The Scenario
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has just jolted San Bernardino County, California, originating along the San Andreas Fault line. It is 3:10 am on a Sunday morning on a Labor Day holiday weekend and staffing is very limited. Most hospital leaders and safety personnel are at home or out of town. Power outages are rampant and phone lines are only intermittently accessible. The back-up power generators automatically engaged but the television cable network is out and local news channels cannot be accessed within the hospital. Glass and other debris are spread across all floors and car alarms are screeching in the parking structure and lots adjacent to patient rooms. Patients and staff are frightened and looking for help.
The Challenges
Few leaders or safety personnel are in the hospital. The House Supervisor tries to contact the Supervisor On-Call using his cell phone but cannot find contact numbers.
The hospital paging system is broken. As an alternative, the House Supervisor identifies runners to locate all leaders and safety personnel in the hospital and bring them to the administrative offices for an immediate briefing.
Lack of a communication channel for staff. The runners are delayed by the damage and stop to assist injured staff and patients. Thirty minutes pass and the House Supervisor is still alone, waiting for the others to join him.
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are responsible for all phases of incident management, exercises and drills, compliance and reporting and daily program management for their facility.
are accountable for all facility operations, including risk management oversight and ensuring they are in compliance with Joint Commission and other standards.
are charged with planning, conducting and maintaining regional emergency readiness, response and recovery plans, ensuring integration with overall county and state plans.
oversee their facility's critical information infrastructure, including data integrity and security and internal/external communications.
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