Sleepy Hollow hospital needs 200 'victims' for disaster drill

Sleepy Hollow hospital needs 200 'victims' for disaster drill
By GERALD MCKINSTRYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 10, 2007)
SLEEPY HOLLOW - With the threat of terrorism always present, emergency responders know they need to be ready. And for that they need to practice on victims, or in this instance, volunteers.
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center is having a disaster drill Aug. 25 at its emergency center, which includes a decontamination unit. The hospital needs 100-200 volunteers to play the role of attack victims, Jeff Meade, director of the center for emergency education at the hospital, said recently.
"We're looking at new and potentially lethal threats," Meade said of the importance of such drills. "It's really to determine how many people are affected and how many we can decontaminate."
Phelps' decontamination unit, the first stop for anyone exposed in a chemical, biological or radiological incident, essentially cleanses people of toxins so they can enter the hospital for treatment. The unit is a way for responders to keep potentially hazardous materials and toxins out of the emergency room during a disaster.
"People may be contaminated and need to be treated," said Meade, also a member of Westchester County's Hazardous Materials Response Team. "This is the new standard. This is what the world expects today."
Meade said the emergency center held a similar drill three years ago and hospital officials believed it was important to conduct another one because of ongoing concerns about terrorism.
Its proximity to the Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan is also a reason responders must be ready.
The exact emergency scenario has not yet been created, Meade said, although it will replicate the aftermath of an attack or industrial explosion.
Sleepy Hollow's fire department and ambulance services will be there to help the medical staff.
The volunteers, Meade said, will get a free lunch and might even learn a few things. But mostly, he said, the drill is to help emergency responders.