Published On: December 19, 2018
MOCK Hospital/Police Service
Emergency Training Exercise Taking Place TODAY – December 19
ST. THOMAS, Wednesday, December 19, 2018 — St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) and St. Thomas Police Service (STPS) will be coordinating an emergency training exercise and response this morning at the hospital. The exercise is expected to last for approximately 30 minutes.
The purpose of the exercise is to provide an opportunity to test STEGH’s Code Silver (Active Assailant) response as well as the St. Thomas Police Service response.
Staff and volunteers will pose as “actors” to simulate active attackers and casualties and the sound of gunfire (blanks) will be used.
The training exercise will take place in a controlled location within the hospital. Patient care areas will not be part of the training exercise; however, patients and visitors may see an increased police presence at the hospital.
Staff and volunteers will use the opportunity to apply the detailed response set out in hospital policies and procedures, as appropriate.
Hospital and police observers will be present to monitor response and document lessons learned.
The training exercise will be videotaped and recorded by the St. Thomas Police Service.
Advance communication
In addition to this Public Notice, a variety of external communication tactics are being employed to build awareness in advance of the training exercise, including signage, alerts on the hospital’s overhead page system, website postings, social media messages and on-site support from STEGH’s Volunteer Services. Patients and families entering the hospital during the timeframe of the exercise will be advised of the event.
Following a debrief meeting with all participants, outcomes and learnings will be shared.