Mass-casualty exercise tests Bay Pines VA’s readiness

Here’s how Bay Pines VA responded in a mass-casualty exercise.

The sound of sirens followed by multiple ambulances backing up to the Emergency Department (ED) at Bay Pines VA placed employees on alert the morning of Aug. 2.

Minutes earlier, Bay Pines VA received a notification from first responders that an errant boat had crashed into a large group of people in the water at nearby Boca Ciega Bay. Due to the proximity, emergency vehicles were in-bound to Bay Pines VA to render immediate medical attention to those who were injured.

The call and the scenario were fictitious. The response of the hospital and ED personnel were not. The mass casualty exercise was part of a Joint Commission-required training to test readiness in support of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Fourth Mission. 

“There are a lot of hospitals in the area, but the influx of tourists plus nearly one million residents in Pinellas County could quickly overwhelm those locations that are expected to respond to disaster situations,” said Emergency Management Specialist Melissa Wallach. “Training for scenarios like this reinforces our readiness to support the local community in times of crisis.”

Wallach worked with leadership across the healthcare system and the local community to create a scenario that would help evaluate the organization’s readiness and identify areas for improvement.

“Reinforces the confidence and trust first responders have in us.”

“Mass casualty full-scale exercises like this one test our operational response capabilities in a high-stress environment that aligns to real-world scenarios,” added Bay Pines VA Associate Director and incident commander Sean Turner. “Our ability to provide support to non-Veterans during times of crisis reinforces the invaluable confidence and trust that local first responders have in us to answer the call when it matters most.”

In keeping with the spirit of community partnership, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4256 at Madeira Beach volunteered to serve as mock victims during the exercise. Prior to the event, Wallach designed and coordinated the exercise with a focus on six critical areas.

“We understand that our ability to respond effectively involves a cross-organizational approach with multiple services and teams. During our evaluation, we factored in the importance of communications, staffing, patient clinical and support services, safety and security, resources, and assets and utilities.”

“We identified a few areas where we need to invest a little more time but overall, we did a lot of things right today and that builds confidence,” added Turner. “If that call ever comes, I know our teams are ready to respond and meet those challenges head-on in support of our community.”