In order to keep a hospital and emergency department prepared for the event of a biologic or chemical disaster, it must be drilled, until like any new skill set, you become proficient. And as part of the group that helps set up these drills, I can attest to the fact that it is not done by magic and must be set up with all contingencies addressed.
The last drill was completed recently and I can give you the short comic version of our set up and the results. Two of my colleagues coach soccer teams and these stellar 12 year old athletes were asked to participate in our drill as volunteers. They were told that they would go down on a soccer field, be bused to the emergency department, be scrubbed down in a decontamination tent and then passed through the emergency department. The reward for this was a lovely certificate of participation in community service, (part of my duties) doughnuts, and chocolate milk. I have no idea if they jumped for joy, but I think they were intrigued. So with signed parental consents in hand our planning began.
We drilled continuously at all manner of hour, day or night, in donning and doffing different level of hazard gear. And the large decontamination tent was also popped up and down to within an inch of its portable life. Infection control built chemical terrorist scenarios and soon it was only days away.
I sat in my office working as my colleague who shares our office and is one of those soccer coaches, plotted over the phone with our best moulage nurse on how to prepare realistic snot and vomit. (KY and pea soup, if you were wondering).
She went with the team to the soccer field and came on board the bus, apparently waiting until only blocks from the hospital before smearing KY on thier faces so that it would not dry up too soon, grossing out all the girls and most of the boys. I stood by at the hospital and when the mock 911 call came in, set about pulling out the suits and hooded respiratory equipment and supervised the donning of bodily equipment.
All proceeded as you would expect. After going through the decon tent our swim suited and shivering victims were taken to an exam area, given warm blankets and then allowed to dress. They devoured their doughnuts, filled out an evaluation, got their certificate and were picked up to go home, the adventure completed.
So what helpful things did they write on the evaluation forms?
· Lack of actual soap in their scrub down. They used the blankets to clean off the fake snot.
· Not enough hot nurses.
