West Hills Hospital & Medical Center hosted a mass casualty disaster drill to ensure emergency preparedness in two key capacities: surge capacity (changing operations to handle a large amount of patients expected when a disaster strikes) and mass casualty decontamination (dealing with a large amount of patients that have been exposed to various contaminants). They invited surrounding hospitals to participate in the drill, as well, so the community at large can be better protected and managed in case of a disaster.
The event was covered by numerous news sources, including the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, Contra Costa Times, Mercury News, World News Inc., and the Daily News’ extensive article posted below.
Disaster drill keeps local emergency personnel ready for action
The scenario: A thick fog blankets the San Fernando Valley, resulting in a large number of car crashes across the region. In one incident, a diesel tanker smashes into a commuter bus in West Hills, sending 20 patients – many covered in noxious fuel – to the hospital.
West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, along with representatives from 12 hospitals and clinics in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys, prepared for that scenario Wednesday as part of a regional disaster drill.
The exercise was designed to test the capabilities of the hospital in dealing with an influx in patients that would come with a large disaster. The local hospitals conduct two large- scale drills a year.
“This is a very important function
for a hospital because our community depends on us in a disaster. We’re the last light on,” said Beverly Gilmore, CEO of West Hills Hospital. “It’s not a matter of if there’s a disaster. It’s only a matter of when.”
The drill included 20 volunteers who pretended to be covered in diesel fuel, and included three who couldn’t walk and were severely burned.
The scenario is one that could have realistically happened, said Ernesto Noblejas, emergency preparedness coordinator at West Hills.
In early April, a gas tanker truck carrying nearly 9,000 gallons of fuel caught fire on the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways, shutting both down. No injuries were reported.
Earlier that week, a Navy jet crashed into apartments in Virginia, sending seven people to a local hospital.
In Florida, a truck crashed while carrying sulfuric acid and salt pellets, which when mixed produce a harmful gas.
“That’s a lot of noxious fumes and gas and chemicals,” Noblejas said. “So it’s not just likely – it has happened, multiple times, just in the last couple of months.”
The volunteers were sent through a mass decontamination shower trailer, which in a real disaster situation would be used to prevent contaminants – such as anthrax or radiation – from spreading to other patients and staff at the hospital.
The patients would then be sorted into a triage tent to await treatment.
“It’ll definitely help me,” Lucio Cruz, a surgical technician at the hospital, said of the drill. “We’ll be ready.”
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