The Knox/East Tennessee (KET) Coalition recently returned from an intense 5 day training program offered through the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama. This program included classroom training and multiple days of exercises, culminating in an Integrated Capstone Event.
The Healthcare Leadership for All-Hazards Incidents (HCL) is a four-day course which exposes healthcare professionals to the dynamics involved in the decision making processes during an all-hazards disaster involving mass casualties. The course uses a combination of lecture and exercises, to provide responders and receivers foundational information on which to base critical decisions during the fast-paced final exercise.
This facility is the only hospital facility in the United States dedicated solely to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response. It has been remodeled to offer an expanded trauma bay, modern treatment areas, sound and visual effect capabilities, hidden observation and control rooms, and a large waiting room, triage stations, an ambulance entrance, hazmat isolation rooms, and a moulage area for role players.
The Integrated Capstone Event (ICE) promotes an interdisciplinary response to an all-hazards mass casualty incident where first responders and first receivers are challenged to perform functions such as initial call-out, scene size-up, rescue, decontamination, pre-hospital treatment, crime scene management, evidence collection, hospital response and more.
Below are some, but not all, of the critical skill sets learned during this training program:
- Explain healthcare emergency management roles and responsibilities in the disaster lifecycle process—mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
- Communicate the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) in the healthcare system through Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and the Public Health Incident Command System (PHICS).
- Evaluate medical supply management and distribution at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Recognize the requirement for personal protective equipment (PPE), the four levels of protection and factors in selecting a level, the need and purpose of decontamination both wet and dry, and decontamination planning and patient management processes.
- Illustrate the important points of communications planning, the role of the Public Information Officer (PIO), and the criticality of effective media relations during a mass casualty incident (MCI).
The following participated in the event:
Robert Simerly, Stewart Craig (University of Tennessee Medical Center), Perry Davis (Lakeway Regional Hospital), Brittany Isabelle, Wanda Roberts (East Tennessee Regional Health Office), Leslie Irwin, Roberts Laney (Fort Sanders Regional), Christy Cooper (East Tennessee Children’s Hospital), Pam Hodge, Jeff Brown, Kathy Gimbel (Jellico Hospital), Elaine Rose, Dedra Whitaker, Scotty Brooks (Morristown Hamblen Healthcare), Wendy Shock, David Bluford (Pastoral Services), Paul Parsons (Parkwest Medical Center), Casey Suarez (Fort Loudon Medical Center), Charity Menefee (Knox County Health Department), Sandy Kitts, Jane Duncan (North Knox Medical Center), Hannah Swartz (Community Representative), John Brinkley (Rural Metro Ambulance Service), Phil McDaniel, Darrell Brackett (Covenant Corporate), Todd Roberts (Pennisula Psychiatric Hospital)
The training was so well received that another one has already been scheduled for May 22-28. Two trainings will be available:
- The Healthcare Leadership for All-Hazards Incidents (HCL) is a four-day course which exposes healthcare professionals to the dynamics involved in the decision making processes during an all-hazards disaster involving mass casualties. The course uses a combination of lecture and exercises, to provide responders and receivers foundational information on which to base critical decisions during the fast-paced final exercise.
- Hospital Emergency Response Training for Mass Casualty Incidents (HERT) is a three-day course designed to provide medical operation guidance to hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS), healthcare facility personnel, and others who may become involved in a mass casualty incident (MCI). The course provides the healthcare emergency receiver with an understanding of the relationship between a Hospital Incident Command System (HICS), a scene Incident Command System (ICS), and other incident management systems used by municipal Emergency Operations Centers (EOC). The course also provides guidance for Hospital Emergency Response Team design, development, and training. This is a hands-on course which culminates with small and large groups practical applications. Therefore, participants must be physically and psychologically fit to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) during the training.
For more information, please contact Charity Menefee charity.menefee@knoxcounty.org
Or Wanda Roberts at etrhc.health@tn.gov
You can also visit the website at https://cdp.dhs.gov/
