Santa Barbara County hospitals, clinics, the Public Health Department, Emergency Medical Services, the Sheriff’s Department, the Fire Department and other partners will participate Thursday morning in a statewide medical and health exercise with an Improvised Explosive Device scenario.
The purpose of the exercise is to provide medical care facilities with an opportunity to evaluate response plans and capabilities for an IED threat or event in the county. This is only an exercise.
The exercise will focus on the:
» Ability of hospitals and other medical care providers to communicate and respond effectively to a large surge of patients with EMS and law response partners.
» Ability of the Public Health Department Operations Center to provide resources and support to the IED response through coordination of local and regional health-care partners.
» Implementation of the sheriff coroner mass fatality plan and law enforcement response operations.
More than 85 mock injured “victims” with makeup injuries will be present at emergency departments across the county, with 27 agencies participating.
— Susan Klein-Rothschild is a public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.