Pediatric Disaster Preparedness and Response Newsfeed

 
Pediatric Pandemic Network: When the Emergency Call Comes from Inside the Hospital, Peds Evacuation Takes a Community
This article highlights how John Jermyn and the New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition partnered with hospitals, the FDNY, and the Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) Disaster Response Collaborative to strengthen neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) evacuation preparedness. It offers an inside look at a high-stakes pediatric disaster exercise that tested how hospitals, emergency responders, and community partners work together to safely evacuate vulnerable newborns during a crisis. Through a realistic NICU evacuation scenario, the article showcases the leadership, planning, and collaboration required to protect pediatric patients when every second counts. Readers interested in emergency management, healthcare preparedness, pediatric healthcare, or disaster response will gain valuable insights into the challenges of pediatric evacuations and the innovative partnerships helping communities prepare for the unexpected.
 
 

Maimonides Medical Center NICU Full-Scale Evacuation Exercise

On May 21, 2025 the New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition (NYCPDC) in collaboration with Maimonides Medical Center conducted a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) full-scale evacuation exercise. The goal of the drill was to test the NICU department’s evacuation plan including patient movement and tracking, internal and external communications, incident management, staff capabilities – both clinical and non-clinical (security, facilities management, etc.), and the ability to establish an alternate care space resourced to meet the needs of patients.

Months of preparation between the NYCPDC, NICU leadership, and the hospital’s emergency management team led to a tabletop (discussion based) exercise on May 1st, which served as a dry run and ultimately 10:00am on May 21st brought the real test when an artificial odor of smoke was found in Room D of NICU South. The NICU staff acted immediately putting the evacuation plan in action while security promptly responded to investigate the smoke condition and closed off all local access points. The NICU team was seen wheeling mock patients (infant mannequins) in isolettes to safety for continued patient care. An emergency operations command center (EOC) was quickly established and a Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) Level 2 was declared within 10 minutes of the start of the exercise upon the identification of a mock fire condition in Room D NICU South. Exercise role players from the EMS department took on acting performances such as concerned parents, members of the press, and as bystanders entering unauthorized areas. These injects were intended to challenge staff during a stressful scenario while also reminding them of the potential realities of real-life situations.

In total 6 mock patients were evacuated from the NICU South, over 35 hospital employees participated in the drill as well as members of the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) 40th Battalion. A hot wash (debriefing) was conducted at the conclusion of the drill amongst players to discuss the many successes of the response and also to identify opportunities for plan improvement going forward. Special thanks to all the exercise players who dedicated their time to improve the health and safety of our most vulnerable patients.

For more information or questions about the exercise or the NYCPDC please email John Jermyn at jjermyn@maimo.org.