1 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9
H
ow will you protect your staff if
there's an active shooter in your
facility? We've trained our staff
using the FBI-endorsed Run, Hide, Fight
protocol. It staff can't safely evacuate
the facility, they're instructed to shelter
in place in areas we've designated as
safe rooms. We identified several safe
rooms — they have lockable doors, con-
tain equipment and shelving that can be
used as blockades, and feature window-
less walls or windows with shades that
can be drawn — and placed signs above
the doors so staff can easily recognize
where to go when they're trying to
escape an active shooter. The 3D signs can be spotted from sev-
eral angles and feature the Bethlehem Star, the symbol of our
health system. The star doesn't publicize that rooms are areas of
refuge, but staff know to look for it
when their lives depend on quickly
finding a place to hide.
Bryan Mehalick, RN, BS
St. Luke's University
Health Network
Bethlehem, Pa.
bryan.mehalick@sluhn.org
Show Staff Where to Hide From Active Shooters
SAFE ROOMS
• HIDING SPOT St. Luke's placed easy-to-
spot signs above rooms where staff can
shelter in place.
Bryan
Mehalick,
RN,
BS
Ideas That Work
IW