Eliminate Sirens?

There is a lot of debate about the effectiveness of tornado sirens, especially in this era of advanced communications. One community decided it no longer needs warning sirens and its emergency manager is on board with the decision, claiming there are better ways to notify residents, especially in this city.

In Longmont, Colo., with around 100,000 residents, the city decided to halt use of its 17 sirens after at least two malfunctions in 2016.

The city decided it will forego use of the sirens in favor of more modern communications tools. The decision met with moderate opposition, and Longmont Emergency Manager Dan Eamon said the sirens, used maybe three times during the last four years, didn’t work as they were intended to work anyway.

“The times that we did activate them, we saw people coming out of their houses just to see what was going on, and the only thing we used them for was to get people who were outside to go inside.”

Eamon said he got around 20 phone calls from people in opposition to the decision to quit using the sirens and several posts to the Emergency Management Facebook page said discontinuing the use of sirens is a bad idea in general.

But Eamon said the city will find ways to cover any gap in communication coverage with new methods using modern technology, like National Weather Service polygons that target smartphone users in a certain area.

“We can offer a whole lot more opt-in services to the move away from older technology, which really made a lot of sense for our community, and that’s the direction we got from the city council. There certainly always have been weather radios.”

Eamon and city officials say residents can glean information from the National Weather Service website, its Twitter and Facebook pages, and from weather radios available from local hardware or retail stores that sell electronics.

Eamon said the city was in position to have to make a decision on the sirens because the repair was needed. He said mostly senior citizens, who may not have smartphones, are the ones who have expressed concern.

The city will help by using public places like public swimming pools or assisted living facilities as places where alerts will be broadcast.

The sirens were one tool in the tool box to alert people, and not the only mode of communication, as with most communities that use multiple ways of communicating possible danger.

Eamon said in some areas the sirens may be a vital part of the public safety landscape. “If you grew up in a place like Tornado Alley that had them and you knew what to do that’s one thing, but we’re a 22-square-mile city, so we’re pretty small and I think people are used to different things here.”

“What we’re replacing is a single function thing, like a siren, that’s designed to get people to go inside with no other form of communication and that’s a pretty good trade-off,” Eamon said. “We have technology now that’s more effective, and there are a lot of places around us that don’t have sirens, either.”

It Is Only A Drill

That was the question put before multiple county agencies and first responders on Saturday as part of a mock disaster drill held at the Meigs County Fairgrounds and Meigs High School.

“Drills like these are important to test area responders and build a better working relationship between agencies in the event of a real disaster,” stated Meigs County EMA Director Jamie Jones.

Arriving at the school on Saturday morning, first responders, actors and others were given information on the scenario for their role in the mock disaster.

EMS, fire fighters, the Red Cross, EMA and many others were to play out the situation as if it were a real disaster which they were responding to.

The hazardous materials emergency drill was conducted by the Meigs County Emergency Management Agency and Local Emergency Preparedness Committee to test the skills and knowledge of local agencies should there be a real emergency.

“This year’s drill was held at the Meigs County Fairgrounds and involved a truck which was hauling chlorine cylinders crashing near a crowd of people,” stated a release regarding the drill.

“Just as in a real life scenario fire, EMS, and law enforcement were dispatched to the scene where they discovered the hazardous materials involved as well as numerous patients. The Pomeroy Fire Department and Meigs County EMS worked together to get the patients to safety and transported to Holzer Meigs Emergency Department. As the drill progressed an incident command center was established by the Pomeroy Fire Department and the Jackson County (Ohio) Emergency Response Team was dispatched to the scene to control the hazardous material release. Due to the crowd of people and possible nearby residence needing temporarily relocated in the scenario the American Red Cross and Meigs County Medical Reserve Corp contacted to establish a shelter,” the release stated on the procedures followed during the drill.

As the drill progressed, evaluators documented the series of events, evaluating everything from flow of traffic to the information provided by the public information officer to the media and general public.

The total drill lasted roughly two hours and involved around 100 people from various agencies. Following the drill a debriefing was held which involved the participating agencies and evaluators who judged participates on their abilities to handle the situation at hand.

