Here’s what employees do in hostage crisis
Hostage-taking policies are uncommon in hospitals, and hostage-taking drills are even more rare. Another hospital with a policy is Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, AL, where the risk manager says she is considering organizing a drill.
Developed about a year ago, the policy was an outgrowth of the hospital’s workplace violence program, says Anna Blair, JD, general counsel.
"We’ve never done a drill, but that sounds like a great addition to the policy," Blair says. "I might want to incorporate that into the policy and do it once a year."
The "Hostage Protection Policy" at Helen Keller is more oriented toward the individual employee than is the "Code Command" policy at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith, AR. In addition to guidelines for setting up command centers and cooperating with local police, the hospital provides each employee with advice on how to respond in the first moments of the emergency. These are some of the procedures Helen Keller employees must follow:
Responsibilities of the hostage
1. Do everything the captor says to do.
2. Be especially careful during the first four or five minutes of the capture.
3. Speak only when spoken to and do not make any wisecracks.
4. Try to be as calm as possible because the captor will try to use your emotions to his advantage.
5. Sit down, if possible, to avoid appearing aggressive.
6. Weigh, very carefully, any chance of escape to be sure that escape is certain and will not endanger you or anyone else.
8. Do not make any suggestions to the hostage-taker.
Discovery of a hostage situation
The first employee to identify a hostage-taking situation will:
1. Immediately notify the switchboard operator by telephone of the hostage-taker’s location. The switchboard operator will immediately notify by telephone
• Sheffield Police Department and Colbert County Sheriff’s Department
• Security
• Nursing supervisor
• General counsel
• Administration
2. Secure the immediate area, if possible, by removing all non-participating persons.
3. If possible, secure doors to isolate the incident.
4. Observe, in order to report fully
• The area where the hostage is being held with regard to entrances and exits
• The number of people taken
• The number of and physical description of the captors
• Type of disturbance
• Type and number of patients in the area
• Type and number of weapons in possession of the captor(s)
5. Make specific notes of any threats or demands, documenting direct quotes, when possible.
6. Do not speak to the media without first gaining permission from administration or community relations.
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