Emergency Preparedness: What Hospital Leaders Can Learn From Those on the Frontline TORCH Annual Conference Glenn A. Robinson, FACHE President

Timeline April 17 th at 7:29pm – West Fertilizer Co. is on fire and first responders are dispatched

Timeline April 17 th at 7:55pm – The fire continues and causes an explosion that can be felt as far as 30 miles away April 17 th at 7:59pm – Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center received notification of the event and began mobilization

Timeline April 17 th at 8:20pm – Full Alert was called April 17 th at 8:30pm – First patients arrived April 18 th at 12:00am – Last patient arrived

West Fertilizer Company 6

The Aftermath 7

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Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest 9

Initial Thoughts First no notice event since the Texas A&M bonfire collapse Over 300 patients were treated at healthcare facilities

Lessons Learned

Get Involved With Your RAC Regional and Statewide Planning Emergency Preparedness Education and Resources Region-Wide Emergency Management Drills – Key for planning and coordination in the event of an emergency

Practice Regularly Incident Command Structure – Conduct regular tabletop drills Practice different scenarios with various combinations All potential incident commanders understand how to lead an incident 13

Be Prepared Resources – Clinical/Non-Clinical Phone Bank Material for Internal and External Communication Perimeter Security Plan Concurrent Legal Counsel was valuable

Media & Public Relations MOST IMPORTANT - Patient Privacy and Safety Be Proactive and Very Responsive Keep Message Concise and Factual

Communication Utilize Trusted Sources – Incident Commander on Scene – RAC Director Keep Communication Open and Share – Regional Medical Operations Center (RMOC) – Medical Staff – Associates – Local Hospitals

Take Care of Your Staff Post-Incident Counselors Time to Grieve, Process and Celebrate 17

Pay It Forward 18

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Questions