emergency planning-hospital evacuation

[CTURNEY]

I need some input for creating an evacuation plan for our hospital? Is anyone out there willing to share their plan? thanks:rolleyes:

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=hospital%20evacuation%20plan

I found several searching Google.com.

Usually these are in place before the facility is accredited. Certainly OSHA would want it to be.

Good luck.

[prmenrs, RN]

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.

[CTURNEY]

we do indeed have a plan, I am looking to update it. Our plan does not specify who is evacuated first, it specifies routes and exits, etc.

[Sharon]

I actualy got a similar request this morning from an OHN. I will post my response in a few hours on the Disaster Nursing page.

[prmenrs, RN]

I didn't understand what you were trying to do. I apologize if I offended you, or seemed patronizing. It was not my intent.

Sandi