An abstract from Active Shooter Drill, a video and drill tool kit created by the HASC Security and Safety Committee, has been submitted and accepted for the Joint Commission’s 10th Annual Emergency Preparedness Conference, “Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling,” this May in Orlando, Fla.

The Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response reviewed all abstracts. Santiago Chambers, Manager of Safety and Security, Environmental Health and Safety Environment of Care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and a member of the HASC Security and Safety Committee, submitted the abstract in an effort to share the best practices created.

Spearheaded and funded by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Security and Safety Committee’s Active Shooter Video dramatically demonstrates the importance of conducting preparedness training; the Drill Tool Kit and scripting for the video, collaborative products of the Committee, provide the tools necessary for each facility to conduct a local exercise and develop a plan that leads to a safer, more prepared environment.

The Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response published “Hospital-Based Shootings in the United States: 2000 to 2011″ in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, December 2012. According to a review of hospital-based shootings in the United States from 2000 to 2011, 154 hospital-related shootings occurred, with 235 injured or dead victims. The fatality rate among “innocent” victims was 55%; the remaining fatalities were the perpetrator. The data indicated that approximately 3% of registered U.S. hospitals experience at least one shooting event with a victim (in or on hospital grounds during the 12-year period studied). Of all of the incidents studied, 59% occurred inside the hospital building, with 34% of those events occurring in the emergency department and 32% occurring in patient rooms.

HASC’s Security and Safety Committee worked collaboratively to develop best practice tools for other health care settings to use. The tools include: The Active Shooter Video with two scenarios, Drill Resources of: Active Shooter Scenarios, Victim Cards, Safety Checklist, Safety and Security Rules, Hold Harmless Agreement, Release Waiver of Liability Agreement, Post Survey, Pre-Survey, Scribe Template, Program Script, Confirmation of Attendance, Job Descriptions, Active Shooter Staffing Plan, Media Advisory, “How To” Sheet, Nature of Events Notice, Panelist Standard Agreement, Final Confirmation, Committee Hot Wash, Security Drill Flier-Poster, Conference and Drill Agenda, and Master Scenario Events List. The resource materials come from across the United States and include scenarios from NYPD, FEMA and OSHA Workplace Violence Guides. All of the resource materials are available at: http://www.hasc.org/active-shooter-drill-resources. The video can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/70432491.

“The Active Shooter event and the drill tool kit created from it are unprecedented in that they represent best practices on this topic from a variety of hospitals and health care settings,” Chambers explained. “For this reason, it was important to the Committee to share this on a national level with the Joint Commission, so that everyone could benefit from lessons learned and how to make our facilities safer.”

At the actual event in March 2013, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and HASC partnered with dozens of hospitals in Southern California to put on one of the largest Active Shooter Drills in Los Angeles, using the old General Hospital at Los Angeles County USC for the exercise. Nearly 300 participants engaged in this all-day active shooter exercise. The Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Ventura Police served as the active shooters and first responders. Hospital personnel, clinical and support staff participated with realistic roles. Safety officers, medical personnel, guides and monitors were all assigned and positioned to ensure safety.

The HASC Security and Safety Committee is chaired by Darren Morgan, Corporate Director of Patient Transportation, Safety & Security at Citrus Valley Health Partners, and co-chaired by Joseph R. Henry, Emergency Preparedness Planner, Kaiser Permanente – Orange County. The immediate past chair is Daniel J. Holden, Director of Healthcare Services, Southwest Region, AlliedBarton Security Services.

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