Hospital Incident Command System (HICS)

About the Course

This 5-day interactive Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) training course looks at how ICS can be adapted to internal hospital management planning for external emergencies such as MCIs, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks) and internal emergencies such as active shooter, fire, communications loss, power loss, and staff shortages. It focuses on how to manage external and internal emergencies affecting the hospital. Stressing the concept of incident command and sound hospital emergency planning, this training programme details the “what” to do and the “how” to plan and respond to emergencies affecting hospital operations. Specific topics include a review of the standard (non-hospital) incident command system (ICS) and differences in hospital ICS; discussion of a HICS-focused incident life cycle affecting hospital operations; HICS incident management structure looking at each function within HICS; discussion of HICS scenarios involving hospital operations; and finally a capstone, day-long exercise uniting the course components.

The capstone exercise is conducted as either a tabletop exercise or as a functional exercise. It is designed to reinforce HICS roles and responsibilities, incident management techniques, and the use of HICS scenario planning. It is designed for hospital emergency planners, administrators, public safety mid- and senior-level command staff, and emergency managers.

Core Objectives

The delegates will achieve the following objectives:

• Explain the life cycle of a hospital emergency incident using the incident command system (ICS) principles
• Expound on the conventional ICS organisation structure
• Identify hospital incident command structure roles and responsibilities
• Understand hospital incident planning and response scenarios
• Partake in a day-long tabletop or functional exercise, “hot wash” debriefing, and After-Action Review (AAR)

Training Approach

The delegates of this training course will be divided into multi-functional groups for group activities/mini-exercises; each group functions as a mini-planning cell representing public safety, hospitals, constituent monarchy/city agencies and senior city leadership, exposing each to various thought processes and planning “filters”. It culminates on the last day with a day-long tabletop or functional exercise.

The Attendees

This training course is designed for mid to senior-level hospital administrations, department heads, hospital emergency planners, and public safety professionals (fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, etc.).

Likewise, it will be valuable to the professionals but not limited to the following:

• Fire Chiefs and Senior Fire Planners
• Law Enforcement Chiefs
• Senior Patrol Officers
• Communications Center Directors
• Emergency Managers
• Hospital Emergency Department Heads
• Senior Charge Nurses
• Hospital Administrators

Daily Discussion

DAY ONE: INTRODUCTION TO HOSPITAL INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (HICS)

• What is HICS?
• Standard ICS Roles and Responsibilities
• HICS and Emergency Operations Planning
• Unified ICS and HICS

DAY TWO: HICS INCIDENT LIFE CYCLE

• Initial Notifications
• Situational Awareness and Analysis
• Emergency Operations Plan Activation
• Hospital Command Center (HCC) Activation and Operations
• Incident Management Team Staffing
• Incident Action Planning
• Integration of HICS into ICS Response
• Communication Planning

DAY THREE: HICS INCIDENT MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

• HICS Incident Command Group
• HICS Operations Section and Branches
• HICS Planning Section and Units
• HICS Logistics Section and Branches
• Job Aids and Forms

DAY FOUR: HICS INCIDENT PLANNING AND RESPONSE SCENARIOS

• Strategy and Tactics
• External Scenarios
• Internal Scenarios
• Communications Plan
• Incident Command Post Location List
• Evacuation Routes and Shelters
• Hospital Triage and Decontamination Locations and Procedures
• Public Messaging and Communications Plan Activation

DAY FIVE: HAZMAT/MCI PRE-PLAN TABLETOP OR FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE

• Scenario Presentation
• Exercise Play
• Exercise “Hot Wash” Debriefing by Group
• After-Action Review – Improvement Planning
• Next Steps and Programme Critique