Emergency Preparedness

Kern Medical Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)

medical equipment, as well as transportation arrangements and tracking patients to and from the alternative care site(s) is also a collaborative effort. Communications to Kern County EMS and other healthcare facilities to find potential adequate outside facilities may be obtained through the EMS radio system, Reddinet, cell phones, or RACES. The purpose of security will be to ensure unimpeded patient care, staff safety, and continued operations. The Incident Commander will appoint a Security Officer (see Appendix F.6 – F.29 EOC Job Action Sheets) who will be responsible for ensuring the following security measures are implemented: • Security will be provided initially by personnel under the direction of the Security Officer. Existing security may be augmented by contract security personnel, law enforcement, hospital staff or, if necessary, by volunteers. • Checkpoints at building and parking lot entrances will be established as needed to control traffic flow and ensure unimpeded patient care, staff safety, and continued operations. • Supervisors will ensure that all hospital staff wears their ID badges at all times. Security will issue temporary badges if needed. • Security staff will use yellow tape and a bullhorn to assist in crowd control, if needed. • The Security Officer will ensure that the hospital site is and remains secured following an evacuation. • Kern Medical has established, and communicated that the roles of community security agencies outside the hospital’s buildings on site will be under the command of the highest-ranking police agency personnel on site. Command of security inside the hospital’s buildings will be under the hospital’s Incident Commander unless the incident commander deems that police intervention is required inside the buildings, and then the police in conjunction with the security in charge will assume command jointly. Kern Medical’s primary security is provided by Transwest Security (TWS). TWS. The primary local law enforcement is provided by the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD).Under mutual agreement the Kern County Sherriff and California Highway Patrol assist as needed... All three agencies utilize the ED on a daily basis. If additional security is required the Kern County EOC may request for additional outside security which could include the California National Guard. • Upon direction from the Incident Commander, the Security Department personnel on duty will be responsible for locking all exits and entrances except for the ambulance bay entrance. Only Kern Medical personnel wearing Kern Medical identification cards or emergency response personnel from other agencies, specifically, fire department, law enforcement, and ambulance personnel will be admitted to the hospital during a disaster. • Arriving patients will be directed to established emergency Triage areas or to the Ambulance bay entrance for admission. • As soon as practical, and after receiving authorization from the Incident Commander, Security personnel will clear the hospital of visitors and deny entry to those waiting to visit. The only exception shall be the parents or guardians of patients under the age of eighteen. All other visitors will be directed to designate waiting areas to contact the Public Information Officer for additional information.

3.10 Security

3.10.1 Access to Kern Medical Center

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