man who is terminally ill and seeking the right to die. we'll bring you the judgement as soon as it happens and hear the arguments for and against. time for the latest news. the headlines. senior ministers have rallied behind theresa may after her attempt to breathe new life into her leadership in her conservative party conference speech was marred by a series of mishaps. it is understood collea g u es series of mishaps. it is understood colleagues have been calling the prime minister to offer their support and that resignation is not an option. bbc news has learnt dozens an option. bbc news has learnt d oze ns of an option. bbc news has learnt dozens of mps have been discussing the possibility of asking her to step aside. the findings of a police investigation into allegations of child abuse against the late prime minister sir edward heath will be published later this morning. it is understood the investigation led by wiltshire police has concluded that if he was still alive, there would have been sufficient grounds to

question him about some of the claims. the former prime minister died in 2005 at the age of 89. the girlfriend of stephen paddock — the man who killed 58 people in las vegas — says she did not know he was planning the attack. marilou danley, who was in the philippines at the time of the shootings, was questioned by the fbi when she returned to the united states yesterday. the high court is expected to rule on the case of a terminally ill man who is seeking the right to die. noel conway, who's 67 and has motor neurone disease, wants a doctor to be allowed to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs when his health deteriorates. campaigners opposed to legalising assisted suicide say the current system protects the vulnerable. the government has said it will hold a consultation into introducing an optout system for organ donation in england. currently anyone who wants to donate their organs after death has to opt in through the donor card scheme, but the new scheme, where it will be presumed an adult‘s body can be used in transplants, despite there

being no express permission, will now be considered. a mother in the us state of michigan has been jailed for seven days after she refused a judge's order to have her son vaccinated. rebecca bredow would not let her nine—year—old son be immunised, after initially agreeing with the father to do so. he has now be awarded temporary primary custody in order to get the boy vaccinated. a fire crew has been suspended from carrying out community work after a firefighter wrapped two children in cling film. essex fire service said a thorough investigation was under way after the incident which involved the children of a crew member at a fire station in southend. the children's mother said the incident was meant as a joke and the youngsters enjoyed it. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. carmen has e—mailed. i thought

theresa may's speech was wonderful, anyone can have a sore throat. another, why are people focusing on the cough? many people have had to go to work with the nasty chest infection. jim says, i am dismayed, too much focus on mishaps, she is strong and should continue as leader. stewart says, i have no sympathy for theresa may, it is time she got herjust deserts for what her and her government have put the sick and vulnerable through. another, she was marred by a tickly cough, but she persevered. tom, in the face of adversity, she carried on with style, just what the country needed. charles, a lady with a cough and happened to be pm who costs a bit during a speech and it is all the media can talk about. another, she deserves praise. sport, holly is

back. we will start with the world cup qualifiers and tottenham's harry kane will wear the armband for england tonight in the match against slovenia. a win would guarantee a place in next summer's final in russia. make or break for scotland tonight. if they lose, they will have no chance of making it to russia. big match for northern ireland too against germany. have we seen the last of tyson fury? he has tweeted to say he will not be applied for a licence to fight for the british boarding control. he had it revoked a year ago but he had hinted at a comeback in march. the british gymnast is through to the final in montreal. the olympic bronze medallist from rio on the floor. we will have more on all of those stories in the next half an hour. welcome to the programme. thursday

morning. next... the girlfriend of the las vegas gunman who shot dead 58 people on sunday has said she had no idea what her kind, caring, quiet partner was planning. police now say stephen paddock had been living a secret life and revealed that more explosives had been found at his car at the hotel, along with 1,600 rounds of ammunition. he's also understood to have been gambling just hours before he began shooting. tributes continue to be paid to those who first responded to the tragedy, including the medical teams who are still battling to save the lives of those with the most severe injuries. we can speak now to kacy thomson, who was at the festival when the shooting started and treated dozens of people whilst the gunman was still firing. and to dr jeff davidson, medical director for the valley hospital in las vegas — the valley network of hospitals received a total of 228 patients, eight of whom died.

