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Evacuation of Patients During a Fire at a General Hospital
Title: Evacuation of Patients During a Fire at a General Hospital
Date: Feb. 1987
Author: Dan W. Blumhagen, MD, PhD, MPH
Institution: Departments of Emergency Services and Patient Registration, Providence Hospital and General Hospital of Everett, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
Bibliographic Entry: Blumhagen, Dan W. “Evacuation of Patients During a Fire at a General Hospital.” Annals of Emergency Medicine, 16, no. 2 (Feb. 1987): 209-214.
Electronic Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3800097?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Article is copyrighted; access article via a library portal or journal subscription.
Key Words: business crisis management, disaster management, crisis council/communication network, ambulance coordinator, emergency physician, nursing supervisor, receiving hospital, wards, fire department
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
This article describes the epidemiology of hospital fires, followed by a case report of the evacuation of 150 patients during a fire at a general hospital. A theoretical framework for the analysis and management of similar situations is developed and illustrated. The following needs were stressed: 1) flexibility in the development of disaster plans, 2) simplification of plans and reduction in staff involved, 3) tailoring of plans to meet the demands of specific situations, and 4) immediate planning to reopen the facility. In addition, the development of “fire-safe” elevators to assist in evacuating patients is especially important to future hospital design.
The decision to evacuate a hospital must be made jointly between the fire authorities and the hospital staff. In an area where adequate emergency personnel are available, no additional hospital staff may be needed for the physical evacuation. If a fire occurs during the day, other hospital occupants should be evacuated first and assist with the evacuation as needed. The only additional staff that will be required may be a few administrative personnel to organize and direct the evacuation and recovery, as well a sufficient number of physicians trained in emergency or intensive care medicine for needed resuscitation. If possible, a single receiving facility should be designated.
Charts or nursing care plans should be sent with patients. Equipment for monitoring or sustaining vital functions should be transported to the receiving hospital, along with staff to assist the transferred patients. The receiving hospital should send anything likely to be in demand at the evacuation site. Also, abbreviated forms of the standard registration procedures should be used. Internal disaster planning must include consideration of procedures to reopen the hospital. A session for employees and others should be held to recognize those for their efforts. Hospital planners and architects should review plans for each new hospital to ensure safe elevator operation. There is a definite need for elevators, as research on evacuation time of a nursing unit found that the normal method taught for moving patients cannot be performed timely enough to meet fire safety standards. Any techniques that can be used to routine response to disaster will be useful for saving lives.
Name of Researcher: Alison Stevens
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: May 15, 2008