This in from the IW NHS, in their own words. Ed
Isle of Wight NHS Trust, including the Ambulance Service, and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service are ‘category one’ emergency responders to major incidents. It is a statutory requirement that ‘category one’ responders test their ability to respond to major incidents.
A test of the Fire Evacuation procedure at St. Mary’s Hospital will take place between 18:45hrs and 20:45hrs on Monday 28th September. The incident will involve mannequins as ‘patients’ including the ambulance service high tech mannequins which exhibit symptoms. One member of staff will play the role of a patient in a wheelchair.
The scenario involves the outbreak of a fire and the evacuation of ward areas on Level C, the highest part of St. Mary’s Hospital. The OHPiT Ward & Discharge Lounge will be used as the wards to be evacuated from. During the exercise the left-hand lift will be available for public use whilst the right hand side lift will be used for the exercise.
Alan Sheward, Executive Director for Nursing at Isle of Wight NHS Trust said:
“It is important that we test our systems for responding to an incident involving fire. We will do this whilst offering as near normal service for real patients and we will endeavour to minimise any inconvenience to patients and visitors who we hope will understand the need for us to undertake this important exercise.”
Information will be posted around the relevant areas of St. Mary’s Hospital during the exercise to warn patients, staff and visitors.
Councillor Phil Jordan, Executive Member for Public Health, Public Protection and PFI, said:
“It is extremely important that our Fire and Rescue Service personnel and resilience processes are tested regularly, so that we can ensure a high quality service is achieved in the event of a real-life incident. It is also really positive to see our emergency services working closely together on this realistic test scenario, further bolstering relationships across Island responders.”
Image: © Used with the kind permission of Auntie P
