WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.950 [Tone] 00:00:06.950 --> 00:00:10.410 [The U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 00:00:10.410 --> 00:00:13.340 Public Health Service presents M-1510, 00:00:13.340 --> 00:00:16.340 MCMLXVII] 00:00:16.340 --> 00:00:17.130 [Background music] 00:00:17.130 --> 00:00:24.450 [A National Medical Audiovisual Center Production] 00:00:24.450 --> 00:00:25.840 [Narrator:] This is looking south 00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:28.250 on Branch Road about 10:29 AM. 00:00:28.250 --> 00:00:29.920 You can see the funnel touching down 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:35.800 on the outskirts of town. 00:00:35.800 --> 00:00:38.030 Here's the monster still moving northeast 00:00:38.030 --> 00:00:40.520 about 10:31, just two minutes later. 00:00:40.520 --> 00:00:42.400 That's one of our ambulances, 00:00:42.400 --> 00:00:46.430 on its way to pick up casualties. 00:00:46.430 --> 00:00:49.590 This is looking west on Fourth Street about 10:42. 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:51.770 There are people under that funnel. 00:00:51.770 --> 00:01:01.650 [Background music] 00:01:01.650 --> 00:01:03.400 This is one of the emergency vehicles. 00:01:03.400 --> 00:01:05.430 They're following the path of destruction and 00:01:05.430 --> 00:01:09.040 trying to keep track of the funnel's direction. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:16.250 [Sirens] 00:01:16.250 --> 00:01:18.210 There's Simmons Chemical. 00:01:18.210 --> 00:01:20.690 Here we had most of our casualties. 00:01:20.690 --> 00:01:22.240 By 11 o'clock the list was taken. 00:01:22.240 --> 00:01:32.320 We had four fire companies here, and our rescue units. 00:01:32.320 --> 00:01:43.390 The men in white suits are civil defense rescue teams. 00:01:43.390 --> 00:01:50.260 We had every available fire company here. 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:52.240 That's the mayor. 00:01:52.240 --> 00:01:54.080 He's making a quick survey of damage 00:01:54.080 --> 00:01:56.500 to the city. 00:01:56.500 --> 00:01:57.590 He's trying to determine 00:01:57.590 --> 00:01:58.520 whether or not to ask the governor 00:01:58.520 --> 00:02:00.930 to declare the area a disaster area 00:02:00.930 --> 00:02:04.950 so we can get more help. 00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:06.010 You see women trying to find out if 00:02:06.010 --> 00:02:12.790 their husbands are among the dead. 00:02:12.790 --> 00:02:14.240 We were lucky to have the facilities 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:16.740 of a snorkel to get into the smoldering 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:22.420 embers and make sure the fire was dead out. 00:02:22.420 --> 00:02:23.870 This is the explosion area, 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:26.070 where wind knocked over a tank, 00:02:26.070 --> 00:02:27.240 and it blew up, 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:33.250 adding that much more havoc to that caused by the funnel. 00:02:33.250 --> 00:02:35.790 Some of the casualties needed immediate care 00:02:35.790 --> 00:02:41.770 at the explosion site. 00:02:41.770 --> 00:02:44.170 You see rescue workers trying to 00:02:44.170 --> 00:02:50.560 get people out from under that debris. 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:54.030 Despite the quick response of firefighters and rescue teams, 00:02:54.030 --> 00:02:57.870 we needed help, and we were lucky that so many plant workers 00:02:57.870 --> 00:03:09.290 kept their heads, stayed and helped with the rescue work. 00:03:09.290 --> 00:03:14.830 Here again women trying to get to the entrance. 00:03:14.830 --> 00:03:16.070 There were many killed. 00:03:16.070 --> 00:03:17.840 It was a sorrowful time for those who arrived 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:18.720 at the scene 00:03:18.720 --> 00:03:24.350 and found that a member of their family had been a victim of the disaster. 00:03:24.350 --> 00:03:26.130 We didn't know how many more casualties 00:03:26.130 --> 00:03:31.270 would be under the debris. 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:33.440 In another part of the plant which had sustained 00:03:33.440 --> 00:03:35.160 only wind damage, 00:03:35.160 --> 00:03:38.460 we set up a first-aid station where ambulances and other vehicles 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:40.730 could get to the causalties, 00:03:40.730 --> 00:03:44.230 get in, and get them out to a hospital if necessary. 00:03:44.230 --> 00:03:48.530 Spectators and relatives trying to get to and find their loved ones 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:50.570 caused a continuing traffic problem 00:03:50.570 --> 00:03:54.140 and there was no getting them out of the way. 00:03:54.140 --> 00:03:57.040 There's Dr. Ryan. He was everywhere 00:03:57.040 --> 00:04:02.920 attending to the injured. 