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 External Preparedness Plan

An external emergency situation occurs when an incident results in victims of such numbers, or injuries of such complexity, that the routine methods of providing patient care become inadequate. 

Emergency situations may be a mass casualty, radiation accident, hazardous materials accident, or weapons of mass destruction incident.  The External Emergency Preparedness Plan is located in the Safety Manual, which is available on each unit/department.

 Each unit/department is required to have an area specific external plan.  This plan must contain area specific procedures to ensure the safety of patients, staff and visitors in an emergency situation.  Each employee is required to know his or her role in an external emergency situation.  If there is an external disaster, you should know:

1. Your role and responsibilities in the disaster plan.
2. The information and skills required to perform your duties during an emergency.
3. The back-up communication systems used during a disaster.
4. How supplies and equipment are obtained during a disaster.
5. Your chain of command.

 If an external emergency situation occurs, XXXXX will:

1. Determine the scale of the event and “level” of the disaster.
2. If appropriate, open the Hospital Control Center (HCC), which coordinates what the hospital will do.
3. Open the Medical Control Center (MCC) in the Communications area of the Emergency Department.
4. Possibly call in additional staff members to increase the medical response.