The agencies who participated in the May 13th drill were the Meigs County EMA / LEPC, Ohio EMA, Pomeroy Fire Department, Meigs County EMS, Meigs County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Jackson County Emergency Response Team, Medflight, Holzer Meigs Emergency Department, Meigs County Health Department, Meigs County Medical Reserve Corp, American Red Cross, local media outlets and students from Meigs and Eastern High Schools.

Director Jones stated he would “like to thank everyone who volunteered in this year’s drill and making it a success.”

How to Survive in a Collapsing Economy

One of the first acronyms I learned as a new prepper was TEOTWAWKI.  The End Of The World As We Know It.  I knew from reading James Rawles’  Patriots that the end could come suddenly, within just a few days as America’s banking system collapsed upon itself.  Another, more drastic version was spelled out for me in an online article, The One Hour Meltdown.  Neither vision of the future was pleasant, but I was skeptical about the concept of a sudden economic collapse.

Instead, a slow decline, a de-evolution, of our lifestyles and our economy may be far more likely.  Continued high levels of unemployment, for example, are eroding away at America’s middle class.  Worse still, is the fact that long-term joblessness causes individuals and families to exhaust their savings, retirement funds, and max out credit cards in their attempt to stave off bankruptcy, evictions, and home foreclosures.  As each safety net is consumed, people become more and more entrenched in the growing underclass, and in today’s economy, it’s going to be more difficult than ever to recoup what has been lost.  TEOTWAWKI has become a reality for millions of Americans, and the slow decay continues.

The proof is in the numbers

Currently, around 48 million Americans are living below the poverty level, measured by an income of $24,230 or less for a family of four.  The median income has decreased to levels seen in the mid-1990’s. Depending on whose numbers you trust, the unemployment level is either 5%, according to the federal government, or upwards of 25%.

The unemployment rate depends largely on where you live and the health of local business and industry. As the oil and gas industry has taken a huge hit in 2015, employment in this areas, as well as other related businesses, has dropped. A few years ago on a road trip, we stopped in Yuma, Arizona, and it was a virtual ghost town with dozens and dozens of stores and restaurants closed and out of business.

A record number of more than 94 million people are no longer in the workforce.  The percentage of employable males between the ages of 25 and 54 who are unemployed is around 12%, up from 6% in 1980. Today, only 44% of Americans consider themselves to be “middle class”, down from 53% in 2008, and, incredibly, 49% believe they are “lower class”.

The average age of a worker earning just minimum wage is 36. 52% of American workers make less than $30,000.No wonder American families are hurting.

Bottom line: Americans are earning less and working less. Jobs have simply disappeared, and this leaves millions of us more vulnerable than ever to an economic collapse.

The saddest ending of all

A slow decline of a society is more sad and tragic than a sudden collapse.  After all, what is the more awful to watch, an animal dropping dead from a single rifle shot or one that lumbers along in pain from a not-quite-mortal wound, finally dropping, exhausted, miles away? At some point in the future, we’ll wake up and realize that our country has been lumbering along and has finally collapsed.  TEOTWAWKI isn’t always sudden.  Sometimes it’s slow and sad.

Back when Russia was the USSR and the Iron Curtain was firmly in place, those who traveled through such glamour spots as East Berlin, Belgrade, and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).  You would be struck by the widespread poverty, from patched up cars from the 1950’s to equally antiquated fashions.  Grocery stores were virtually empty, the scarce goods available were poor quality, technology was ancient as vendors used abacuses to calculate sales, and only a very few people at the top of the food chain enjoyed the comforts you would take for granted.  When I think of a slow collapse of America, this is the snapshot that comes to mind.

Preppers and survivalists will inherit the earth

We are currently in a small window of time in which we can prepare our families for an economic collapse, whether it happens in one day or continues far into the future, “lost decades”, as they say.  The concept of preparedness is based on taking steps before a crisis to insure your family’s well-being afterwards.

Recent reports tell of record numbers of Americans resorting to dumpster diving in order to find food.  Preppers and survivalists with deep pantries filled with buckets of wheat, SPAM, and soup will be spared that indignity!