00:04:02.920 --> 00:04:05.380 Wherever we went the ever-present problem 00:04:05.380 --> 00:04:16.170 of spectators trying to find family. 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:18.060 We were making use of any vehicle 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:25.140 we could get our hands on; even private automobiles. 00:04:25.140 --> 00:04:30.360 The injured, the dead, the rescuers. 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:35.100 The frantic effort to retrieve life, to preserve it. 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:42.600 We respond almost by instinct, with total maximum effort. 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:44.720 There's no holding back. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:49.540 In an emergency like this you give everything you've got. 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:51.590 It's the price you pay. 00:04:51.590 --> 00:04:57.700 [Background music] 00:04:57.700 --> 00:05:00.240 Memorial Hospital, the city's largest. 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.190 At 11:15 this Thursday morning, 00:05:02.190 --> 00:05:05.470 the staff is attempting to provide a quality standard of care 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:07.210 for all casualties, 00:05:07.210 --> 00:05:12.380 and their hospital is damaged, without city light or power. 00:05:12.380 --> 00:05:13.780 [Sirens] 00:05:13.780 --> 00:05:20.800 [Voice on public address system:] Mr. Barnes, please report to the emergency room, Mr. Barnes. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:06:03.000 [Sirens, shouting, more words from PA system] 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.060 [Narrator:] Richard Barnes, administrator at Memorial. 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:07.330 He has to be everywhere at once this morning 00:06:07.330 --> 00:06:13.550 as his hospital strains to meet this emergency. 00:06:13.550 --> 00:06:14.710 [Man walking with Mr. Barnes:] What about this power problem? 00:06:14.710 --> 00:06:16.020 [Richard Barnes:] They promise to turn us 00:06:16.020 --> 00:06:17.090 on in a couple of minutes. 00:06:17.090 --> 00:06:23.280 The generator is working but it's only emergency lighting. 00:06:23.280 --> 00:06:24.270 [Man walking with Barnes:] The elevators are still out? 00:06:24.270 --> 00:06:30.790 [Richard Barnes:] Right. 00:06:30.790 --> 00:06:32.250 [Doctor:] Oh hi, Dick, I had them page you. 00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:34.400 You know anything yet on how many we can expect? 00:06:34.400 --> 00:06:36.570 [Richard Barnes:] We haven't been able to reach the plant. 00:06:36.570 --> 00:06:38.840 We're getting a lot of casualties from other parts of town. 00:06:38.840 --> 00:06:43.300 [Male:] Mr. Burns, should we use the emergency ambulances to send discharged patients home? 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:44.780 [Richard Burns:] No, I want those units kept right here 00:06:44.780 --> 00:06:46.910 until we're sure all the casualties are in. 00:06:46.910 --> 00:06:49.800 Now tell the people in the lobby to telephone home or telephone a cab, 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:51.590 and get them out of here as fast as you can. 00:06:51.590 --> 00:06:53.760 [Male:] Yes, sir. 00:06:53.760 --> 00:06:55.700 [Doctor:] We have five injured right here in the hospital 00:06:55.700 --> 00:06:58.030 cut by glass breakage. 00:06:58.030 --> 00:06:59.300 [Richard Barnes:] With this patient load, 00:06:59.300 --> 00:07:01.050 how many beds are we going to need? 00:07:01.050 --> 00:07:01.980 [Doctor:] Well, let's see. 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:07.730 We had three DOAs and one expired here. 00:07:07.730 --> 00:07:10.110 I'd say probably, oh, 00:07:10.110 --> 00:07:13.580 let's say at least 25 more anyway. 00:07:13.580 --> 00:07:15.040 We've got some pretty bad burn cases 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:17.260 from the chemical plant. 00:07:17.260 --> 00:07:20.010 They must have had a pretty hard time up there. 00:07:20.010 --> 00:07:24.030 [Patient lying on gurney:] One of the tanks was damaged and it blew up. 00:07:24.030 --> 00:07:26.090 I was just going outside. 00:07:26.090 --> 00:07:27.380 [Doctor:] What was in the tank? 00:07:27.380 --> 00:07:29.610 [Narrator:] Richard Barnes can't stay to find out. 00:07:29.610 --> 00:07:32.560 With casualties arriving from all over the city, 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:38.100 he has to keep moving to stay on top of a fast-changing situation. 