Emergency Preparedness: What Hospital Leaders Can Learn From
Those on the Frontline TORCH Annual Conference Glenn A. Robinson,
FACHE President
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Timeline April 17 th at 7:29pm West Fertilizer Co. is on fire
and first responders are dispatched
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Timeline April 17 th at 7:55pm The fire continues and causes an
explosion that can be felt as far as 30 miles away April 17 th at
7:59pm Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center received notification of
the event and began mobilization
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Timeline April 17 th at 8:20pm Full Alert was called April 17
th at 8:30pm First patients arrived April 18 th at 12:00am Last
patient arrived
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West Fertilizer Company 6
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The Aftermath 7
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8
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Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest 9
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Initial Thoughts First no notice event since the Texas A&M
bonfire collapse Over 300 patients were treated at healthcare
facilities
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Lessons Learned
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Get Involved With Your RAC Regional and Statewide Planning
Emergency Preparedness Education and Resources Region-Wide
Emergency Management Drills Key for planning and coordination in
the event of an emergency
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Practice Regularly Incident Command Structure Conduct regular
tabletop drills Practice different scenarios with various
combinations All potential incident commanders understand how to
lead an incident 13
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Be Prepared Resources Clinical/Non-Clinical Phone Bank Material
for Internal and External Communication Perimeter Security Plan
Concurrent Legal Counsel was valuable
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Media & Public Relations MOST IMPORTANT - Patient Privacy
and Safety Be Proactive and Very Responsive Keep Message Concise
and Factual
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Communication Utilize Trusted Sources Incident Commander on
Scene RAC Director Keep Communication Open and Share Regional
Medical Operations Center (RMOC) Medical Staff Associates Local
Hospitals
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Take Care of Your Staff Post-Incident Counselors Time to
Grieve, Process and Celebrate 17