April 2013, From Massachusetts to Texas, Disasters That Remind Us of Our Own Preparedness Needs

Abstract

The week of April 15, 2013, included a terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon and, more than 1000 miles away, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. These two uniquely different disasters also shared many similarities. In each case, the explosions claimed lives and injured hundreds. The surge of trauma and burn-injured patients stressed local first-response systems as well as the first receiver hospitals and clinicians. This surge of patients posed the potential to overwhelm, yet, in each situation, they were prepared. National and international disasters from the 9/11 attacks1,–3 to Hurricane Katrina,4 to the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami,5 to the Haitian earthquake6 remind us that nothing should be taken for granted. This variability of disasters reminds us that an “all hazards” approach is the right approach. Beyond that which we are required to do for our accreditation or various groups that verify or certify certain areas of distinction within a hospital, preparedness is a culture that starts with each of us. What does your plan look like? Does it resemble what you do every day? How often do you test your plan either through modeling, tabletop, functional, or full-scale exercise, or actual use? Do you critique your response and employ lessons learned to improve future preparedness and response activities?