Course Disaster Response Collaborative Focus Area: Pediatric Evacuation

Section outline

• Select section About the Content

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  About the Content

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    The focus area session recordings supplement the Pediatric Disaster Response Playback Series based on the Disaster Response Collaborative. Disaster planning and response prioritizes select domains in the Checklist of Essential Pediatric Considerations for Every Hospital’s Disaster Policies (known as the EIIC Disaster Checklist). Having plans and protocols for evacuation, pediatric surge capacity, pediatric patient tracking and family reunification, and triage/infection control/decontamination is most effective in increasing readiness to respond to disasters impacting children.

    Evacuation

    Fires, floods, power outages, active shooters, and other disasters threaten hospital floor, unit, or building evacuations often. While avoiding an evacuation is ideal, hospitals need to have a plan for moving pediatric patients and providers out of harm’s way and continuing to provide appropriate care for these vulnerable patients. This plan includes appropriate resources, personnel, strategies, and routes prepared ahead of a disaster and considered through all phases of the disaster cycle. The videos in this course guide a viewer on considerations for a Pediatric Evacuation when exercising these plans.

  • Select activity About the Content

    Explore the Other Focus Areas, View Session Recordings

    Focus Area Option: Triage, Infection Control, and Decontamination

    Focus Area Option: Pediatric Surge Capacity

    Focus Area Option: Pediatric Patient Tracking and Family Reunification
• Select section Introductions and Level Setting

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  Introductions and Level Setting

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Foster a collaborative learning environment by building connections among participants.
    2. Identify participant needs, challenges, and priorities to shape a relevant, supportive, and actionable DRC.
    3. Define participant roles and engagement within the DRC through June 2026.
    4. Examine common challenges in pediatric evacuation planning and explore potential solutions.
    5. Establish clear next steps and collaborative priorities to ensure continued progress in pediatric evacuation planning.
• Select section Foundations of a Strong Evacuation Plan

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  Foundations of a Strong Evacuation Plan

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Understand the essential components of a pediatric evacuation plan and their role in hospital preparedness.
    2. Identify key considerations for developing and refining a pediatric evacuation plan at different stages of planning and implementation.
    3. Evaluate current disaster plans to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in pediatric evacuation preparedness.
• Select section Leadership Buy In and Business Continuity

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  Leadership Buy In and Business Continuity

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Describe how Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning intersects with evacuation readiness and supports organizational resilience.
    2. Identify effective strategies for engaging hospital leadership in pediatric evacuation planning and preparedness.
    3. Recognize common systemic barriers to pediatric evacuation planning and explore practical approaches to overcome them.
    4. Apply real-world examples and lessons learned—including tabletop exercises and creative engagement efforts like the Disaster Olympics—to strengthen leadership buy-in and preparedness culture.
• Select section Engaging and Equipping Staff for Evacuation Readiness

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  Engaging and Equipping Staff for Evacuation Readiness

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Understand effective staff training strategies for evacuation equipment.
    2. Explore what motivates or hinders staff buy-in related to evacuation knowledge, skills, and abilities.
    3. Apply practical examples and common pitfalls to improve readiness for an evacuation.
• Select section Promoting Psychological Safety for Staff During Evacuation

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  Promoting Psychological Safety for Staff During Evacuation

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Learn about actionable strategies for how hospital leadership can contribute to the wellbeing and resilience of staff.
    2. Prepare for psychological safety of hospital staff during an evacuation event.
    3. Identify how to integrate behavioral health staff into your hospital’s evacuation plan.
• Select section External Partners: Local & Regional Pediatric Evacuation Coordination

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  External Partners: Local & Regional Pediatric Evacuation Coordination

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Understand the logistics of medical transportation in evacuation.
    2. Identify effective strategies for coordinating pediatric evacuation across hospitals, healthcare coalitions, and community partners.
    3. Recognize barriers to external coordination (e.g., staffing, leadership buy-in, MOUs) and discuss practical approaches to overcome them.
    4. Apply lessons from real-world pediatric evacuation efforts—including urgent and planned scenarios—to strengthen local and regional readiness.
• Select section How Communication Shapes Evacuation Workflow Readiness

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  How Communication Shapes Evacuation Workflow Readiness

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Identify communication and coordination workflows to identify resources needed for evacuation.
    2. Describe strategies for structured communication—internally and externally—that support clear and systematic workflows essential to evacuation.
    3. Apply real-world lessons from evacuation events to enhance and improve information flow between hospitals, coalitions, and partners.
• Select section Evacuation Equipment, Adaptation & Lessons Learned

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  Evacuation Equipment, Adaptation & Lessons Learned

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Recognize the limitations of commercially available evacuation equipment and identify safe adaptation strategies when resources are constrained.
    2. Evaluate transport safety considerations for pediatric patients during emergent and non-traditional evacuation scenarios, including mass movement assets.
    3. Describe how to effectively communicate evacuation equipment needs and risk considerations to executive leadership to support informed funding and policy decisions.
    4. Translate real-world evacuation lessons into actionable improvements that reduce time to resource identification, prioritization, and safe patient movement.
• Select section Key Lessons, Sustainability, and Ongoing Collaboration

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  Key Lessons, Sustainability, and Ongoing Collaboration

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    Learning Objectives

    1. Reflect on key lessons learned from the DRC evacuation series.
    2. Identify changes implemented and current readiness capabilities.
    3. Recognize barriers and opportunities to sustain progress.
    4. Strengthen connections to support ongoing collaboration beyond DRC.