University Medical Center, Clark County’s public hospital, held a drill Tuesday to prepare for a surge of patients in the emergency room, bringing back memories of almost five years ago when the fallout from America’s worst mass shooting descended on local ERs.
Deputy Clark County Fire Chief Billy Samuels remembers it well.
“People were getting loaded up in trucks and just dumped off at emergency departments,” Samuels told me.
On One October, anything with wheels took victims to local hospitals. Waves came. 58 people died that night, and two more later.
More than 400 were wounded.
They arrived at hospitals in pickups, Ubers, taxis...cop cars.
“And so the ER staff is going to have to come outside and kind of start treating patients - basically triaging them. The second wave is going to come in in another vehicle. Then a 3rd wave and the 4th wave. All different vehicles which is what we saw on One October,” Samuels says, outlining how the 30-minute drill played out Tuesday afternoon.
This drill is practicing how to triage patients - determining who can survive and who cannot, and moving those who can be helped to doctors who can help them. The goal of the exercise is to help hospitals and local fire departments work together to prepare for patient surges. The Clark County Fire Department was also joined in the exercise by LVMPD and Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
This drill at UMC is actually the 5th that has been held in Clark County.
“We're very fortunate that every hospital in the valley is participating with us this month. And every fire department as well has decided to participate,” says Samuels.
From the hospital's perspective, success here depends on speed and communication...something drills like this practice.
“I think the thing to understand is when you're in situations and scenarios like this it's not just an ER. Thankfully behind us in UMC we have a huge team,” says Jeffrey Castillo, who runs UMC’s emergency room. “We may be full in the ER but we need to understand how do you move these patients -mobilize these patients that no longer need emergency care. How do we get them discharged? How do we move them to admitted beds,” he adds.