Safety

Emergency Management Tip: After Knoxville shootings, offer a chance to review your security training

Emergency Management Alert, April 27, 2010

A terrible shooting at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, TN, on Monday — one victim and the alleged gunman are dead, two other victims are hospitalized — proves how rapidly a security incident can unfold. It’s likely the suspect shot his victims and then killed himself before police and security officers even had a chance to help.

In such cases, it seems the priority is survival for other healthcare workers and the patients they serve. The details that will come in Knoxville over the next few days about the shooting may bring all hospitals an opportunity to double-check their security procedures. This isn’t to place any blame at the feet of Parkwest, but rather to recognize that any tragedy can result indirectly in new lessons learned.

It’s up to you in the field as safety professionals to keep tabs on this story and, more importantly, verify that your staff knows what to do if a similar situation occurs on your campus.

For more information on hospital safety and security, check out more blog posts at Mac's Safety Space.

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