niversity Medical Center, Clark County's public hospital, performed a practice Tuesday to prepare for an influx of patients in the emergency room, bringing up memories of the aftermath of America's greatest mass shooting, which hit local ERs almost five years ago.
Billy Samuels, the Deputy Clark County Fire Chief, recalls it vividly."People were being put into vehicles and dumped off at emergency rooms," Samuels said.
Any vehicle with wheels was used to transport patients to local hospitals on October 1st. The waves began to roll in. That night, 58 individuals died, and two more died the next day.
KSNV's caption
There were almost 400 casualties.
Pickups, Ubers, taxis, and patrol cars all arrived at hospitals."As a result, the ER staff will have to step outside and begin treating patients – basically triaging them." The second wave will arrive in another vehicle. Then comes the third and fourth waves. "All different vehicles," Samuels explains, describing how the 30-minute simulation went down Tuesday afternoon.
This simulation simulates how to triage patients, assessing who can and cannot live and directing those who can to doctors who can help them. The exercise's purpose is to help hospitals and local fire departments collaborate in order to prepare for patient surges. LVMPD and Las Vegas Fire and Rescue joined the Clark County Fire Department in the drill.
This drill at UMC is the fifth in Clark County.
"We're extremely fortunate that every hospital in the valley is joining us this month." "Every fire department has opted to participate as well," Samuels says.
Success in this situation, according to the hospital, is dependent on quickness and communication…something that exercises like this help with.
"I think the important thing to remember is that in situations and scenarios like this, it's not simply an ER." Thankfully, we have a large staff behind us at UMC," says Jeffrey Castillo, the emergency room director. "We may have a packed ER, but we need to know how to move these patients -mobilize these folks who don't require emergency care." How can we get them released? He continues, "How do we shift them to admitted beds?"
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