Drill prepares hospital for armed intruder invasion

Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital staff is reviewing the results of an armed intruder drill conducted at the Lincoln City medical center.

“Practice is vitally important to ensure proper action is taken when a real emergency response is required,” Samaritan Health Services Security Coordinator Malcom Rutherford said.

The drill, a slow walk-through with the goal of educating all staff on the appropriate response to an armed intruder, was conducted on Friday, April 26.

“Ultimately, we want all patients, staff and visitors to be as safe as they possibly can be if the worst-case scenario were to ever happen here,” Rutherford said.

The active portion of the armed intruder drill began at approximately 6 p.m., focusing on the Samaritan Early Learning Center with the impact throughout the entire hospital campus. The simulated shooter was portrayed by an actor holding a clearly fake weapon colored bright orange.

Samaritan Health Services’ security, emergency management and marketing teams answered the following questions from the Lincoln County Leader.

When did the hospital begin conducting active shooter drills and why? Samaritan Health Services has a longstanding tradition of preparedness drills. Several years ago, we introduced armed intruder drills in response to the increasing frequency of such events nationwide. The primary objective of these exercises is to enhance our resiliency in the face of emergencies.

What has been the take-away for hospital employees and administration from these drills? Overall, we have had excellent engagement from our administration and staff. The knowledge and skills acquired during armed intruder response training are applicable in the health care setting and daily life. We facilitate open forums before each drill to address staff questions or concerns.

What is the hospital’s message to the public about these drills? Ensuring safety remains our paramount concern, especially during drills. Scenario planning prioritizes minimizing disruptions to clinical operations, with patient care taking precedence over drill activities.

What about hospital visitors if there is an active shooter event at the hospital? Samaritan advocates the “run, hide, fight” protocol, originally developed by the Houston (Texas) Police Department and endorsed nationwide by the FBI. In the event of an armed intruder, patients and visitors are advised to quickly assess the situation and make informed decisions based on unfolding circumstances. Find comprehensive guidance at fbi.gov/Survive.

Law enforcement partnership

Lincoln City Police Department officers participated at the hospital during the April 26 drill.

“By partnering with the hospital in conducting these types of drills, we have the opportunity to learn what type of response can be expected from hospital staff, and they have the opportunity to learn how law enforcement would respond to that type of situation,” LCPD Lt. Jeffrey Winn said. “By working together and interacting with each other on these types of drills, both agencies get a better understanding of each other’s response protocols and responsibilities. It also allows us the ability to review and critique the responses and make any necessary adjustments to improve those protocols.”

LCPD officers receive training in active shooter response from the law enforcement agency’s active shooter response instructors, as well as from instructors from outside the agency. Several LCPD officers participated in active shooter response training recently conducted at Taft High School.

“By participating in these training events, we are preparing our officers to be able to respond to these types of situations using sound tactics and knowledge, giving them the confidence to act decisively and resolve the threat and keep people safe,” Winn said. “As we have seen, an active shooter situation can occur anywhere such as public places with large crowds, schools, grocery stores, workplaces and houses of worship.”