Aug 15, 2001, 12:55 AM
You don't say what your position in the hospital is, or how long you've been there.
Most hospitals have administrators who work on disaster planning. That would include stuff like external disasters--plane crashes, tornados, floods and the like, and internal disasters like utility outages, chemical or radiation exposures, water pipes bursting, and FIRES. In addition, there may be plans for bomb threats and "Code Adam" that's a kidnapping from newborn or peds. All of these things can and WILL ruin your day.
Evacuations can be either horizontal, ie, you'd move the patients to another part of the floor they're on where the problem ISN'T, and seal off the part where the problem IS. (That's why there are all those fire doors, and why we get in so much trouble when they are propped open.) or vertical--move all the patients off the floor with the problem, to another floor, or out of the building, if necessary.
If you had an evacuation plan, you would have a floor plan posted on your unit with exit routes (both vertical and horizontal) clearly marked. This document might also have all fire extinguishers and fire alarms marked on it.
Your Hospital Policy and Proceedures manual would be the place I'd look for these emergency plans.
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