Barton to host mass casualty drill with South Lake Tahoe community partners Friday

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health, in collaboration with local fire, police, and first responders will conduct a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Exercise on Friday, October 25. The purpose of an MCI exercise is to exercise emergency and healthcare preparedness in the event of a large-scale emergency, ensuring health and safety for the Lake Tahoe community.

“Much like flexing a muscle improves strength, first-responders including police, fire teams, emergency medical services, and healthcare workers practice emergency response to refine and improve emergency preparedness,” said April Boyde, emergency manager for Barton Health. “By enacting full-scale realistic scenarios, we can collaborate with partner response teams in a controlled environment, assess outcomes, and improve our existing plans. Crisis planning helps to preserve the health of our population.”

The MCI exercise will simulate an active shooter at Barton Memorial Hospital. Law enforcement, fire teams, and healthcare workers will practice the response. Patients and neighbors will be notified about the drill, as there will be activity on the hospital campus on October 25, 2024.

Past MCI exercises have included a Structure Collapse and Stampede at Lake Tahoe Community College fields, an Active Shooter Drill at Lake Tahoe High School, and a Wildfire Evacuation Drill at Barton Memorial Hospital in May 2021.

Barton Memorial Hospital is a verified Level III Trauma Center, a critical access point where patients will receive an increase in depth and speed of care. Unlike other hospital facilities, trauma centers guarantee the resources for trauma care and the immediate availability of emergency medicine physicians, surgeons, nurses, lab and x-ray technicians, and life support equipment 24-hours a day.

Learn more about community healthcare and wellness at BartonHealth.org.