Hospital Practices Emergency Management during Disaster Drill

Hospital-practices-emergency-management-during-disaster-drill-01A patient is evacuated down a staircase from the fifth (top) floor of Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City, during the area’s first OSHA-certified disaster drill Sept. 19. The multi-agency exercise involved the crash-landing of a helicopter on the hospital’s helipad, which caused a fuel leak that necessitated evacuation. Thirteen Michigan City high school students, who have an interest in either criminal justice or in health care careers, acted as victims.

Niles Safety Services coordinated the drill in conjunction with the hospital. The scenario also involved first-responders from the Michigan City fire and police departments, LaPorte County Emergency Medical Services and the LaPorte County Emergency Management Agency, as well as numerous other volunteers and observers, including from the Fort Wayne Fire Department.

Elbert Starks, assistant Fort Wayne fire chief, portrays a first-responder who collapsed from exhaustion during during the area’s first OSHA-certified disaster drill at Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City Sept. 19. He is tended to by charge nurse Dawn Stroup, RN, and Tim Richardson (standing over Stroup), assistant Michigan City police chief, before being taken from the scene. The multi-agency exercise involved the crash-landing of a helicopter on the hospital’s helipad, which caused a fuel leak that necessitated patient evacuation.

Thirteen Michigan City high school students, who have an interest in either criminal justice or in health care careers, acted as victims. Niles Safety Services coordinated the drill in conjunction with the hospital. The scenario also involved first-responders from the Michigan City fire and police departments, LaPorte County Emergency Medical Services and LaPorte County Emergency Management Agency, as well as numerous other volunteers and observers, one of whom was Starks.