Preparation
Assign an observer and individuals that would be present at the time of the event or who would be contacted during the event.
The individuals participating in the event should focus on following procedures in place for such an event and should consider:
- Staff and patient safety
- Communication
- Equipment
- Personnel
- Utilities
- Initial response
Scenario
It is 10:00 AM on a Tuesday in January. The temperature outside is -5º F. A parade has been planned today to celebrate the local team winning a national championship.
- At 10:05 AM, a severe weather announcement has been made for a significant snowfall to begin at noon, the same time the parade begins.
- At 12:00 PM, light snow begins to fall.
- At 1:00 PM, the snowfall becomes heavy, with an accumulation of six inches per hour.
- At 3:00 PM, the wind picks up and newly fallen snow begins to blow.
- At 3:10 PM, five of the 15 staff members ask to go home and two afternoon shift staff call to say they cannot make it in.
- At 10:00 PM, the snow stops, and the midnight staff arrives after the snowplows have cleared the major streets.
Note: allow participants to react to each individual event in the scenario before moving to another event.
Follow-Up Question
- What needs to be done to recover from the event?
