Disaster Planning in Action for Coastal Valleys EMS in Northern California

In Fall 2017, with more than 36,807 acres burned, Northern California experienced the worst wildland fire in state history, as the Tubbs fire, a rapid and fast growing wildland fire, burned its way through Sonoma County. By 23:00 on October 8, 2017, the edge of the fire hit the city limits of Santa Rosa, the most populated city in Sonoma County, with more than 175,000 residents. By the end of the natural disaster, more than 5,500 structures were burned and 24 people lost their lives. The Team The Sonoma County Healthcare Coalition, an established working group for disaster response, is made up of hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, dialysis centers, dispatch centers, EMS/Fire providers, urgent care centers and specialty disaster systems. This coalition, with its established countywide disaster plans, best practices, policies, procedures and a forum for communication between all levels of medical services, was put in action during the Tubbs fires. Working alongside the coalition was the Coastal Valleys EMS Agency, a dual-county local EMS agency. Team members Bryan Cleaver, EMS Administrator; Joanne Chapman, EMS Coordinator; Jen Bank, EMS Coordinator; James Salvante, EMS Coordinator; Carly Sullivan, ALS Coordinator; Theresa Lombardi, Administrative Aid; Lucinda Gardner, Epidemiologist; Mark Luoto, Medical Director; and myself; Data System Manager, all worked around the clock in partnership with the coalition. We worked to support the EMS system, shelters and the staffing of ...
Source: JEMS Special Topics - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents Exclusive Articles Source Type: news