Hospitals in the 18-county area are making sure they are equipped to deal with large scale disasters. The Regional Medical Emergency Response Team are meeting just outside Peoria to train personnel how to use emergency medical equipment and make sure it works properly. The team is made up of representatives from 25 area hospitals.
Troy Erbentraut is the Disaster Preparedness Manager for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, which acts as the coordinating center for the region. He says it’s important for the team to be confident in how to respond to any type of disaster:
“We all know that when a disaster happens, our stress levels are higher. If we don’t practice and train in competency on things we’ll forget how to do the simple things. So if we can’t set up our tent, or set up our equipment, or know where our stuff is at, or know (where our) fresh batteries are, you can’t help those patients. So you can’t help those in need.”
Erbentraut says the goal is for the team to provide medical care for patients inside or outside a hospital setting. He says more than forty representatives are participating in the training event. It continues through Thursday.