Here are a few proactive steps to take in the face of an economic collapse.

1. If you’re relying on a solvent Social Security system to see you through your retirement years, you’re already in trouble. If the government gives it to you, they can take it away. What can you do to earn more money on the side to invest in hard goods, such as food storage, possibly precious metals, moving to an area that is less populated, or buying a vehicle that is more likely to be EMP-proof.
2. However, for the time being, DO take advantage of any and all forms of government assistance if you qualify. You paid into the system and you might as well get the help you need as long as the federal government remains solvent.
3. Give a lot of serious thought to how you might earn extra money.  Assess your bank of skills and knowledge and how you might be able to leverage them to start a small business out of your home.
4. Review every expense paid by cash or debit and anything paid for with a credit card. Slash and burn unnecessary expenses.  It’s surprising how little we actually need, even though cutting out beloved expenses can be painful.  
5. Set aside a few months worth of food suitable for long-term storage, and then continue stocking up. If your food is stored safely and correctly, there’s really no such thing as having too much, since you can always share with others.
6. Fuel prices will likely escalate at some point and car upkeep and insurance are always dependable money-drains. What can you do now to minimize your dependence on car travel?  Can you switch to doctors, stores, and businesses within walking or bicycling distance?  Imagine, now, that gasoline is $6 a gallon, or not available at all, and begin making changes accordingly.
7. Along with fuel, energy prices are headed sky-high. The appliances in your home that use the most electricity are your air conditioner, heater, water heater, and stove.  Do you have more than one way to cook food and heat water in order to save on the monthly bill?  What about staying warm in the winter and cool in the summer?  Excessively high rates for power are common in countries with struggling economies, so having a plan and the right supplies is crucial.
8. Don’t count on solar. It continues to be prohibitively expensive, even with government and power company assistance.  It takes a decade or more to recoup the expense of a whole-house solar system, and the electronic components are susceptible to EMP.  You’re better off buying smaller solar-powered products such as battery chargers, a solar oven, or a solar-powered refrigerator, although that, too, is costly.
9. Learn how to produce some of your own food by gardening and raising whatever livestock your circumstances allow. Backyard chickens have become so popular that many towns and cities are revising their regulations to allow chickens, and in some cases, other animals, including bees.
10. Pay off debt and tackle the mortgage. Remember, farmers in the Great Depression lost their farms because they couldn’t make the payments, and in some cases, because they couldn’t pay the property tax.  Even adding $50 or $100 to a mortgage payment will reduce the principal.  If your home is free and clear, start a monthly savings plan so the annual property tax bill can be paid promptly.
11. Save money. Even if the dollar should be devalued, paper money will still have some value. It would be better to have $5000 in a devalued dollar than nothing at all!  Even if such an extreme scenario never occurs, the average period of unemployment is approaching one year.  Anything in savings will, literally, buy you and your family time as you seek employment and other sources of income.
12. Become frugal now. Whatever money you have in savings will last a lot longer if you know how to pinch a penny until Abe screams for help!
13. Consider investing in precious metals. No, you can’t eat gold or silver, but precious metals have always been of value.
14. Don't count on bartering as a lifestyle. Remember, that in order for a barter exchange to be successful, you have to have what the other person wants or needs.  If all you have are airplane bottles of whiskey and I’m a non-drinker, do you really think I’m going to trade my food or medical supplies for your booze?  There’s definitely a place for bartering, but too many people see it as the solution rather than a possible option.
15. Stay up to date with dental and medical issues. Drastic changes to our health care system have already happened, with more to come. If our economy continues its downward slide, only the very wealthy and well-connected will be able to have top-notch medical care on demand.  If you’ve been putting off the annual physical, surgery, or any other procedure, it’s time to make the call, set the appointment, and take care of it.
16. Get in shape. Not the most popular of survival topics, but if you are at a healthy weight and in average to above-average shape, you’ve already improved your health, making medical issues less likely.

A final word about an economic TEOTWAWKI

The worst part about an economic collapse is the unfairness of it all, and that brings me to my final and most important tip.  Guard your mind and your heart against bitterness and anger.  Most of the recently unemployed are there through no fault of their own.  Hundreds of thousands of hard working, responsible Americans have lost homes and property because of decisions made by those in government, finance, and business who continue to live in luxury.

