Abstract

In this paper, the crucial role of resource management during an emergency situation in a hospital environment is addressed and analyzed. We propose a methodology to help the incident managers allocate their available medical and non-medical staff members to the areas of the hospital undergoing emergency evacuation. We first show that the assumptions of unlimited resource capacity and lack of interaction between these resources may lead to invalid results and plans. We then present an analytical approach to model the dispatching of these limited human resources to the impacted floors. We also formulate a procedure to estimate the evacuation time. Within a reasonable degree of accuracy this estimation methodology can be used instead of a complex simulation model which often takes time to develop and test. The basis for this study is a recent project on simulation and modeling of emergency evacuation in a local hospital.

Recommended Citation

Jafari, Mohsen A.; Golmohammadi, Davood; and Seyed, Kian (2008) "Staff Management in Emergency Evacuation Preparedness and Response," Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1, Article 46.
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/vol5/iss1/46