You have to prepare for these kinds of things in this day and age, we suppose.

Press release from Mad River Community Hospital:

On Wednesday May 23, 2018, Mad River Community Hospital (MRCH) will be conducting a disaster drill from 9pm-11pm. The event will simulate a mass shooting and will test the hospital’s ability to take in a large volume of patients.

Also participating in the drill are Humboldt State University Police Department (HSUPD), the Arcata Fire District (AFD), and United Indian Health Services (UIHS). The drill will begin at UIHS where approximately 25 volunteer will act as “patients” who have been in a mass shooting incident. They will be transported via ambulance to MRCH where hospital staff will practice their capability to rapidly mobilize hospital resources, staff, and equipment; open up patient care areas to accommodate new patients; and track the distribution of patients from intake to transfer or discharge.

Humboldt State University Police Department and the Arcata Fire District will be able to practice their ability to aid in getting people the medical attention they need as soon as possible.

The Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) will be activated once the drill starts. HICS is an organizational system that focuses on incident management and resources on the areas of greatest need. Based on the National Incident Management System, HICS standardizes emergency response so that leadership and task management is streamlined, terminology is consistent across agencies, and resources are distributed more efficiently. HICS improves management of small local incidents, and can be scaled up to allow us to work effectively with local, state, and federal responders.

The drill will not affect normal patient care and the emergency room will continue to take in patients as usual.