On Nov. 16, 2012, Life Care Center of Bruceton-Hollow Rock in Bruceton, Tenn., conducted an earthquake drill as a part of its annual Disaster Drill Series.
The drill started with a recording of earthquake sounds played loudly over the facility’s public address system. During this time, associates and residents braced themselves in secure locations. Once the recording stopped, the official earthquake procedures began. Department heads took count of their associates, while charge nurses and nurse aides took count of residents and visitors, ensuring that each person was accounted for.
After recent reports of earthquake activity in various parts of East Tennessee, associates at Life Care Center of Bruceton-Hollow Rock decided to take proactive precautions to ensure that staff members are prepared in the event of earthquake activity in Middle or West Tennessee.
Earthquakes pose great potential for fires and people becoming trapped under debris. In light of this, the drill included a simulated fire, which initiated the facility’s fire safety procedures, and a missing persons scenario in which staff located two of three missing people.
Davy Rainey, a speech language pathologist at the facility, is a co-captain under Station 1 of the Carroll County Fire K9 Search Team. She also trains with the Tennessee Task Force.
Davy brought her 3-year-old black Labrador retriever, Maverick, for the drill.
Maverick, a live find dog, is trained to locate people who are trapped or buried alive due to natural disasters. Using these skills, Maverick successfully found the third missing person during the drill.
A total of 133 people participated in the drill: 86 residents, 42 staff and five visitors. The drill took only 15 minutes, making for an extremely successful earthquake disaster drill.
“I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to earthquakes, fires and other emergencies, Life Care Center of Bruceton-Hollow Rock is ready,” said Ben Stiefel, executive director.