Survival begins with a positive mental attitude but anger and resentment consume energy, cause depression, and increase feelings of victim-hood.  Instead, make the decision to be proactive and self-reliant.  When you do that, you’ve taken power away from those you resent and have empowered yourself.  That’s a sign of a true survivor who’s ready to face whatever comes.

Myths About Preparedness

1. It’s just like camping.

It’s nothing like camping.  When you go camping, if you can’t take a shower for a couple of days. No problem, you’ll take one when you get home.  This will be your home, and you’ll have to figure out how to keep your body and clothing clean all year long,  in the cold, snow or wind.

On a camping trip, you can live without anything for a couple of days, even weeks, and you can always jump back in the car and go to the nearest grocery store to pick up what you need.  What if there were no grocery store available?  How will you feel when your daily habits are interrupted, not just for a few days trip, but for the foreseeable future?

2. You can buy enough food and supplies for forever.

No, someday what you have will run out.  You’ll have to learn to grow and/or gather new food supplies and to learn to use what you have, even if that means pancakes without baking powder.  Someday you will have to wipe your butt with a washable rag instead of disposable toilet paper.  Someday there could be no gas to get to the store and the store won’t have anything on the shelves anyway.

3. Your neighbors will gather around and help each other. 

Think about your neighbors who haven’t got a clue, or can’t bear the thought, of their comfy suburban lives changing when the reality of where society is going hits them, “upside the head”.  What if your neighbors can’t get their daily supply of cigarettes, beer, Prozac, soda pop, etc., etc., etc.?  Are they going to be the kind of people you can depend on?  For how long?

4. If I buy enough gadgets (mini washing machine, generator, solar tracker) I’ll be OK. 

If you truly believe that society is in for a big shake up, you’ll realize that this is not a time to spend money unnecessarily, but to put every penny you can into what is practical.  Gadgets are going to break down and then you will have to learn to live without them anyway.  Why not learn now?

5. I can get to my survival location when TSHTF. 

This is the most flawed and perhaps the most popular plan, thinking that when all hell breaks loose, you will know far enough in advance to travel the hundreds of miles to your survival location.  When the door slams shut, the highways will be blocked, the urban and suburban streets will be blocked and patrolled and no one will be going anywhere!  Even if your survival location is only a few miles away, you probably won’t be able to get there.  If you truly understand the need for being “survival-minded”, why not begin living the self-sufficient lifestyle NOW?  Learn what it really means to live off-the-grid NOW, not when there is chaos all around you.  You may find that it’s a much better lifestyle than the one you are living now.

6. I can convince my “significant other” that this is the right move. 

No, you can’t, and you shouldn’t. All you can do is give them information and allow them to do with it what they do.  People either get this or they don’t. It's not for everyone.  This goes for all family members.  I’m not saying go or don’t go without them.  That’s an individual, circumstantial decision and action.  If all members of your family are not on the same page, you’ll have to determine what to do.  Staying where you are may be your choice.  Just do it as an informed decision.

7/ I don’t need to prepare a place.  I’ll just grab my Bug-Out-Bag and find a cave somewhere. 

How many others do you think have that same plan?  Especially those who live near caves, already know where they are and already expect to be occupying them? And can your bug out bag hold what you really need for an extended period of time?

8. My kids will be bored. 

Your kids will be learning so many new ways of living, so many daily activities and chores, connecting with nature in so many new ways, they won’t have time to be bored.  Allow them the freedom to discover things like what bugs are in the grass around your home, what plants grow, what wildlife is still abundant on this beautiful land. If your attitude is one of wonder and not worry, so will theirs be. Help them look at this as an adventure, not a burden.

A final comment to anyone who does not yet understand why it might be time to make a move from your comfy, familiar, suburban lifestyle, you’re not watching the news.  Or maybe you are only watching mainstream news, who tell you, everything is as it should be. It’s not. Sources of news on the internet are reporting events that, somehow, never make it to the nightly news or newspapers.

