USAMC PRACTICES EVACUATION

Fire trucks and emergency vehicles lined the front drive of USA Medical Center as the hospital, in cooperation with local agencies, conducted a drill of evacuating the hospital.

Mobile Fire Rescue, Mobile County Health Department, the Mobile Police Department, the local office of the American Red Cross, and Life Guard Ambulance Service participated in the drill. Representatives from the University's Environmental Safety Department and USA Children's and Women's Hospital also joined to serve as observers and evaluators.

At 9 a.m, the hospital activated its disaster plan and alerted the staff via various means. Department heads were asked to assemble in the Boardroom where they learned that the hospital had been "flooded" and an evacuation was required.



This drill, which was planned for several months, was conducted to see what would be required to move patients from a tall building without the availability of elevators. Recent events in Joplin Missouri reinforced the notion that evacuation is a very real possibility for hospitals and made the drill take on a more serious note.

In order to make sure no real patients were placed in any danger, an "ICU" was created in the east solarium of the 7th floor using patient simulators borrowed from USA's College of Health Sciences. These mannequins are capable of simulating vital signs, being intubated and producing crisis situations that require intervention.

Patients were moved using two different methods: one was using a Stokes basket, a wire frame basket into which the "patient" is placed and the second, a Med Sled. The Med Sled is a semi-rigid plastic sheet that is placed under the patient then rolls up on the edges to enclose the patient. Web straps secure the patient and serve as handles. Another strap is used to allow one person to safely lower the patient down the stairs.








The Stokes basket was lowered using a rope attached to the top of the stairwell and was performed by members of the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department's Tactical Rescue team. Hospital staff used the Med Sled devices which were recently acquired by hospitals in the Mobile area.

Leading the effort by the MFRD was District Chief Leann Tacon. Tacon expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the exercise, citing the lessons learned by the event. She also pointed out that USAMC is the only hospital in the area which has conducted such a drill.

Scott Taylor, USAMC's disaster preparedness coordinator also commented on the success of the event. "We learned many valuable lessons today. We had participation by every department in the hospital. Especially noteworthy is the involvement of the nurses from the critical care units. They were responsible for setting up the "patients" and they are the ones who actually moved them down the stairs."

Hospitals are required by accreditation standards to conduct at least two drills per year and to include other agencies in at least one drill.

For more pictures of the events, go to HERE.