Bayfront Health Trains with Pinellas County and Military to Prepare for Potential Disasters

Bayfront Health, St. Petersburg Fire Department, and the National Guard's 48th Civil Support Team joined forces to help care for residents who may be exposed to harmful chemical agents during a decontamination training exercise on Feb. 22 that will help teams work together in the event of a mass casualty incident.

"Should something happen in the community, these great emergency responder partners will help deliver residents to the hospital, diagnose them while they're enroute, and help decontaminate them before they can be processed through the hospital," said Connor Macht, Bayfront Health Emergency Manager. "Their participation enables our medical teams to provide the highest level of care so patients can get on the road to recovery as soon as possible."

During the training, the Pinellas County Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Team set up a decontamination tent on hospital property then walked Bayfront Health medical staff and hospital leaders through their decontamination process. The process enables patients who have been exposed to chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological threats to be treated immediately following exposure.

By training together for this vital simulation exercise, Bayfront Health physicians, nurses and clinicians become familiar with the emergency responder teams and processes which help facilitate the smooth transition of patients' medical information from the agency to the hospital. The training will help both Bayfront Health and emergency teams determine exactly how to treat these patients well before they reach the emergency room.