Friedrich Nietzsche was right. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”  It’s amazing to see just what we are capable of living through, of accomplishing when we depend only on ourselves.  When there is no safety net, sometimes you just learn to fly.

Emergency Bag for Your Auto

To be better prepared for roadside emergencies, every prepper should keep some basic supplies in their vehicle. The recommended supplies are divided into two kits: the “Just the Basics” kit (things that everyone should keep in their car), and the “Kitchen Sink” kit (less critical items that might be useful when dangers are more likely, such as when traveling on a long trip).

“Just the Basics” Roadside Emergency Kit

Cell phone with car charger - Call for help

Small gas can - Retrieve gas

Folding shovel - Dig out tires; make a fire pit

Jumper cables - Jump a dead battery

Flashlight with spare batteries - Safely navigate the dark; wave down assistance

Roadside triangle reflectors or flares - Warn others of a disabled vehicle, accident, or roadside hazard

Small tool kit (e.g., screwdrivers, adjustable wrench, pliers) - Perform basic repairs

First aid kit - Assist those with medical needs

Tow strap - Free a stuck vehicle; tow a disabled vehicle a short distance

Notepad and pen - Leave notes when you abandon your vehicle; write down tag numbers of a drunk driver

Rescue me device - Cut seat belt if trapped; break out windows if vehicle becomes submerged

Roll of heavy-duty duct tape - Tape broken windows; fix tears; build shelters; secure enemy’s hands; countless other uses

Windshield ice scraper - Clean snow and ice from window

Spare tire, jack, lug wrench, and small board to put under jack - Change flat tire

Warm blankets - Keep warm when stranded

Pair of comfortable walking shoes and socks - Walk to safety

Maps and/or GPS unit - Navigate to safety

A few bottles of water - Stay hydrated

Backpack - Use as a grab-and-go bag if forced to leave the vehicle

Essential personal medicine - Enough to get you to safety

Cash - Pay for gas, roadside assistance, food, water, or lodging when credit is unavailable

Heavyweight canvas bag - Store your emergency supplies; load and unload easier

A more thorough roadside emergency kit can be stored in a large duffel bag. Having it in a bag allows you to quickly load or unload it. Ideally, the duffel should have shoulder straps, enabling you to easily carry it should you be forced to abandon your vehicle. Below is a general list of emergency supplies. You should review the list and tailor it to your specific needs and any likely threats for your area.

“Kitchen Sink” Roadside Emergency Kit

Everything from the “Just the Basics” kit - Takes care of most common needs

Class ABC or BC fire extinguisher - Extinguish small car fires

Leather work gloves - Protect your hands while changing tires, digging out car, etc.

Warm weather clothing (e.g., hats, gloves, coat) - Keep warm when stranded or hiking to
safety

Large funnel - Fill radiator; add oil; funnel urine into plastic bag

Gallon-size freezer bags - Urinate in bag when stuck in traffic, or unable to go outdoors

Bulb-style siphon - Siphon fuel from a vehicle or gas container

Bag of kitty litter - Provide traction in mud or snow

Fix-a-Flat tire sealant - Quick temporary fix to a flat tire

Tire pump - Fill a leaky tire

Tire gauge - Check tire pressure

Hand-ratcheted winch (a.k.a., a "come-along") - Pull your vehicle out of the mud or snow

Permanent marker and plastic transparencies - Leave a weatherproof note on your windshield

Pack of wet wipes - Clean up after treating injury, or being contaminated

Bungee tie down cords - Strap down supplies to roof or truck bed

Plastic wire ties - Secure shelters; tie enemy’s hands; make repairs

Disposable camera - Snap evidence at scene of accident

Oversized Heatsheet reflective blanket - Use as lightweight, portable blanket

Emergency food, such as high calorie food bars - Eat when stranded, or when needing
energy

Drinking water - Drink when stranded, or when unable to get to water source

Respirator; either low-cost - Type N95 or gas maskProtect from airborne threats

12-hour Cyalume chemlights - Provide night safety

Waterproof matches - Start a fire when stranded

TinderQuik (to start a fire even when wet) - Use as tinder for fire

Parachute cord - Make shelter; secure items

Lightweight rain poncho - Keep from getting wet; also doubles as a temporary shelter

Rescue whistle - Call for help

Quality fixed or folding-blade knife - Used for self defense, cutting supplies, shaving wood, cleaning animals, etc.

