Below is a scenario used for a tabletop evacuation drill at Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights, IL:
Susie, one of the telemetry technicians for 3-North, alerts security that she is frightened by threats from her ex-husband. She gives security a photograph, and she asks that if anyone calls to speak with her that no information be given. She asks that if this person is sighted on campus, that he not be given information that she is working. The police department is alerted to the threat. Her ex-husband, Wayne, has been advised by her lawyer that he is not to attempt to contact her at any time.
9 a.m.
Wayne enters the building at the visitors’ entrance, and walks to elevator "A." There is nothing unusual about his manner. He is carrying a brown shopping bag. He takes the elevator to 3-North, turns left, and heads down the hall toward the nurses’ station. He stops there, and he asks if he can speak to the director of the unit. The unit secretary asks if he has an appointment, and he replies that hoped that he could leave a thank-you gift because the nurses recently took such good care of his mother. The secretary replies that she will check if the director is in, but she thinks she is at a meeting. While she is calling, Wayne casually looks about, and notes that Susie is not in the telemetry room. He places the shopping bag just inside the door, unnoticed by the tech at the monitors. He says nothing to the secretary, and he walks back down the hall to the stairwell, where he leaves his jacket, cap, and a pair of glasses; removes rubber gloves; and runs down the stairs. When the secretary looks up, he is gone.
9:15 a.m.
Susie returns from a break and enters the Telemetry room. She notices a shopping bag sitting on the floor in the doorway and asks her co-worker if the bag is hers. The co-worker says "no." They look in the bag, see a wrapped, unlabeled package in the bag, and they both suddenly become frightened. Susie’s co-worker calls "911" and "3333," an emergency line that overrides any other calls and results in the operator immediately calling 911. She tells the operator that there is a suspicious package in the room. Both women start to leave the room, but there is a sudden loud explosion in the doorway.
Instantly there is fire. The alarm system sounds, and a "Code Red" is announced over the public address system. The hall and nurses’ station are filled with debris, and several patients and staff members are on the floor of the hallway and in the station. There is heavy smoke. It is difficult to breathe. The sprinkler system floods the area. Staff members begin moving patients from nearby rooms beyond the fire doors.
Security and facility support people arrive with extinguishers, but they are quickly driven back behind the fire doors. The nursing supervisor arrives and assists with moving people out of the immediate area. The explosion was heard in administration.
9:22 a.m.
Arlington Heights Fire Department arrives and immediately calls for additional support. Police are on the scene as well.
9:30 a.m.
The fire chief orders horizontal evacuation of 3-North as quickly as possible. At this point, the fire department will command the use of elevators. Firefighters enter the stricken area to extinguish the fire.
9:40 a.m.
2-North reports water running through the ceiling in the west hall. 4-North reports heavy smoke and damage with patient injury in room 455. Incident Command in collaboration with the fire chief orders horizontal evacuation of 2-North and a vertical evacuation of 4-North.
Here is a scenario used for a tabletop evacuation drill at Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights, IL.
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