Trial by Fire Lessons Learned from the Chevron Fire’s Unprecedented Patient Surge

Staff from two hospitals in California share their experiences related to a sustained (mainly) outpatient medical surge of 15,000 patients over a two-week period associated with a petrochemical explosion. The authors emphasize the non-traditional nature of the surge response (outpatient versus inpatient) and highlight strategies to: enhance staffing from community partners; obtain and receive needed equipment for patient treatment; and address security concerns, and medical records challenges.