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:40.990 Where should the ambulances be sent? 00:07:40.990 --> 00:07:43.930 How many more patients will need care? 00:07:43.930 --> 00:07:46.370 Will the supplies hold out? 00:07:46.370 --> 00:07:50.410 Without communication, he can only guess. 00:07:50.410 --> 00:07:52.280 [Man on phone:] We're still having problems getting through. 00:07:52.280 --> 00:07:54.000 Oh, the police called. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.810 There are more casualties on the way. 00:07:56.810 --> 00:07:58.300 [Richard Barnes:] Where do we stand on staff? 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:01.340 [Woman seated at table:] All available interns and residents are on duty 00:08:01.340 --> 00:08:07.540 and most of the off-duty nurses have come in. 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:11.240 [Male on phone:] We did talk to Garden Hospital. 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:21.550 They've got all they can handle over there too. 00:08:21.550 --> 00:08:23.850 [Richard Barnes:] This is Thursday. 00:08:23.850 --> 00:08:26.060 Let's plan to discuss this communications problem 00:08:26.060 --> 00:08:29.790 and these other difficulties at the staff meeting on Monday. 00:08:29.790 --> 00:08:30.600 [Man on phone:] Wait. 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:32.490 I'm getting through. 00:08:32.490 --> 00:08:33.350 It's the plant. 00:08:33.350 --> 00:08:33.960 Hello? 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:36.530 Hello, this is Memorial Hospital calling. 00:08:36.530 --> 00:08:39.730 Let me talk to--hello? 00:08:39.730 --> 00:08:41.920 This is urgent. 00:08:41.920 --> 00:08:47.120 Yes, yes, I know that, but... 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.930 They hung up on us. 00:08:50.930 --> 00:08:58.150 [Richard Barnes:] Keep trying. 00:08:58.150 --> 00:09:00.800 [Mayor:] Well, it's serious enough to warrant evacuation. 00:09:00.800 --> 00:09:02.480 [Dr. Hickman:] If they don't close off the valves, 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.520 I'll recommend we evacuate the whole east side of town. 00:09:05.520 --> 00:09:08.310 [Firefighter:] We should know something in five minutes. 00:09:08.310 --> 00:09:12.370 [Narrator:] This is Dr. James Hickman, the city's public health officer. 00:09:12.370 --> 00:09:17.020 He has expert knowledge of the medical implications of this disaster. 00:09:17.020 --> 00:09:21.660 He will have a crucial role in averting further casualties. 00:09:21.660 --> 00:09:23.330 At the improvised aid station, 00:09:23.330 --> 00:09:26.790 the casualties continue to arrive from the explosion site. 00:09:26.790 --> 00:09:30.040 They are cared for and given transportation to Memorial Hospital 00:09:30.040 --> 00:09:35.180 by ambulances, private automobiles, and station wagons. 00:09:35.180 --> 00:09:45.640 [Background activity, horns, and sounds] 00:09:45.640 --> 00:09:47.470 Tom Ryan is a plastic surgeon, 00:09:47.470 --> 00:09:50.940 but this morning he's very much in general practice. 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:55.300 He must care for the injured with limited professional assistance. 00:09:55.300 --> 00:09:58.850 Relatives of the plant workers and others pitch in and help. 00:09:58.850 --> 00:10:00.890 Fortunately, Dr. Ryan's experience 00:10:00.890 --> 00:10:03.320 on the Medical Society's Disaster Committee 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:06.880 has prepared him for some of the difficulties he's meeting. 00:10:06.880 --> 00:10:08.540 [Ambulance Driver:] Hey, doc, Memorial is not my hospital. 00:10:08.540 --> 00:10:10.330 [Dr. Tom Ryan:] These patients have got to go to Memorial. 00:10:10.330 --> 00:10:11.340 Now you know the way, don't you? 00:10:11.340 --> 00:10:11.950 [Ambulance driver:] Yes. 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:15.210 [Dr. Tom Ryan:] Give this envelope to the admitting physician and write this down. 00:10:15.210 --> 00:10:22.520 Tell him you'll be sending Memorial at least eight more bad burns, eight, and four serious traumas. 00:10:22.520 --> 00:10:23.770 Okay? 00:10:23.770 --> 00:10:26.510 Go ahead. 00:10:26.510 --> 00:10:39.000 [Sirens, talking, PA system sounds] 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:40.630 [Narrator:] Monday morning just after 10:00, 00:10:40.630 --> 00:10:45.560 workmen were busy replacing glass in the main lobby of Memorial Hospital. 00:10:45.560 --> 00:10:49.770 At the same time, the regular Monday meeting of the hospital staff. 00:10:49.770 --> 00:10:53.810 [Richard Barnes:] This office commends the medical family of the city. 00:10:53.810 --> 00:10:56.730 We are most pleased with the outstanding performance 00:10:56.730 --> 00:11:01.300 by the staff of Memorial Hospital in meeting this emergency. 00:11:01.300 --> 00:11:06.150 Once again, Memorial has rendered valuable service to this community. 