RN Response Network Monitoring Massive Los Angeles-area Fires, Evacuations

The Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN), a disaster relief project of National Nurses United (NNU) and the California Nurses Foundation, is currently monitoring the severe wildfires that have damaged or destroyed thousands of structures and caused five deaths across the greater Los Angeles area. RNRN will continue assessing the situation and the potential need to activate nurse volunteers in response.

"The windows were rattling in the hospital. It was feeling apocalyptic," said UCLA Santa Monica Pediatric RN Kristan Delmarty, who was at work Tuesday morning when nurses on her unit saw the Pacific Palisades hillside on fire. NNU affiliate the California Nurses Association (CNA) represents RNs at several LA-area hospitals, including UCLA Santa Monica and Providence St John's, which - while near the fire zones - are outside the evacuation zones and remain open (see hospital websites for individual office and clinic closures).

Delmarty says by the end of her shift, the entire hillside was ablaze. Her own home 40 miles from the city is safe, but she said some of her coworkers at the hospital may not be so lucky.

"Some of them don't even know yet about the status of their homes," said Delmarty, noting that many areas of greater Los Angeles are still impossible to enter, with a need to keep roads open for emergency vehicles and the threat of toxic smoke. Working in pediatrics during an already-busy season for respiratory illnesses, and with an urban patient population prone to chronic conditions such as asthma, Delmarty said it's important for people to remain vigilant about the dangers of wildfire smoke.

"Just a little smoke inhalation with these conditions can send you into the hospital. Even for healthy people, it's not good to be out there in the toxic air. It's not just trees burning, it's houses and toxic things. We all need to take precautions," said Delmarty, recommending patients check the Air Quality Index (AQI) in their area and wear a mask if the air is unhealthy.

As the RN Response Network continues monitoring the situation, and assessing any potential volunteer needs, RNRN asks nurses interested in being a part of the California fire standby list to sign up here. Delmarty emphasizes that even if there isn't a need for RNRN volunteers at this moment, extreme weather driven by the climate crisis means there will likely be future needs across California and beyond.

"Climate change is really a health crisis. It impacts people and communities not just in terms of physical health, but the health of our environment," she said, pointing out that in addition to toxic air, the LA-area water supply has been impacted by the recent wildfires, with boil warnings in many areas. Delmarty encourages nurses everywhere to also have their own family emergency plans ready, because as she and her colleagues learned, disaster can strike at any moment.

"We have to make sure we have our own stuff in order so we can step forward when our patients need us," she said.

RNRN - a national network of direct-care RNs - coordinates sending volunteers to disaster-stricken areas where and when needed most. The California Nurses Association represents more than 100,000 RNs in the state of California, and National Nurses United is the largest union and professional organization in the U.S. with more than 250,000 RN members nationwide.