Region VII DHRE Preparedness Webinar Series

How We Evacuated Two Hospitals Amidst Colorado’s Epic Marshall Fire – Managing the Chaos, Being Okay with Being Uncomfortable and Using Relationships

Presented by:
Michelle Deland, MA, CO-CEM, MEP, Executive Director, North Central Region Healthcare Coalition
Mark Daugherty, Chief of Emergency Medical Services, North Metro Fire Rescue District
Chris Mailliard, Emergency Manager, Centura Health

Description:
On December 30th, 2021, healthcare workers at two hospitals in Colorado were managing a pandemic and planning for a winter storm. The hospital, which includes a large neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), was full, with less than 5% capacity. Unbeknownst to the staff working during the holiday weekend, the Marshall Fire was approaching the building, and would cause some of them to lose their homes while forcing the hospital to evacuate in under two hours. Join our speakers as they discuss their experiences, challenges and lessons learned.

Audience:
This webinar is intended for physicians, nurses, first responders, healthcare coalitions, emergency managers, federal and state partners and other professionals throughout Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska).

Objectives:
• Discuss lessons learned in a rapid full hospital evacuation
• Describe the role of the EMS Liaison position and how it ties into hospital command, resource management and situational awareness
• Identify opportunities for healthcare coalitions and/or regional disaster health response system infrastructures to operationalize, integrate, and support public health, healthcare, and emergency management agencies during a no-notice event

Continuing Education:
Physicians: The University of Nebraska Medical Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses: The University of Nebraska Medical Center designates this activity for 1.5 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit for the actual time spent participating in the activity.

EMS: The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Center for Continuing Education, EMS and Trauma Division approves this education opportunity for 1.5 hours of Emergency Medical Services Continuing Education. (Debbie VonSeggern, NRP, EMSI)