00:11:06.150 --> 00:11:11.800 With regard to any suggestions you may have for improvement of emergency health services, 00:11:11.800 --> 00:11:16.450 Dr. Hickman has assured me he will be happy to discuss this with you. 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:22.580 With sincere appreciation, Ralph W. Lewis, Mayor. 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:26.670 The mayor seems to think we're pretty good, and I agree, of course. 00:11:26.670 --> 00:11:28.670 I know that we were lucky. 00:11:28.670 --> 00:11:30.060 [African-American man:] That's true. 00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:34.470 If the tornado had turned north, it would have gone right through town. 00:11:34.470 --> 00:11:37.850 [Richard Barnes:] I mean, we were lucky. 00:11:37.850 --> 00:11:40.950 Now, we're devoting this meeting to disaster readiness, 00:11:40.950 --> 00:11:44.440 to find out what you think of our performance last week. 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:49.350 Not just this hospital, but the whole medical response. 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:51.590 Frankly, if things had been any worse, 00:11:51.590 --> 00:11:54.130 I'm afraid we would have been in deep trouble. 00:11:54.130 --> 00:11:58.680 [Male meeting participant wearing glasses:] Now, Dick, you're going to have to clarify that. 00:11:58.680 --> 00:12:02.540 You know as well as we all know that every casualty that came in here 00:12:02.540 --> 00:12:04.920 received the best possible attention. 00:12:04.920 --> 00:12:06.660 There's no question about that. 00:12:06.660 --> 00:12:08.510 [Doctor:] The treatment was excellent. 00:12:08.510 --> 00:12:12.210 Whether the patients were handled in terms of immediate needs is another matter. 00:12:12.210 --> 00:12:13.650 We could have done better. 00:12:13.650 --> 00:12:14.610 Let me finish. 00:12:14.610 --> 00:12:19.930 We ought to establish sorting: triage from the moment the first casualty is admitted. 00:12:19.930 --> 00:12:24.500 [Man with glasses:] We didn't need sorting; we weren't dealing in mass casualties. 00:12:24.500 --> 00:12:26.290 [Richard Barnes:] Weren't we? 00:12:26.290 --> 00:12:28.090 We had no way of knowing. 00:12:28.090 --> 00:12:31.290 For a good 40 minutes, we couldn't estimate 00:12:31.290 --> 00:12:33.860 how many more casualties were going to come in. 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:36.830 We admitted 42 in all, plus five injured here. 00:12:36.830 --> 00:12:41.060 It could have been 82, 100 or even 200. 00:12:41.060 --> 00:12:43.140 [Man with glasses:] Why didn't we know? 00:12:43.140 --> 00:12:46.340 Didn't we have communication with the disaster areas? 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:49.860 I mean the plant, the Fourth Street school, 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:51.660 and the downtown area for that matter. 00:12:51.660 --> 00:12:54.090 [Dr. Tom Ryan:] I'd like to answer that. 00:12:54.090 --> 00:12:55.510 As disaster committee chairman, 00:12:55.510 --> 00:12:58.640 I was at one site or the other all the time. 00:12:58.640 --> 00:13:00.570 I couldn't get through to Memorial 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:04.650 until after the last casualties had been put aboard ambulances. 00:13:04.650 --> 00:13:08.680 [Nurse:] Dr. Ryan, was the police two-way radio made available to you? 00:13:08.680 --> 00:13:10.810 [Dr. Tom Ryan:] I found the police very cooperative. 00:13:10.810 --> 00:13:14.890 The problem was to find a squad car near our aid area that wasn't being used. 00:13:14.890 --> 00:13:16.520 [Narrator:] You started something, Mr. Barnes. 00:13:16.520 --> 00:13:17.970 You know your staff; 00:13:17.970 --> 00:13:20.740 they're still close enough to the shock and confusion of last week 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:25.000 to be just a little scared at what might have happened. 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:27.470 If the tornado had turned north, 00:13:27.470 --> 00:13:32.980 or if it came at night with no light, no power. 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:35.460 [African-American man:] As recently as three months ago, 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:40.040 I remember we decided we couldn't afford any more generating equipment. 00:13:40.040 --> 00:13:42.050 [Richard Barnes:] That's true. 00:13:42.050 --> 00:13:44.730 Today I'm sure we decide differently, 00:13:44.730 --> 00:13:48.190 and chalk it up to the high cost of survival. 00:13:48.190 --> 00:13:50.430 I'm sure there are a great many things that can be done 00:13:50.430 --> 00:13:54.520 in this hospital to ensure a better state of readiness, 00:13:54.520 --> 00:13:59.970 and evidently we've got a long way to go in coordinating the whole medical effort. 00:13:59.970 --> 00:14:02.020 But where do we begin? 