i wonder what if you can tell our british audience what happened around you, kacy. we were enjoying the concert, the third night, the best show jason, just on the concert, the third night, the best showjason, just on stage, eve ryo ne best showjason, just on stage, everyone was excited, like sardines in cannes, but it was amazing. it happened out of nowhere. my fiance went to the rest room. that is when it started. as soon as the shots rang out, i looked for her, i could not see her. i told my friends, i am going to wait behind, i am going to wait for her. little did i know, she ran out with them. it took four minutes to realise what was really

happening, shots fired, and the only way i realised was there was a young girl infront way i realised was there was a young girl in front of me that got shot. she instantly dropped. i ran up to her, i checked her pulse, i looked and there was nothing i could do for her. i told the three guys i was with, we need to get out now. we started running. as we were running, we we re started running. as we were running, we were seeing people. under trailers and refrigerators, anything they could hide behind, they were doing it. once i was outside of this venue, my friend called and said he had karen, my fiance. 0nce venue, my friend called and said he had karen, my fiance. once i heard that, my instinct changed and my instinct was at that point not to worry about myself but to help others. when that happened, there we re others. when that happened, there were people everywhere on the

ground, crying, yelling, there were deceased on the ground. my instinct was to help. the bullets were still flying, the shots were still ringing. igot flying, the shots were still ringing. i got the text at about i believe it was 11:14pm. halfway through the shooting. but i was not worried. i wanted to help. i wanted to treat these people like my family and help them. and that is when in the distance there was a cop car and i feel it it would be safe, there would be a cop, safety. when we got there, there was nobody there. they must have gone into the venue to protect us and look for the gunmen. the gunshots were still going off. there were victims on the sidewalk, 20, 30 at this point. gunshot wounds to the chest, back, buttocks, feet, head, i, face. you name it, there we re

head, i, face. you name it, there were gunshot wounds. we had no medical supplies, we were using t—shirts, ripping up t—shirts to wrap around their wounds, hats, belts, shoelaces, socks, everything we can, and that was not enough. i decided to pop open the trunk of the cop carand take decided to pop open the trunk of the cop car and take out the medical supplies and dump them on the trunk of the cop car and take what we needed. i will bring you in, of the cop car and take what we needed. iwill bring you in, ifi made? how did you first hear about what was happening and how did you help coordinate the response?” what was happening and how did you help coordinate the response? i was called late in the evening, also as the whole mass casualty incident began to unfold, notified by the syste m began to unfold, notified by the system we have in place from the emergency department group in which the medical directors and all the emergency department physicians and assistance, they are asked to come into the departments which we staff

several of in the community. when i arrived in the emergency department, there were multiple patients that already had been transported there, all the area's trauma centres were at capacity and the overflow of large numbers of patients had spilled over into all the community hospitals where the emergency departments are equipped to treat very ill and injured patients but do not typically have the services on hand of multiple surgical specialties and anaesthesiologists. what was amazing to me that night, asi what was amazing to me that night, as i came in, we were already coordinating to have all of those resources available to us. as i came m, resources available to us. as i came in, itook resources available to us. as i came in, i took command of the emergency department, i had multiple great emergency department physicians working with me, already seeing critical patients and ordering appropriate imaging... you have been

retired from being what we would call a paramedic for four years, kacy. did you feel like you're training kicked back in? instantly. there was no forgotten tasks, dressing, splinting, packaging, pressure wraps. there was nothing that i forgot. i was ready. i have seen trauma, i have dealt with trauma and i knew the number one thing was, the collective and calm otherwise your patient will not be collective and calm. that is what i was focusing on, calming down the patient and the family and stopping the bleeding. from five years of not being in the field, it came back to me like it was my dailyjob. being in the field, it came back to me like it was my daily job. as i understand it, las vegas holds twice a year what you might call mass

casualty practice events, one of which was quite recently held at a casualty event at a concert. how did that prepare you for what happened? i think the biggest advantage of holding the mass casualty incidents or disaster drills as we refer to them sometimes, a couple of times a year, with different scenarios, we all learn how to communicate effectively and we are talking multiple agencies, from police agencies, fire department agencies, all the emergency departments... the recovery time for those with physical injuries will be long, what about the mental side of things? there are patients still in the icus, there are patients still in the icus, some still will need to go back for second, even third surgeries, many back for second, even third surgeries, many are :——.. - 5. r-zw ::: day 77 - -7 r-555 5: day to well. "have. . . ... .. ... . ... ..j. .... ..