CROCKETT, TEXAS - It was about 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 2, when
ETMC Crockett team members were notified that a disaster drill was
underway in the emergency department.
When the emergency call was announced, ETMC staff members
immediately reported to their designated stations to position
themselves for the situation and execute a pre-determined plan of
action for such events.
In the disaster drill conducted on Saturday, the mock scenario
consisted of an airplane crash involving a fuel spill and fire. The
mock drill resulted in ETMC EMS, Grapeland EMS and Palestine EMS
transporting some 20 patients, portrayed by Angelina College
nursing students, who carried papers into the emergency department
describing their injuries. The mock injuries ranged from very minor
to life threatening with some requiring only bandages and others
needing emergency surgery.
Each mock patient was met at the emergency department door by
ETMC nurses and doctors, who immediately assessed the condition of
each mock victim and ordered the necessary care. The injuries
sustained by the mock patients were addressed in a very orderly yet
extremely efficient manner, ensuring that each patient received the
care needed.
ETMC Crockett Emergency Department Director Mike Wyman said, "We
respond to these drills as we would in any real emergency or
disaster. We treat these mock patients with the same high level of
care we do those involved in real emergency situations."
During the one-and-a-half hour drill, each of the mock victims
received treatment that would likely have been administered had the
event been a real emergency.
Hospital drills are conducted several times each year and are
part of the ongoing commitment of ETMC Crockett to bring the best
possible medical care to the entire community.
"The ETMC Crockett staff is among the finest in East Texas, and
we work diligently to provide the community with the best medical
care possible," said ETMC Crockett Administrator Terry Cutler.
"These drills help us evaluate all aspects of our care from the
emergency department to a hospital room. We use the results of the
data collected during these drills to improve," Cutler added.
During a disaster drill, as in any real emergency, all ETMC
Crockett staff are called to the hospital to assist in providing
care to patients and their families. Nearly 100 ETMC Crockett staff
members from every department, including radiology, laboratory,
cardiopulmonary, nursing, business office, emergency, labor and
delivery and the intensive care unit, attended the Saturday drill.
Physicians who have privileges to practice at ETMC Crockett were
also notified and asked to assist in the drill.
Other entities participating in the drill included ETMC Trinity,
ETMC EMS units from the Trinity area, ham radio operators and the
multiple volunteer fire departments located throughout the
county.