Position locator beacon - Signal for rescue from anywhere in the world

NukAlert - Detect high levels of radiation

Travel toiletries - Keep yourself clean during an unexpected evacuation

Change of clothes - A fresh set of clothes can help to feel refreshed

Most retail roadside emergency kits are grossly inadequate. It is much better to assemble your own kit with quality, hand-picked supplies that will adequately meet your needs. One last thing… don’t forget to keep a little cash in your car. It could come in handy if you have to bug out in a hurry or if you break down and need to pay someone to help you.

Common EMP Myths

Much of the literature on HEMP is either classified or not easily accessible.  Probably because of this, some of what is openly available tends to vary in accuracy -- some, especially from the Internet, has major inaccuracies.  Some discussions of HEMP have the right words and concepts, but do not quite have them put together right, or have inaccurate interpretations.  Here we will discuss some common misunderstandings.

HEMP has also appeared in some movies, and there are on-line discussions about possible errors in their depiction of HEMP.  Here we will be concerned with E1 HEMP, and ignore misunderstandings about other types of EMP.

Extremists:   Some general emphasis of comments fall into either "the world as we know it will come to an end" if there is a high altitude nuclear burst, or the other extreme:  "it's not a big deal, nothing much will happen".  Since we really have never had a nuclear burst over anything like our current modern infrastructure, no one really knows for sure what would happen, but both extremes are not very believable.

Yield:   There appears to be an assumption that yield is important -- it is not for E1.  The assumption that E1 is an issue only for cold war type situations, but not for terrorists or rogue nations, is false.  Very big bombs might have better area coverage of high fields by going to higher burst heights, but for peak fields the burst yield is only a very minor consideration.

1962 experience:   Some point to the Starfish event, and the rather minor HEMP effects produced at Hawaii by it.  However, there are many problems with extrapolating that experience:

1.   That was about half a century ago. Since then the use of electronics has increased greatly, and the type of sensitive electronics we currently use did not really exist back then.

2.   The burst was fairly far away from Hawaii, and the incident E1 HEMP was much less than worse case.

3.   The island is small -- if over the continental U.S., long transmission lines would be exposed (especially an issue for late-time HEMP).  In addition, widely separated substations would have been exposed, although with electromechanical relays (not solid state).

Also the yield argument has been used -- Starfish was a very big weapon, yet it did very little -- see the previous item, yield is not really very significant.

Cars dying:   Some say that all vehicles traveling will come to a halt, with all modern vehicles damaged because of their use of modern electronics (and one movie even had a bulk, non-electronic part dying).  Most likely there will be some vehicles affected, but probably just a small fraction of them (although this could create traffic jams in large cities).  A car does not have very long cabling to act as antennas, and there is some protection from metallic construction.  As non-metallic materials are used more and more in the future to decrease weight and increase fuel efficiency, this advantage may disappear.

Wristwatch dying:   One movie critic pointed out that electronics in a helicopter were affected, but not the star's electronic watch.  A watch is much too small for HEMP to affect it.

Electrons present:   One critic, with some awareness of the generation process, said that HEMP could not be present unless there were also energetic electrons present.  This is true when one is within the source region, which exists for all types of EMP -- there are energetic electrons present.  However for the HEMP, the radiation and energetic electrons are present at altitudes of 20 to 40 km, not at the ground.

Turn equipment off:   There is truth to this recommendation (if there were a way to know that a burst was about to happen).  Equipment is more vulnerable if it is operating, because some failure modes involving E1 HEMP trigger the system's energy to damage itself.  However, damage can also happen, but not as easily, to systems that are turned off.

Maximum conductor length:   There is a suggestion that equipment will be OK if all connected conductors are less than a specific length.  Certainly shorter lengths are generally better, but there is no magic length value, with shorter always being better and longer not.  Coupling is much too complex for such a blanket statement -- instead it should be "the shorter the better, in general".  (There can be exceptions, such as resonance effects, which depend on line lengths.)