00:14:02.020 --> 00:14:09.140 Where do we go from here? 00:14:09.140 --> 00:14:11.350 [Narrator:] The price of survival. 00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:14.810 Mankind has paid it over and over. 00:14:14.810 --> 00:14:18.360 For the sake of life we pay it willingly. 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:23.390 We gather our injured and bind their wounds. 00:14:23.390 --> 00:14:26.120 We bury our dead. 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:29.000 We rebuild. 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:37.060 And next time we think we will know better how to cope with disaster. 00:14:37.060 --> 00:14:43.520 So destructive. 00:14:43.520 --> 00:14:46.100 So viciously unpredictable. 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:49.440 Next time. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:52.350 Sometimes because we haven't planned for disaster, 00:14:52.350 --> 00:14:58.240 the price we pay is far greater than it has to be. 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.530 So much bravery deserves preparedness. 00:15:01.530 --> 00:15:05.160 But in the face of disaster, ready or not, 00:15:05.160 --> 00:15:11.720 we pay the price, if we can. 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.850 [Mr. Barnes:] In the chronicles of disaster, our city's experience 00:15:14.850 --> 00:15:17.220 was a minor entry, 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:19.860 but it was enough to make us realize that special effort 00:15:19.860 --> 00:15:23.150 must be devoted to emergency services. 00:15:23.150 --> 00:15:27.300 Next time it might not be so easy to pick up the pieces. 00:15:27.300 --> 00:15:30.680 Looking at the problem citywide, the mayor and council 00:15:30.680 --> 00:15:33.890 were just as concerned as we were at the hospital. 00:15:33.890 --> 00:15:36.410 Right after the tornado we got two new bulldozers 00:15:36.410 --> 00:15:41.150 to speed clearance of debris. 00:15:41.150 --> 00:15:41.950 At the same time, 00:15:41.950 --> 00:15:44.590 a new director for civil defense came on duty. 00:15:44.590 --> 00:15:47.960 A trained full-time administrator. 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:49.500 With energetic leadership, 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:53.430 the Fallout Shelter Program, including the marking and stocking of supplies 00:15:53.430 --> 00:15:55.270 that we had started a couple of years back 00:15:55.270 --> 00:15:58.510 was finally pushed to completion. 00:15:58.510 --> 00:16:00.470 The city began to accumulate additional stocks 00:16:00.470 --> 00:16:04.860 of emergency food supplies against natural disasters. 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:06.840 At first glance, the list of emergency services 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.520 seemed almost too elaborate. 00:16:10.520 --> 00:16:16.520 But even for a city the size of ours, everyone was essential. 00:16:16.520 --> 00:16:19.170 And that's how we three found ourselves knee-deep 00:16:19.170 --> 00:16:21.050 in disaster planning, 00:16:21.050 --> 00:16:26.270 with a mandate from the mayor to get emergency health services organized. 00:16:26.270 --> 00:16:28.890 I was tapped along with Tom Ryan, 00:16:28.890 --> 00:16:32.330 who was chairman of the Medical Society's Disaster Committee. 00:16:32.330 --> 00:16:37.170 Jim Hickman, our public health officer, has an expert knowledge of preventive medicine 00:16:37.170 --> 00:16:41.640 and he works continuously with different city departments. 00:16:41.640 --> 00:16:46.180 We soon began to realize that no one had ever tackled this problem before. 00:16:46.180 --> 00:16:50.020 We could study existing plans but there was no ready-made formula 00:16:50.020 --> 00:16:53.120 to meet the specific needs of our community. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:55.730 The disaster hazards we were subject to, 00:16:55.730 --> 00:17:00.530 the facilities and resources we could marshal. 00:17:00.530 --> 00:17:02.480 Some work had been done. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.870 Each of the three hospitals in the area had a disaster plan, 00:17:05.870 --> 00:17:11.360 but none of us had ever considered gearing our plan to the other two. 00:17:11.360 --> 00:17:16.570 We had a long way to go before we could call it a community plan. 00:17:16.570 --> 00:17:20.110 So we started with simple, basic questions... 00:17:20.110 --> 00:17:23.770 so simple no one had ever asked them before. 00:17:23.770 --> 00:17:29.150 Where stretchers interchangeable between ambulances? 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:33.750 And what about the emergency equipment on our vehicles? 00:17:33.750 --> 00:17:35.270 One point in our favor: 00:17:35.270 --> 00:17:40.070 many other people were just as concerned as we were about the problem. 