SwedishAmerican Hospital conducted a construction site collapse trauma disaster drill exercise in the Emergency Department on Friday, July 7.
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ROCKFORD — SwedishAmerican Hospital conducted a construction site collapse trauma disaster drill exercise in the Emergency Department on Friday, July 7. The scenario was based on a large six-story old factory that collapsed during a construction restoration project in downtown Rockford. Multiple workers were struck by debris, fell from a significant height or trapped under fallen rubble and several patients were brought to SwedishAmerican’s Emergency Department.
The purpose of the exercise was to test SwedishAmerican’s Response Plan and identify weaknesses in need of improvement. It’s a test of logistics (e.g. equipment, process, casualty tracking, casualty movement and communications) as it is a test of casualty care. During the exercise, SwedishAmerican employees acted as patients with particular injuries and issues. Staff who participated in the drill was unaware of the exercise as the drill was intended to catch them off guard and strain the system.
“SwedishAmerican is a major resource for our community and in order to better our staff and our hospital, it is important to hold disaster drills so that we can be prepared for any type of emergency situation that comes through our doors,” says SwedishAmerican Trauma Services Manager Jennifer Pirrello. “I was very impressed with our staff. They did a great job and everyone bettered themselves today.”