March 29, 2024

Yikes!

Hospital uses armed man in unannounced drill

Test of security procedures results in frightening moments

By Marshall Allen

Saturday, May 29, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.

How’s this for an ill-conceived emergency preparedness drill? An off-duty cop pretending to be a terrorist stormed into a hospital intensive care unit brandishing a handgun, which he pointed at nurses while herding them down a corridor and into a room.

There, after harrowing moments, he explained that the whole caper was a training exercise.

via Hospital uses armed man in unannounced drill – Saturday, May 29, 2010 | 2:01 a.m. – Las Vegas Sun.

Wow.  Terrorizing the nurses in the name of preparedness.  Wong on so many levels it’s mind-boggling.

Hat Tip: reader Eric B

12 thoughts on “Hospital uses armed man in unannounced drill – Saturday, May 29, 2010 | 2:01 a.m. – Las Vegas Sun

  1. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

    This is not the first time a police agency has participated in one of these so-called unannounced preparedness exercises gone wrong. There was one earlier in the year at a school in NJ or PA too. Do these people not think! Communications disconnect my ass! The UC cop is lucky that a citizen with a CCW permit or cop from another agency didn’t put two in the ten ring.

  2. +1.
    It’s against company policy to carry where I work, but that rule is violated daily.

  3. I was going to say something but DocV beat me to it.

    Although if there was a CCW or cop in the ER, it would be hard to get closer to medical care for the ensuing gun shot wounds. That assumes the victims of this drill didn’t hold a grudge…

  4. Dear Lord… this would get somebody shot where I work. My current facility is absolutely the most heavily-armed medical staff I’ve EVER seen, with half the staff having CCW permits, up to and including the CEO.

    You can’t tell me the hospital risk management people signed off on this Charlie-Foxtrot.

  5. I… Wha…. Who…. Wha… And Nobody got hurt? That is the amazing part.

    William, RN sends.

  6. Just to play devil’s advocate for a second, I suppose you could make the argument that real disasters come unannounced…but still…

    Could you imagine a highly motivated nurse, housekeeper, or family member picking up a chair and beating the snot out of that guy?

  7. How about someone with a heart condition? Or maybe someone fainting and ending up with a head injury? F-wits thought this one up.

  8. Let me get this straight. That was a drill to see if staff was prepared for a terrorist incident.

    obviously the staff wasn’t prepared. Staff now complains that THEY WEREN’T TOLD IN ADVANCE ABOUT IT!!11

    What part of “DRILL” do you not understand?

  9. Absolutely agreeing with TheNewGuy and William. WTF?!

    Why would an ICU need to be prepared against terrorist attacks anyway? The mind, it boggles.

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