Preventing drills that go too far: Learning from one hospital's serious error (September 2010 issue)

In May, a terrorist drill at St. Rose Dominican Hospital’s Siena campus in Las Vegas proved too realistic for employees and patients. A man wielding a gun entered the ICU and began ordering employees into a break room. Critically ill patients were left temporarily uncared for and employees were deathly frightened.

According to a July 3 news report in the Las Vegas Sun, an off-duty police officer with an unloaded gun acted as an armed gunman. Employees were unaware that a drill would occur and therefore thought an actual gunman with a loaded weapon was ordering them into a hostage situation.

Download the PDF to hear what expert security consultants have to say about avoiding this dangerous error.