Stay away from metal:   There is a recommendation to be some distance away from any metal when a HEMP event occurs (assuming there was warning), because very high voltages could be generated.  Metal can collect E1 HEMP energy, and easily generate high voltages.  However, the "skin effect" (a term not really derived from the skin of humans or any other animal) means that if a human were touching a large "antenna" during an E1 HEMP event, any current flow would not penetrate into the body.  Generally E1 HEMP is considered harmless for human bodies.

Is Your Hospital Ready for a Nightclub Massacre

As horrific as the Pulse nightclub slaughter was on June 12 in Orlando, lives were saved.
 
Three blocks away, Orlando Regional Medical Center staff had practiced a mass casualty drill just weeks ahead of the real thing, hospital officials told 600 doctors, nurses and educators Tuesday in Ponte Vedra Beach.

When 35 gunshot victims showed up in the first half hour, the training helped surgeons, nurses and administrators do what was necessary for them to survive, Chief Surgical Quality Officer Michael Cheatham said. So the trauma surgeon issued a challenge to the medical professionals before him — are their hospitals prepared?

“If you don’t have a plan or are unfamiliar with your hospital plan, you have something to do when you get back home. Because unfortunately with the world we live in, this type of an event is occurring with increasing frequency,” Cheatham said. “It is not a question of if you will be affected by a mass casualty event. It is a question of when. Make sure you have a plan and have practiced and drilled it.”

Even being prepared, the experience still caused about 1,200 staff who worked through those weeks with the wounded to seek counseling offered by the hospital.

Bringing staff who handled the Pulse massacre to this week’s Human Patient Simulation Network conference at the Sawgrass Marriott showed health care experts that training becomes “Practice with a purpose,” CAE Healthcare President Robert Amyot said. His Montreal-based corporation works with medical experts in simulation training and sponsored the conference.

“There are lots of lessons learned from their experience and we wanted to learn from that,” Amyot said. “… One thing that struck me was that they are talking about drills that before the tragedy a lot of people saw as maybe unnecessary, a waste of time or too frequent. But now their perspective is really different. Now they feel these drills made them better the day of the tragedy.”

Pulse was packed with about 300 people when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire in a 2 a.m. rampage that left 49 victims dead and 53 wounded in what became the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen was ultimately shot and killed by police.

Clinical nurse Steve McMichen told the audience they faced many challenges that day. One was that Orlando Regional was so close to the club that many victims were brought in before Orange County’s alert was even sent to any city hospital.

“There were bystanders actually carrying patients into the hospital,” McMichen said.

Cheatham said he had to run a gauntlet of police blockades to get to the hospital, presenting a problem for the 471 doctors and nurses called in to care for the victims. When he got in, Cheatham said he joined other surgeons to take care of the first of 71 surgeries done on victims. But he realized the chaos “was controlled” because staff knew what to do.

“We fell back on our training. We fell back on the drills,” Cheatham said. “And we were able to apply what we had learned in those drills to care for all these victims.”

All six operating rooms were used as doctors were joined by teams from two area hospitals so no victim would have to be moved. In the end, all 35 victims brought in alive were treated and released.

The mass casualty drill really prepared them for the worst, emergency preparedness manager Eric Alberts said.

“That fuels the fire to want to do more because it is no longer something that is on a piece of paper,” he said. “This stuff matters and even administrative persons can help saves lives.”

The hospital’s 51-page “After-Action” analysis does have 66 areas of improvement, they said. More training was needed, so Orlando Regional now does four trauma drills a month. While the hospital didn’t charge victims for medical services, the emergency cost it $5.5 million in unplanned costs.

“There is really no script for this type of incident. When you plan for an exercise, you don’t consider the big incident to be no more than a half mile from the hospital,” Alberts said. “But think outside the box and think of what’s just outside your hospital.”

Cheatham said they have presented about 120 similar sessions to medical professionals across the country since the shooting, and 100 more are planned. When their presentation was done, the names and faces of those who died were shown during a moment of silence.