Where’s the Senior Executive Team?

Did you know that there are 1,200 earthquakes recorded in British Columbia a year? We need to prepare for a major seismic event and know how to protect ourselves when they happen. You could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes: at home, at work, at school, or even on vacation.

As health care professionals, we recognize the very real impact that such an event could have on the people we serve and the demand for health services amidst a disaster, not to mention on each of us and our own families.

Each year, British Columbians practice emergency preparedness through the Great BC ShakeOut drill. The drill is an annual opportunity to practice emergency preparedness both at home and the workplace.

On October 15 at 10:15 a.m., residents across the province will ‘drop, cover and hold on’ for two minutes; the time it takes for the shaking to stop during an earthquake.

In direct patient care areas, it may not be feasible to perform the Drop, Cover and Hold On drill. Instead, use the two minutes at 10:15 am to do a quick safety huddle or walk around to identify objects that may fall on staff or patients during an earthquake.

Your colleagues in Health Emergency Management British Columbia (HEMBC) encourage you to use this opportunity to also:

• Test departmental fan out lists
• Practice tabletop exercises
• Revise/update your emergency/disaster response plan
• Conduct ‘safety huddles’ on units/departments
• Put together an emergency kit with enough food, water and medication to last 72 hours (per person and pet!)
• Create a simple family plan and discuss it so everyone in your family knows what to do when the earthquake happens

Remember: Drop, Cover and Hold! What we do now, will help us prepare for when disaster strikes.

For further information contact your local HEMBC representative or visit www.shakeoutbc.ca.