00:17:40.070 --> 00:17:42.290 At first, wherever we went, 00:17:42.290 --> 00:17:46.820 surveying our vulnerability to disaster or examining medical facilities, 00:17:46.820 --> 00:17:51.210 we had good cooperation. 00:17:51.210 --> 00:17:54.420 Then as memory of the tornado began to fade, 00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:56.570 with it went some of the eagerness. 00:17:56.570 --> 00:17:58.120 People would talk to us, 00:17:58.120 --> 00:18:04.100 if it wouldn't take too much time or cost any money. 00:18:04.100 --> 00:18:06.100 In the field of medicine and health, 00:18:06.100 --> 00:18:09.060 working with other physicians and hospital people, 00:18:09.060 --> 00:18:15.360 we got a great deal accomplished quickly. 00:18:15.360 --> 00:18:17.220 We were dealing with colleagues, 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:25.610 people we knew, in terms of specialized needs we both understood. 00:18:25.610 --> 00:18:31.400 We soon drew the local nurses association into active support. 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:33.920 With the assistance of the Medical Society, 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.410 we soon had a record of every physician 00:18:36.410 --> 00:18:38.080 residing in the area, 00:18:38.080 --> 00:18:42.130 and we set up a running inventory of the available medical supplies, 00:18:42.130 --> 00:18:46.930 including biologicals and pharmaceuticals. 00:18:46.930 --> 00:18:51.840 This included the stocks in drug and surgical supply houses. 00:18:51.840 --> 00:18:54.050 We found the state health department and the Red Cross 00:18:54.050 --> 00:18:57.670 were useful sources of information and assistance. 00:18:57.670 --> 00:18:59.260 [Instructor at head of classroom:] It's very easy to construct, 00:18:59.260 --> 00:19:01.140 and Chester, would you and Larry come up 00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:04.780 and help us demonstrate this method? 00:19:04.780 --> 00:19:08.290 The fundamentals are, again, very easy to perform but they are... 00:19:08.290 --> 00:19:10.560 [Narrator:] The students in this medical self-help course 00:19:10.560 --> 00:19:13.310 are maintenance, kitchen help, office workers, 00:19:13.310 --> 00:19:17.030 the ancillary staff of the hospital. 00:19:17.030 --> 00:19:20.310 [Instructor:] All right, Carolyn, if you would come up and help us demonstrate this. 00:19:20.310 --> 00:19:22.590 Do not be afraid that the folded blanket will fall, 00:19:22.590 --> 00:19:27.600 because the weight of the injured person will hold it firmly in place. 00:19:27.600 --> 00:19:28.390 All right. 00:19:28.390 --> 00:19:29.340 Good. 00:19:29.340 --> 00:19:30.450 Larry, if you and Chester will pick her up now 00:19:30.450 --> 00:19:33.470 and transport her to the back of the room, 00:19:33.470 --> 00:19:35.750 just like you would transport an injured person. 00:19:35.750 --> 00:19:39.810 [Narrator:] With this basic training they can function as aides in time of disaster. 00:19:39.810 --> 00:19:41.820 [Instructor:] That's very good. 00:19:41.820 --> 00:19:44.040 Carolyn, you look like you've been hit. 00:19:44.040 --> 00:19:48.500 [Narrator:] We even managed to get a Packaged Disaster Hospital located in our area. 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:50.840 [Packaged disaster hospital representative:] Complete operating room suites by the way, in each PDH. 00:19:50.840 --> 00:19:56.320 Each hospital is packaged in some 660 cases such as this, 00:19:56.320 --> 00:20:00.090 and they are prepositioned in every state throughout the country. 00:20:00.090 --> 00:20:05.410 [Narrator:] A complete 200-bed hospital, in about 650 crates. 00:20:05.410 --> 00:20:06.910 With it came a training course 00:20:06.910 --> 00:20:10.810 for physicians, nurses and other hospital personnel. 00:20:10.810 --> 00:20:16.190 [Dr. Hickman:] Our disaster casualty potential far exceeds the normal bed capacity of... 00:20:16.190 --> 00:20:17.640 [Mr. Barnes:] In about six weeks, 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:20.190 we had started on a number of different activities. 00:20:20.190 --> 00:20:22.070 We had accumulated a lot of data 00:20:22.070 --> 00:20:24.610 and we were beginning to gain a basic understanding 00:20:24.610 --> 00:20:26.140 of what we'd have to work with, 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:29.100 medically-speaking, in a disaster. 00:20:29.100 --> 00:20:32.530 It was when we began to reach outside the area of medicine 00:20:32.530 --> 00:20:36.900 to draw on other community services, that it got more complicated. 00:20:36.900 --> 00:20:39.160 [Dr. Hickman:] Now listen, we've got to line up 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:43.950 an emergency food supply for a hospital population of 600. 