AUBURN - Officials at Auburn Memorial Hospital want to be prepared for every possible situation that may arise, even one that involves hazardous materials and decontamination.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
As Capt. Mark Fritz of the Auburn Fire Department, center, guides the decontamination team, Tom Ryan scrubs the mannequin's leg during a hazardous material drill at the Auburn Memorial Hospital Friday afternoon.
As Capt. Mark Fritz of the Auburn Fire Department, center, guides the decontamination team, Tom Ryan scrubs the mannequin's leg during a hazardous material drill at the Auburn Memorial Hospital Friday afternoon.
That's why AMH and several Auburn and Cayuga County agencies conducted a hazardous materials and decontamination drill Friday to ensure that procedures are in place and hospital staff know exactly what to do in the case of exposure.
“The point of this exercise is to make sure the hospital is prepared to deal with any emergency and is able to effectively work with area agencies,” said Barbara Perkins, assistant director of nursing and emergency preparedness.
To test responses, Perkins and registered nurse Donna Sowles organized a mock emergency using a scenario based upon a real event that transpired at another hospital many years ago.
Hospital staff, the Auburn Fire Department and its county hazmat team, Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office special weapons and tactics teams, TLC Emergency Medical Services, and Special Tactical Operations Rescue Medical all worked collaboratively to bring about a safe ending to the ordeal.
It started with a man, disgruntled over the medical condition of a family member being treated at the hospital, holding a nurse hostage in a hospital room and making her drink an unknown substance. S.W.A.T. teams responded to the situation, securing nearby rooms in a typically vacant wing of the hospital and getting an eyeball of the crisis by peering through a window from the roof.
Officers then gained entry into the room and a scuffle ensued. While the disgruntled man got to feel steel on his wrists, his sick and unconscious relative #- played by a dummy in the drill #- became contaminated with the material from the cup.
The patient was rushed to an inflatable hazmat decontamination tent set up in the hospital parking lot outside the emergency room where AMH staff members Eugenia Droczak, Cyndy Ross and Tom Ryan, suited up in heavy-duty hazmat suits, scrubbed every nook and cranny on the mannequin to wash away any and all contaminants.
Perkins said she was pleased with the performance of the drill. The group accomplished the primary goal.
“It shows us there are things we can do better,” she said, “and that's good because that's the purpose of this.”
Hospital officials will look at what was done right, what was done wrong and what needs to be improved in the coming weeks, she said. Those discussions will form the basis of an action plan, which could include purchasing new equipment or changing procedures, and once that is completed, they will have another drill.
One thing Perkins would like to improve is the internal communication system.
“We always have phones and computers,” she said, “but there are always other levels that will allow the flow of information to be transmitted more smoothly.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
“The point of this exercise is to make sure the hospital is prepared to deal with any emergency and is able to effectively work with area agencies,” said Barbara Perkins, assistant director of nursing and emergency preparedness.
To test responses, Perkins and registered nurse Donna Sowles organized a mock emergency using a scenario based upon a real event that transpired at another hospital many years ago.
Hospital staff, the Auburn Fire Department and its county hazmat team, Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office special weapons and tactics teams, TLC Emergency Medical Services, and Special Tactical Operations Rescue Medical all worked collaboratively to bring about a safe ending to the ordeal.
It started with a man, disgruntled over the medical condition of a family member being treated at the hospital, holding a nurse hostage in a hospital room and making her drink an unknown substance. S.W.A.T. teams responded to the situation, securing nearby rooms in a typically vacant wing of the hospital and getting an eyeball of the crisis by peering through a window from the roof.
Officers then gained entry into the room and a scuffle ensued. While the disgruntled man got to feel steel on his wrists, his sick and unconscious relative #- played by a dummy in the drill #- became contaminated with the material from the cup.
The patient was rushed to an inflatable hazmat decontamination tent set up in the hospital parking lot outside the emergency room where AMH staff members Eugenia Droczak, Cyndy Ross and Tom Ryan, suited up in heavy-duty hazmat suits, scrubbed every nook and cranny on the mannequin to wash away any and all contaminants.
Perkins said she was pleased with the performance of the drill. The group accomplished the primary goal.
“It shows us there are things we can do better,” she said, “and that's good because that's the purpose of this.”
Hospital officials will look at what was done right, what was done wrong and what needs to be improved in the coming weeks, she said. Those discussions will form the basis of an action plan, which could include purchasing new equipment or changing procedures, and once that is completed, they will have another drill.
One thing Perkins would like to improve is the internal communication system.
“We always have phones and computers,” she said, “but there are always other levels that will allow the flow of information to be transmitted more smoothly.”
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
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