The Federal Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) requires that emergency preparedness exercises be built on the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP). The exercise is designed to test the operational capabilities of multiple response functions, such as resource coordination, mental health, continuity of operations and risk communication.
The purpose and scope of this operation is to address hospital response elements to a massive surge in patients resulting from multiple detonations of radiological explosive devices in Northwest Indiana. Multiple hospitals and agencies across the District will coordinate and communicate response actions in a live, functional environment.
Five objectives exist for Franciscan Physicians Hospital:
1. Redundant Communications
2. Effective implementation of the Hospital Incident Command System
3. Surge Response, coordinating a massive surge of patients
4. Procedures to support family reunification
5. Mutual aid response for decontamination
To further the seriousness of this staged emergency, Franciscan Physicians Hospital will utilize mock "patients" that simulate a variety of medical conditions relevant to the specific mocked disaster. Each hospital will provide patient role play cards to the mock "patients" to act out various roles.
In planning the scenario for this exercise event, participants are asked to accept the details of the scenario, even if exact timing of the exercise does not correspond to the timing of events as they would actually occur. All hospitals participating in this exercise will be evaluated for their performance against the objectives and tasks set forth by the controllers. Franciscan Physicians Hospital has employees trained at the state-level to provide direction and communication should a disaster ever occur. Several employees and administrators are trained twice a year through the Indiana State Department of Health and the Lighthouse Readiness Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment