Naval Hospital Bremerton Tests Readiness in Disaster Exercise
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS090909-18
Release Date: 9/9/2009 4:23:00 PM
By Douglas H. Stutz, Naval Hospital Bremerton Public Affairs
NAVAL HOSPITAL BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Naval Hospital Bremerton held a full-scale training exercise, Operation "Controlled Chaos" Sept. 3 to test command readiness and emergency response to an earthquake for providing medical care in a mass casualty scenario.
"By all reports the exercise went really well," said Capt. Mark Brouker, Naval Hospital Bremerton commanding officer. "There were some good lessons learned and we'll implement that new knowledge the next time."
Preparing for the inevitable is a vital task that hospital staff undertake as part of their overall training. According to Capt. Ken Iverson, NHB executive officer, some of the main objectives of the exercise were to rapidly test and evaluate damage to the facility, assist patients, visitors and staff with injuries, track patients through treatment areas and assess if services could be sustained for 72 hours, if necessary.
Doctors, nurses, hospital corpsmen and support staff were also tested and evaluated on their ability to set up, activate, triage and transport ambulatory and non-ambulatory trauma patients to the correct treatment areas. Makeup and prosthetics were used to simulate wounds on 25 patients who were treated by staff members for a variety of injuries, mainly abrasions, lacerations and contusions. The patients were character actors on loan from the USS Emory S. Land (AS 39).
The earthquake scenario is not a far-fetched possibility. The Nisqually earthquake of 2001 measured 6.8 on the Richter scale and gave NHB staff a forewarning of just what it was like to experience a sizable seismic shaking (the epicenter was approximately 50 miles south of Bremerton). According to local scientists, it's just a matter of time for another quake in the Puget Sound region, which is situated near several seismic faults.
As is the case in any actual event or exercise, communication proved to be the key.
"Departments such as Patient Administration and Facilities Management just nailed their communication responsibilities," said Terry Lerma, NHB Emergency Preparedness coordinator. "We also need to do a little bit more educational training for some, which of course is one of the reasons why we periodically hold an exercise like this. But everyone was engaged and trying."
Lerma has provided guidance and tweaked the command-wide planning effort to handle dealing with any contingency. "If it ever does happen, it's going to be when we least expect it," Lerma commented. "An exercise like this allows us to go through our procedures and response time to see how well we handle the scenario at all levels."
As the training exercise name "Controlled Chaos" suggested, there was a good chance that the scenario could have spiraled out of control, but Lerma stated that the hospital leadership exhibited flexibility, foresight and fundamental knowledge throughout the exercise. "I was impressed that our Hospital Command Center (HCC) was thinking outside the box. They were adept at problem solving, which was made easier by having all necessary information from all areas of the command come in a timely manner. They projected ahead in their thinking. If this was a real quake, we'd be here for quite some time and we'd have to make arrangements to feed everyone, possibly bunk down staff and patients, and still be standing by to render aid to those in need."
The exercise also showcased a new computer program specifically designed for such a need. "Our Information Path Patient and Staff Tracking Program gave the HCC updated real-time status that was just a click away. Bravo Zulu to Peggy Hall for her work with the program. It was tremendously helpful."
"The Earthquake drill was well-organized," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Lawrence Duran, of Operational Readiness Division, who filled the role of messenger/runner. "The disaster management command team communicated well, was able to answer questions in detail, and handled all of the "small fires" as they arose. I saw decisions being made that were informed and well thought out. There were some small issues that came up that were good learning points but were easily overcome with simple decisions that were handled at the proper levels. Communication was a key and from what I saw there were no major break downs in the plan."
Because of the past experience and where the command is situated, NHB completed a unique seismic retrofit project in 2007, which vastly improved the structural ability of the facility to withstand a large earthquake. "We are the first Navy medical facility to undergo this type of seismic retrofit project," said Russ Kent, NHB facility manager. "Our hospital has to be operational immediately after an earthquake and we retrofitted it to stringent criteria to be better able to withstand a sizable quake in the future."
"We did experience damage and inconvenience when the Nisqually quake hit," related Kent. "That event helped to accelerate the need for a much more secure and stable structure. Our hospital building itself is quite strong and flexible. We had no structural damage. But even with the tremor about 50 miles away and deep below the earth's surface, the ground motions, and intensity of the seismic shaking caused significant nonstructural damage, especially at the upper floors. Rigid materials such as drywall, window panes and piping do not perform well when suddenly required to bend."
The exercise helped NHB to maintain the high standard of readiness and staying prepared for serious conditions such as disaster, weather, and mass casualty situations.
This exercise did not impact patient flow or interrupt service to any eligible beneficiary seeking medical and health services at the facility.
For more news from Naval Hospital Bremerton, visit www.navy.mil/local/nhb/.
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