METHANE in a Major Incident

METHANE is the major incident mnemonic used for declaring a major incident. Completing a METHANE report at a major incident will set in motion a cascade of events that will activate a major incident response. As the first person on the scene, you will be in charge of the scene until more specialised or ranked clinicians/officers arrive.

Giving a good METHANE report can be of great help in the initial response as it may save the confusion of information between the different responding agencies.

M – Major incident standby/declared

E – Exact location – You can use the MDT, map, or Apps to get an accurate location for the incident

T – Type of incident – Detailing the type of incident can assist with the response required by different services

H – Hazards – Identifying hazards can assist in maintaining the safety of the incoming responders/agencies

A – Access and Egress – Looking at the MDT or map, try and identify the most ideal access and egress, taking into consideration a large number of vehicles. Depending on location, this may not always be possible

N – Number of casualties – Giving an idea of the number of casualties can help with the emergency response

E – Emergency services present and required – Giving an idea of the number of vehicles required can help with the organisation of vehicles by control