Evacuating and Receiving Patients in the Midst of a Wildfire

At the end of June 2018, the State of Colorado (CO) experienced the third largest wildfire in state history. Dave McGraw, the Safety and Security Officer of Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center found himself and the facility Incident Command Team having to evacuate more than 100 patients and residents. Karen Bryant, who was serving as the Chief Operating Officer and overseeing the emergency preparedness program at Prowers Medical Center at the time, helped to coordinate a team in their preparation to receive 14 of those residents. This article highlights their experiences and how they applied lessons learned from years of training and past incidents to the success of patient evacuation and return.