Hospital Evacuation – Lessons from the Caldor Fire

The speakers in this conference presentation provided an overview of the lessons learned by the Barton Healthcare System during and after the Caldor Fire that burned more than 200,000 acres in the El Dorado National Forest and abutting areas. Specifically, they highlighted the evacuation of both a skilled nursing facility and acute care facility, listing strengths (e.g., partners honored their agreements, solid communications with state/county agencies) and lessons learned (e.g., improvements in transportation/strike teams and noise levels in the hospital incident command center).