00:20:43.950 --> 00:20:54.270 That includes patients and staff for approximately eight days. 00:20:54.270 --> 00:20:58.850 But this does come under the city's plan for natural disasters. 00:20:58.850 --> 00:21:01.640 The mayor's office said the resources... 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:05.310 [Narrator:] They need food, transportation, a communications network. 00:21:05.310 --> 00:21:08.160 Without this kind of support, their emergency health plan 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.000 wouldn't be worth the paper it was written on. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:15.100 This problem of communication, to take one example. 00:21:15.100 --> 00:21:16.980 They agreed it should be a simple matter 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:18.190 to link the three hospitals 00:21:18.190 --> 00:21:20.690 in the area with a disaster site. 00:21:20.690 --> 00:21:23.530 Then they could control the flow of casualties, 00:21:23.530 --> 00:21:26.220 manage their resources more effectively. 00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:28.120 It seemed simple until they talked it over 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:30.370 with the police department. 00:21:30.370 --> 00:21:32.660 [Police Officer 1:] You can see how tied up the board is now. 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:34.850 This is just everyday routine. 00:21:34.850 --> 00:21:36.390 You can imagine how busy this thing 00:21:36.390 --> 00:21:38.750 would be in an emergency like you're talking about. 00:21:38.750 --> 00:21:43.060 How would you go about rating one priority call over another medical call? 00:21:43.060 --> 00:21:44.750 [Police Officer 2:] Yes, and there's another problem, doc, 00:21:44.750 --> 00:21:46.310 how would the police officer at the scene know 00:21:46.310 --> 00:21:49.720 which doctor is authorized to make calls? 00:21:49.720 --> 00:21:54.330 [Dr. Ryan:] All right, let's take an actual emergency situation. 00:21:54.330 --> 00:21:58.100 Now the police are the first ones usually to the site. 00:21:58.100 --> 00:22:01.100 [Mr. Barnes:] We learned that the municipal police department and the county sheriff's office 00:22:01.100 --> 00:22:03.210 broadcast on different frequencies, 00:22:03.210 --> 00:22:05.030 but then we were learning a lot of things 00:22:05.030 --> 00:22:06.740 we hadn't known before. 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:09.220 There was no problem we couldn't work out. 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:11.340 It took more time, more digging, 00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:15.990 and it forced us to think in terms of the obstinate realities of disaster. 00:22:15.990 --> 00:22:18.940 We reviewed our plan for the mayor's transportation advisors, 00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:21.910 another of the civil defense emergency services. 00:22:21.910 --> 00:22:25.020 Members included the biggest trucking companies in the city 00:22:25.020 --> 00:22:27.260 and the chief of the county road department. 00:22:27.260 --> 00:22:32.260 [Dr. Hickman:] We must have trucks and drivers immediately post-disaster 00:22:32.260 --> 00:22:36.990 to move emergency medical supplies, sanitation equipment, 00:22:36.990 --> 00:22:40.030 personnel and perhaps even casualties. 00:22:40.030 --> 00:22:41.440 [Male:] You say here you'll need six, 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:44.450 two and a half-ton trucks and drivers. 00:22:44.450 --> 00:22:47.490 You're going to have to cut that figure in half at least, doc. 00:22:47.490 --> 00:22:49.990 [Dr. Hickman:] We've gotten three hospitals to take care of 00:22:49.990 --> 00:22:53.110 and we're not asking for any additional ambulances. 00:22:53.110 --> 00:22:54.990 [Mr. Barnes:] That's a rock-bottom figure. 00:22:54.990 --> 00:22:57.160 [Male with mustache:] Every truck we can lay our hands on 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:01.850 is already committed to emergency service of one kind or another. 00:23:01.850 --> 00:23:05.850 We need trucks to clear debris, evacuate survivors, 00:23:05.850 --> 00:23:06.970 bring in food supplies. 00:23:06.970 --> 00:23:16.630 [Male:] You see, doc, you're not the only people in the disaster business. 00:23:16.630 --> 00:23:19.240 [Operator:] Hello, Memorial Hospital calling. 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:21.950 A simulated emergency drill is underway. 00:23:21.950 --> 00:23:24.080 [Richard Barnes:] We're going to need every single person we can get down here. 00:23:24.080 --> 00:23:24.860 [Assistant:] Yes, sir. 00:23:24.860 --> 00:23:27.940 [Richard Barnes:] And be sure that all the main arteries through the center of town are clear 00:23:27.940 --> 00:23:30.200 because we're going to have emergency units going through there. 