San Luis Valley / Southwest Region – Situation Manual
Affected Facilities – All Facilities – Support Facilities
Overall Allotted TimelinesScenario / Inject / Affected Facilities / All Facilities / Support Facilities
Exercise Start / 10
1 / 10
2 / 20 / 20
3 / 15
4 / 15
5 / 15
6 / 20
7 / 20 (Notification) / 0
8 / Stop Point
9 / 15 / 15
10 / 0 / 15
11 / 20
12 / 15
13 / 10 / 0
14 / 20 (Notification) / 0
15 / Stop Point
16 / 10 / 10
17 / 15 (Notification) / 15
18 / Stop Point
19 / 0 / 10
20 / 0 / 15
21 / 20 / 0
22 / 10
23 / 10 / 0
24 / 15
Inter-Hospital Communications Evaluation / 30
Totals
CHECS – ALL – Exercise Play
(Both Regions) / No Image
Important Exercise Information
Thoroughly Review
During the CHECS Functional Exercise it will be important to remember and comply with the following statements:
· This exercise is designed to assist hospitals in assessing their inter-hospital communications during an event affecting one or multiple hospitals and possibly requiring assistance from other hospitals within the region.
· Throughout the exercise participants will experience a number of Stop Points. Stop Points have been placed in this exercise to give hospitals the necessary time to contact one another. Once all contacts have been made participants will be released from the Stop Points and the exercise will continue.
· Do not jump ahead in the exercise scenario.
· Do not perform an action or communication until specifically told to do so. Some injects will require discussion and some will require action. The inject will direct actions when required.
· Thoroughly review all scenarios and injects as they are presented during the exercise.
· Identify one individual to be responsible for inputting responses to the exercise injects.
· After 5:00PM MST today each team member will need to log into the ONX System with their User Name and Password to complete their individual Hotwash to receive their Certificate of Participation.
· Remember if you need assistance please call the Help Desk at:
Conference Call Number – 877-568-4106
Access Number – 376-376-707
Time Allotted / 10 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Scenario – # 001
(San Luis Valley Region) / Image of Utility Outage
It is 4:00PM MDT on a cool March afternoon. Road maintenance crews working along US Highway 160 accidently knocked down a power line which causes a transformer in a nearby sub-station to short out and catch on fire shutting down the entire sub-station.
With the loss of the sub-station electrical service to Rio Grande Hospital and the surrounding area has shut down.
Due to problems obtaining the necessary replacement parts, the utility company estimates that it may take up to 24 hours before electricity can be restored to the area.
Rio Grande Hospital has been functioning on generator power since the accident.
Temperatures overnight are expected to drop into the upper teens.
All computer and communication systems are working for the purposes of this exercise.
Do not send any messages unless specifically told to do so as an action step in the exercise.
Time Allotted / 10 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Scenario – # 001
(Southwest Region) / Image of Utility Outage
It is 4:00PM MDT on a cool March afternoon. Road maintenance crews working along US Highway 160 accidently knocked down a power line which causes a transformer in a nearby sub-station to short out and catch on fire shutting down the entire sub-station.
With the loss of the sub-station electrical service to Mercy Regional Medical Center and the surrounding area has shut down.
Due to problems obtaining the necessary replacement parts, the utility company estimates that it may take up to 24 hours before electricity can be restored to the area.
Mercy Regional Medical Center has been functioning on generator power since the accident.
Temperatures overnight are expected to drop into the upper teens.
All computer and communication systems are working for the purposes of this exercise.
Do not send any messages unless specifically told to do so as an action step in the exercise.
Time Allotted / 10 Minutes
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 002 / Image of Generator
Identify and describe the hospital’s initial concerns and actions upon the losing electrical power.
Concern / Action # 1:
Concern / Action # 2:
Concern / Action # 3:
Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 002
(Both Regions) / Image of Generator
Identify and describe the initial concerns and actions upon losing electrical power at your hospital.
Concern / Action # 1:
Concern / Action # 2:
Concern / Action # 3:
Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Inject – # 003
(Both Regions) / Image of EOP
According to the hospital’s Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) would internal notification be made to hospital administration and / or staff when the hospital loses electrical power? / Yes / No
If the above answer is yes. – Explain how internal hospital notification would be accomplished.
Identify, by titles, the administrators and department heads that would be included in the hospital’s internal notification.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Inject – # 004
(Both Regions) / Image of HICS
Would the Hospital Command Center (HCC) be activated for an electrical utility outage affecting your hospital? / Yes / No
Explain the decision making process for activating the HCC.
Identify the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) positions that would be staffed.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Inject – # 005
(Both Regions) / Image of External Partner
If your hospital was without electrical utilities and running off of its generators.
Briefly describe the various notifications that would be made to external partners.
List the point of contact and their phone numbers for three external partners that would be notified based on the hospital’s EOP.
External Partner – Point of Contact / Phone Numbers # 1:
External Partner – Point of Contact / Phone Numbers # 2:
External Partner – Point of Contact / Phone Numbers # 3:
Identify any additional external partners that are not currently identified in the hospital’s EOP that should be contacted.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Inject – # 006
(Both Regions) / Image of Computer
If your hospital was without electrical utilities and running off of its generators.
