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Lessons learned from a nightclub fire: institutional disaster preparedness
Eric J Mahoney1, David T Harrington, Walter L Biffl
1Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA.
The Journal of Trauma
|March 12, 2005
Summary
Effective disaster preparedness and institutional commitment led to an optimal surgical response for a nightclub fire with 215 victims. Lessons learned will enhance future mass casualty incident readiness.
Area of Science:
- Trauma Surgery
- Disaster Medicine
- Burn Care
Background:
- A major nightclub fire on February 20, 2003, resulted in a mass casualty incident with 215 victims requiring medical treatment.
- This report details the events, the surgical response at a dedicated trauma center, and insights gained for institutional disaster preparedness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the events and surgical response to a mass casualty incident caused by a nightclub fire.
- To identify lessons learned for improving institutional disaster preparedness.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from public media, governmental reports, hospital records, trauma registry, and regional hospital questionnaires.
- Analysis of patient information, including demographics, injury severity, and treatment interventions.
Main Results:
- 215 patients were treated across area hospitals, with 64 at the primary trauma center.
- The trauma center's facilities were rapidly converted to manage burn patients, with 47 admitted.
- Surgical teams were mobilized, and 43 operative procedures and 9 tracheostomies were performed within 8 weeks, with no deaths among admitted patients.
Conclusions:
- Robust disaster planning, personnel commitment, and institutional readiness were crucial for an effective response to this mass casualty incident.
- The experience provided valuable lessons for enhancing future disaster response capabilities.