May 19, 2006

MGH is a model for emergency preparations

The scenario was the stuff television medical dramas are made of — a MedFlight crash on the Blake Building helipad, a fatality and a gasoline fire. Luckily for the MGH, it was just a drill conducted by the hospital's Emergency Preparedness Program and Boston MedFlight to review the steps that would need to be taken in the unlikely event a disaster of this magnitude were to occur.

The recent tabletop drill brought together personnel from MGH Police and Security, Buildings and Grounds, Nursing, Telecommunications, Public Affairs, Environmental Health and Safety and the Emergency Department with representatives from the Boston Fire Department, Emergency Medical Systems and MedFlight to role play the management of a rooftop helicopter crash. As one of the many emergency preparedness drills conducted at the MGH on a regular basis, the training session's goal was to practice a response that would ensure the safety of patients in the hospital as well as those involved in the crash.

Because of its integral role in such an event, the Boston Fire Department staff approached the MGH after the drill was completed for a more extensive orientation on the helipad and its support systems. During four weekends in March and April, George MacNeil of MGH Buildings and Grounds (MacNeil, above and far left, with firefighters) trained some 120 firefighters from seven Boston fire companies on the helipad's fire suppression system.

"We were extremely impressed with the Boston Fire Department's commitment to learning more about our helipad and its systems," says Craig Cochran, administrative manager for the Emergency Preparedness Program. "These training sessions were an excellent demonstration of the collaboration and community spirit between the MGH and the Boston Fire Department."

In the post-9/11 era, the MGH has focused on response plan protocols for a range of emergency situations. The Emergency Preparedness Program draws upon a network of MGH departments and staff to coordinate the medical, administrative and support service responses that would be put in place for everything from a hazardous materials spill to a disease pandemic to a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. As with the emergency preparedness programs of other local medical centers, the program is designed to meet the needs of the hospital, Massachusetts and the City of Boston as well as the general public. Cochran estimates the program conducts a drill about every four to six weeks to address various contingencies.

"Fortunately to date, our role has been largely one of proposing and testing out possible scenarios," Cochran says. "We recognize that it's not the kind of thing people necessarily want to think about, but we hope there's some comfort knowing that plans exist. Emergency preparedness is a high priority for the MGH."