According to the CHECS plan would the hospital be responsible for notifying other hospitals within the region? / Yes / No
If the above answer is yes. – Describe how this will be accomplished.
Prepare text for an EMResource event notification that would be sent to hospitals within the region.
Do not send any messages unless specifically told to do so as an action step in the exercise.
If the above answer is no. – Explain why.
Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 007 / Image of Computer
When ready to launch the EMResource event call Natalie Riggins at 303-917-7794.
DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL NATALIE IS CONTACTED.
Create an event in EMResource to notify the region’s other hospitals of the current situation.
Be sure to include what 800 MHz radio channel for hospitals to monitor for more information.
For exercise purposes be sure to check the Drill box when creating an event in EMResource.
Once the EMResource notifications have been made continue to move forward in the exercise.
Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 007
(Both Regions) / No Image
NONE
Time Allotted / 0 Minutes
CHECS – # 008 – Stop Point / No Image
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 009 / Image of Roll Call
Conduct a radio roll call.
Was the hospital able to establish communications with all hospitals in the region? / Yes / No
If the above answer is no. – Provide a list of the hospitals that did not respond during the radio roll call.
Was the hospital able to launch the event in EMResource? / Yes / No
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 009
(Both Regions) / Image of Roll Call
Did the hospital participate in the radio roll call? / Yes / No
Did the hospital receive an event notification via EMResource? / Yes / No
If the above answer is yes. – Briefly describe how the EMResource event notice was received.
Are appropriate staff members receiving EMResource notifications? / Yes / No
If the above answer is no. – List the changes / additions to the list that need to be made.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 010 / No Image
NONE
Time Allotted / 0 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 010
(Both Regions) / Image of Information
When notified by the affected hospital via EMResource, did the message contain an appropriate amount of information? / Yes / No
If the above answer is no. – Identify any additional details regarding the event that would have been useful.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Inject – # 011
(Both Regions) / Image of Decision Making
Describe the hospital’s decision making and assessment process for requesting resources in an emergency situation.
Identify the various approvals that are required internally before requesting resources.
Does the hospital’s EOP outline financial or other criteria thresholds for approvals? / Yes / No
Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
CHECS – ALL – Inject – # 012
(Both Regions) / Image of Requesting Supplies
Based on the CHECS plan, briefly describe how the hospital would request supplies from other hospitals within the region.
Does this process make sense for the region? / Yes / No
If the above answer is yes or no. – Briefly explain the reasoning.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Scenario – # 013 / Image of Blanket
The hospital’s generators have been preforming as expected providing electrical power to the various hospital’s operations.
Suddenly, without warning, the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system fails.
The hospital’s maintenance crew is working to analyze the problem and make repairs.
Room temperatures are now in the low 70s but without heat can be expected to drop over the next few hours unless the HVAC system can be brought back online.
As a precaution, the hospital has decided to request 100 blankets from other hospitals within the region.
Time Allotted / 10 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 013
(Both Regions) / No Image
NONE
Time Allotted / 0 Minutes
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 014 / Image of Computer
According to the CHECS plan, resource requests will be made via EMResource and phone calls made to other hospitals in the region.
Prepare text for an EMResource event up-date requesting 100 blankets.
Make the necessary phone calls to the other hospitals in the region.
Once the EMResource event up-date has been posted and the phone calls have been made continue to move forward in the exercise.
Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 014
(Both Regions) / No Image
NONE
Time Allotted / 0 Minutes
CHECS – # 015 – Stop Point / No Image
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 016 / Image of Phone
Was the hospital able to make contact with all hospitals in the region? / Yes / No
If the above answer is no. – Briefly explain why.
Time Allotted / 10 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 016
(Both Regions) / Image of Hospital Command Center
Did the hospital receive a phone call from the affected hospital? / Yes / No
If the above answer is yes. – Briefly describe what was discussed during the phone call.
Time Allotted / 10 Minutes
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 017 / Image of Paperwork
The Resource Request form should be used as the written request to follow-up a verbal request for supplies according to Colorado’s hospital Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The hospital is in need of 100 blankets within the next four hours.
Utilizing the Excel version of this form complete Section 1 then e-mail it to all hospitals within the region.
Be sure to include “This is an exercise message” in the e-mail subject line.
Did the e-mail addresses found in the CHECS plan for the region’s hospitals work? / Yes / No
Does e-mailing this form during an emergency make sense? / Yes / No
Would faxing the form during an emergency be a better option than e-mailing the form? / Yes / No
Once the e-mail has been sent continue to move forward in the exercise.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 017
(Both Regions) / Image of Tracking
Summarize the process of lending resources according to the hospital’s EOP. Topics to be reviewed should include: approvals, forms, equipment tracking, communication, etc.
Time Allotted / 15 Minutes
CHECS – # 018 – Stop Point / No Image
CHECS – AF – MRMC / RGH – Inject – # 019 / No Image
NONE
Time Allotted / 0 Minutes
CHECS – SF – Inject – # 019
(Both Regions) / Image of Paperwork
Was a written Resource Request form received from the affected hospital via e-mail? / Yes / No
If a Resource Request form was not received via e-mail, check the point of contact e-mail listed in the CHECS Plan.
If no e-mail was received make a note of the gap and continue to move forward in the exercise at this time.
If the above answer is yes. – Did the form provide all of the information that was needed? / Yes / No