Shore Medical Center, First Responders Put Emergency Preparedness to the Test in Full-Scale Hazmat Drill

Exercise brought together Shore Medical Center, fire, police, EMS and emergency management to practice the coordinated response required during a large-scale hazardous materials emergency.

An unusual scene unfolded Monday night outside Shore Medical Center, as multiple "victims" of a large-scale simulated hazardous materials exposure were led through decontamination stations along Medical Center Way, getting sprayed with water and "scrubbed" by firefighters who had set up the stations just moments before.

Thankfully, it was part of a full-scale emergency preparedness drill. But for the first responders and hospital teams involved, the exercise was an important opportunity to practice what would be required if the emergency were real.

Shore Medical Center joined the Somers Point Fire and Police Departments, EMS and the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management/HazMat for the exercise, which simulated multiple patients requiring decontamination and medical treatment.

The goal was readiness and ensuring that everyone involved understands their distinct role and can work together effectively during a large-scale emergency.

"Drills like this are critical to maintaining our readiness and ability to respond in a disaster," said Shore Medical Center Director of Security Larry Phillips. "A response of this scale requires many people and agencies, each knowing their role and working together. Monday night showcased the skill, professionalism and collaboration of our community emergency responders, including our Shore team."

From Decontamination to the Emergency Department

Firefighters established the decontamination operation outside the hospital, setting up tarped tubs with hoses and scrub stations, and guided volunteer "victims" through the process. The volunteers - including Shore Chief Nursing Officer Jill Shultz and other dedicated hospital staff - were assigned different circumstances, symptoms and injuries to make the exercise as realistic as possible.

Jill's role was that of a patient whose bare feet had been exposed to the hazardous substance, causing significant burning. Like the other volunteers, she went through the decontamination process before being escorted into the Emergency Department for evaluation.

"Participating as one of the patients gave me a unique perspective on just how much coordination a response like this requires," said Jill. "Everyone has a role, from our community first responders outside the hospital to the Security and clinical teams inside. We practice so that if we're ever faced with the real thing, our teams are ready to respond while continuing to provide safe care for every patient who needs us."

Protecting those already inside the hospital was another important part of the exercise. Volunteer victims who completed decontamination were brought through the ambulance bay and into a designated treatment area separate from the main Emergency Department. One contaminated "patient" attempted to enter through the main ER entrance and was stopped and redirected by Shore Security, testing an important safeguard designed to prevent contaminants from being carried into the hospital.

Caring for a Surge of Patients While the ER Remains Open

Once the simulated patients entered the ER, another critical part of the exercise began.

Shore's ER physicians and nurses had to quickly assess "patients" with varying levels of simulated exposure and injuries and determine who needed care most urgently. At the same time, the Emergency Department down the hall was busy caring for real patients.

That made the drill about more than responding to the simulated disaster. It allowed Shore's team to practice managing a sudden surge of patients, effectively triaging them according to the severity of their conditions and mobilizing the appropriate hospital resources - while maintaining safe, effective care for patients already in the ER.

The exercise demonstrated how many individual pieces must come together during a community emergency. Firefighters, police, EMS, emergency management personnel, hospital Security, physicians, nurses and support teams all have different responsibilities, but an effective response depends on those teams communicating and functioning as one.

For the participants, that was ultimately the purpose of the evening.

Emergencies don't provide time to decide who should do what. Preparedness happens beforehand, through training, practice and strong relationships among the agencies and healthcare teams that will be called upon to respond.

Shore Medical Center extends its appreciation to the Somers Point Fire and Police Departments, EMS, Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management/HazMat, Shore team members and the volunteers who helped make the exercise possible.

While everyone involved hopes a response of this scale is never needed, exercises like Monday night's help ensure that if it is, the people our community will depend on are ready.