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:32.940 [Assistant:] Yes, sir. 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:34.510 [Richard Barnes:] It's 11:04. 00:23:34.510 --> 00:23:37.820 Our test has been underway for 10 minutes. 00:23:37.820 --> 00:23:42.270 Emergency units are now moving along the main streets towards the disaster area. 00:23:42.270 --> 00:23:44.930 All other traffic has been stopped. 00:23:44.930 --> 00:23:47.350 [Man in vehicle:] Mayor, I just received word that one of our other ambulances 00:23:47.350 --> 00:23:50.140 just passed through the square and should be here at the disaster 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:51.160 scene any minute now. 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:52.120 [Mayor:] That's fine. 00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:55.190 Will you check back now and see whether there are any more disaster units on the way? 00:23:55.190 --> 00:23:56.050 [Man in vehicle:] Yes, sir. 00:23:56.050 --> 00:23:56.690 [Mayor:] Good. 00:23:56.690 --> 00:23:58.470 [Man in vehicle:] Zero, four base. 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:01.460 [Narrator:] It's a full-scale disaster drill. 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:40.470 [Sirens, then whistles] 00:24:40.470 --> 00:24:42.410 [Mr. Barnes:] For the first time, the health service plan we developed 00:24:42.410 --> 00:24:46.770 is being tested together with the other emergency services. 00:24:46.770 --> 00:25:09.380 All of that coordination we worked on so painfully is starting to pay off. 00:25:09.380 --> 00:25:13.000 We have our communication system working with the help of civil defense. 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:16.990 This particular unit is courtesy of a local cab company. 00:25:16.990 --> 00:25:20.950 We have the police radio tied in, too, whenever we need one. 00:25:20.950 --> 00:25:25.230 [Man speaking into radio:] We got 15 hit with flying debris and some are multiple injuries, 00:25:25.230 --> 00:25:35.720 concussions, compound fractures and head injuries, 62 back. 00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:39.700 [Dr. Ryan:] This man has a sucking wound of the chest. 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:44.840 Send him to Memorial Hospital, please. 00:25:44.840 --> 00:26:03.020 [Background sounds] 00:26:03.020 --> 00:26:05.950 [Narrator:] This test is as realistic as we can make it. 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:07.960 Realistic to the point where we can estimate 00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:12.160 just how effective we'd be in an actual crisis 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:15.070 and so the last litter-bearer can see for himself 00:26:15.070 --> 00:26:20.960 something of his part in the whole rescue operation. 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:33.770 [Background sounds of traffic and voices] 00:26:33.770 --> 00:26:35.860 This time it's a test. 00:26:35.860 --> 00:26:43.090 Next time it may be for real. 00:26:43.090 --> 00:26:47.520 In one way or another, cities across the land have awakened to this need 00:26:47.520 --> 00:26:53.320 and the key role that the emergency health service must assume. 00:26:53.320 --> 00:26:56.740 Sometimes it's a drill that sets off the sirens, 00:26:56.740 --> 00:26:59.660 sometimes it's a real emergency... 00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:04.970 the ultimate test of how well your community has prepared for disaster. 00:27:04.970 --> 00:27:06.190 It's nothing new. 00:27:06.190 --> 00:27:08.930 Faced with a choice of survival or extinction, 00:27:08.930 --> 00:27:12.510 man will always choose to live. 00:27:12.510 --> 00:27:17.090 Sometimes the price he pays is greater; sometimes less. 00:27:17.090 --> 00:27:20.710 It has never been a bargain. 00:27:20.710 --> 00:27:24.510 The lesson we learned was that it doesn't matter where you begin; 00:27:24.510 --> 00:27:27.030 the important thing is to begin. 00:27:27.030 --> 00:27:31.970 It took a tornado to wake us up, but in a way we were lucky. 00:27:31.970 --> 00:27:34.800 It could have been far worse. 00:27:34.800 --> 00:27:37.530 What is the price of survival for you? 00:27:37.530 --> 00:27:38.660 For your city? 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:40.190 For your community? 00:27:40.190 --> 00:27:42.500 How do you choose to meet it? 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:51.080 These questions are yours to answer. 00:27:51.080 --> 00:27:57.040 [The End, M-1510, MCMLXVII] 00:27:57.040 --> 00:28:01.230 [Technical Advisors Robert O. Stewart, 00:28:01.230 --> 00:28:06.420 Hugh B. Cottrell, M.D.] 00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:10.340 [Produced for Bureau of Health Services, 00:28:10.340 --> 00:28:19.045 Division of Health Mobilization]