Blackout! Are you prepared?

Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, found itself stranded without electrical power for one hour when a transformer blew up in an Ontario Hydro station and hospital emergency generators failed due to inadequate ventilation. This article discusses the impact of the power loss in a facility that relies on sophisticated technology and equipment. Because the article describes the actions that were taken following the incident and presents the audit that has been developed, it may be used by other facilities to assess preparedness and develop improvement plans.