Barton conducts emergency wildfire preparedness drill

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The scenario: a wildfire is in the Tahoe Basin and Barton Memorial Hospital needs to evacuate. A wildfire can spread quickly, leaving residents little time to spare in evacuating safely, but what happens with a hospital full of patients and staff?

In 2007, the Angora Fire hit the region and as the wind changed direction, the threat of fire heading toward the hospital became real. Medication was prepared for each patient that couldn't be released to family, as well as treatments such as respiratory that would go with the patient. Arrangements were made for transport to Reno and Carson Valley medical facilities and to Lake Tahoe Community College for those not in critical condition. Coincidentally, the Angora Fire started just three days after Barton Health management conducted a “table-top” exercise where they sat down and discussed what their response would be to a wildfire.

This past Friday was another drill at the hospital, but one that was much more than a "table-top" scenario and discussion. Management, staff, and volunteer "victims" participated to test the hospital's communication procedures during an emergency, as well as processes and procedures.

Barton Health has roughly 1,100 employees and 200 doctors, according to the healthcare system's President/Chief Executive Officer Dr. Clint Purvance. Each staff member would be placed under an incident command structure in the case of an emergency, all knowing what to do to meet the ongoing medical needs of patients.

"We can easily transfer patients, and send some home," said Dr. Purvance in the event of an emergency. "COVID taught us that."

Besides running drills like they did Friday, Dr. Purvance said they also talk to other facilities for responses to "real-life incidents." With the number of hospitals in just California that have suffered damage and/or evacuations over the past few fire seasons the lessons learned can be valuable.

At the end of the drill, participants analyzed and recapped the day's events and lessons learned. These safety drills elevate the hospital's emergency preparedness with realistic scenarios, giving leadership reliable and accurate outcome measures.