County-Wide Disaster Drill to be Held at Firelands Regional Medical Center
(November 27, 2017 - Sandusky, Ohio) – On Thursday, more than 15 agencies and businesses from Erie County will participate in a full scale emergency exercise held at Firelands Regional Medical Center. From 8 am to 12:30 pm, residents, patients, and guests may notice law enforcement and fire personnel and vehicles inside and outside the hospital as well as hear overhead pages throughout the hospital pertaining to the exercise. While there will be increased activity at the hospital, Firelands is committed to ensuring that patient care will not be disrupted.
The exercise, which helps participants work through what they would do in a real disaster scenario, is funded by a grant through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and developed in conjunction with the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio.
“Preparedness is important,” said Sarah Henkel, director of safety & security at Firelands Regional Medical Center. “You never know what is going to happen so working together with various businesses and agencies, and having good communication is key. Participating in exercises like this helps us better prepare in case a real disaster was to happen.”
Participants include Firelands Regional Medical Center, Milan Township Fire Department, Providence Care Centers, Stein Hospice, Perkins Fire and Police Departments, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, the American Red Cross, the FBI, Margaretta Township Fire Department, Erie County Health Department, Sandusky Fire and Police Departments, Family Health Services and the Erie County Emergency Management Office.
